The NAACP is renewing it's attack on the Confederate flag which is displayed on the State House Grounds in our State Capitol. As you may recall, some years ago, the flag was moved there in a compromise after the NAACP had protested the flag flying over the dome of the State House.
The NAACP says the flag is offensive. It is racist and it must come down. The NAACP says it will now do more to encourage a Black boycott of the Palmetto State, and it will apply all the pressure it can apply from all sources to remove the Flag from the State House Grounds.
The truth is.....any of us can make anything we want of a symbol. Most of us don't mind other symbols and we tolerate things which may offend us, so all we ask is tolerance for this place of honor for which many of our Southern ancestors gave their last full measure of sacrifice. They gave their lives.
Enough is enough! While most of us have long ago accepted "diversity" as a goal worthy of our society, and while most of us have learned to accept and love each other for what we are without prejudice, the NAACP again fans the flames of racism. It seems their definition of diversity is fine as long as it conveys African heritage and symbols, affirmative action, and government grants. But, lo and behold, there is no "diversity" allowed when it comes to our Southern Heritage. But this time, there is a difference. For me, and for many others, we've had enough of this shameless group of power grabbers. We are not going to stand for it.
This writer asks every citizen who believes in the rights and heritage of all peoples to contact your legislators. Tell them the flag stays where it is. Period. Should there be an attempt to move, let us form a march and union of people to surround it and protect it (peaceably) from this senseless onslaught.
For so many of us native Southerners who had ancestors fighting for their independence and their right to leave the Union in peace, this tattered old flag is a symbol of honor. We must rally to defend it. We will do so.
Now, The NAACP says it will encourage people to stay away from South Carolina because of the Confederate Flag. To date, their boycott has been a pitiful sham. Should it now be successful, so be it. If the price of our heritage should be fewer visitors, or a loss of some business, so be it. The honor of our ancestors is no longer negotiable.
