Ranger Rick: There’s more to story about Confederate flag

Since the general public is so poorly educated about history, the confusion and anger swirling about concerning the Confederate flag, let’s examine the facts.

The battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia was adopted, after several versions, as the flag of the Confederacy – it flew for approximately four years. Contrary to opinions about the flag being the symbol of slavery, the flag of the Union (Stars and Stripes – American flag) was the national flag over all the states before the Civil War — while there was slavery in both the southern and northern states – using the same reasoning, should also be viewed as a symbol of slavery.

I’m sure Native Americans can say the American flag carried by attacking U.S. troops killing and butchering women, children, and warriors of the tribes under attack was a symbol of death and destruction. The Apache and Cherokee (and many other) tribes can attest to the horrendous treatment of their tribal ancestors during the “Indian” wars and displacement of the Cherokee on the “Trail of Tears” march from their ancestral lands to Oklahoma territory.  A stain on American history, in addition to slavery, no matter what flag was involved.

It is telling that the people under the racism industry are demanding the confederate flag be taken down on all public lands, but they say nothing of the American flag, because they are so ignorant of history. They also probably don’t know their “paragon of presidential virtue,” Abraham Lincoln, once commented about the issue of slavery in a letter to Horace Greeley, an editor of the New York Tribune:

“If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it, and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that.”

A number of presidents either owned slaves before, during and after their terms in office – they are:

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

James Monroe

Andrew Jackson

Martin Van Buren

William Henry Harrison

John Tyler

James Polk

Zachary Taylor

Andrew Johnson

Ulysses Grant

Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock also owned slaves. I guess Franklin and Hancock names should be eradicated from all public buildings and businesses. Franklin-Templeton investments and Hancock insurance should change their name?

Is everyone willing to also condemn and rail for the destruction or removal from public buildings, statues, schools, colleges, monuments and street names for all who became president and were slave owners some time in their lives, and have been honored through these public nameplates and edifices? When will the destruction/deconstruction begin?

Will Washington and Jefferson be erased from Mount Rushmore? Will Arlington Cemetery be renamed (“Arlington” was the name of Robert E. Lee and wife’s ancestral home, where Civil War Union dead were interred on the grounds)? Before you answer, know that Robert E. Lee and many other officers of the Confederacy were educated at West Point, fought in the Mexican War under the Union flag, and only joined the Confederacy because their home states were asking for their service. Back then, states had far more power than the federal government, and a “son” of Virginia was expected to defend Virginia and the South. I know most people can’t understand this, as most people nowadays have no idea of service for country, loyalty to your home state, and honor in keeping your word – things foreign in today’s world.

Amazon and others have also joined in saying they will not sell Confederate flags, but Amazon still has Nazi flags and memorabilia for sale? How many Jews were killed without a chance for survival during World War II? Treatment of slaves was up to the masters, being either benevolent or cruel in actions. I in no way condone what was done during this time and abhor the thought of owning another human being, but doesn’t common sense tell you if you fed, clothed, housed and treated your slave workers well, you would get more production from their labors?

If you were a Jew and sent to extermination concentration camps, you had no worry about treatment, either moral or cruel, you were sent to the showers to be gassed and your body thrown into ovens for disposal or stood before firing squads and dropped into mass graves. I do have “skin in the game” on this issue, I have Jewish blood in my veins and I’m sure many of my past family ancestors were killed during the Holocaust.

The politicians are trying to make “political hay” out of this situation. Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton exclaimed the Confederate flag should “never be flown anywhere”. As usual, she should check the facts before she opens up her pie hole. Her husband Bill Clinton and Al Gore used the same flag as political promotions in the southern states when they were running in 1992 – “Clinton-Gore” on a Confederate flag background. Governor Clinton also signed a proclamation honoring the Confederate flag in Arkansas. Mrs. Clinton was part of the government (as first lady of the state) they indeed, did support the Confederate flag. She should be explicitly clear and apologize if she is to be taken seriously with her fallacious pontificating.

The dirty little secret is the Democrats were trying to block the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the legislation only passed because of Republican support. All the Democrat strongholds at the time were solidly in the South with state houses, governorships, U.S. representatives and senators. Senator William Fulbright, Bill Clinton’s mentor, was a pro-segregationist from Arkansas, as was Al Gore’s father, Senator Al Gore Sr. U.S. Senator Ernest Hollings from South Carolina, when governor of South Carolina, directed the Confederate flag to fly over the state capital.

The Republican Party has been despised by the majority of African-Americans and their support of Democrat candidates for office is usually 95% or higher. It is the most farcical magic trick the Democrats ever perpetrated on the African-American population. If it weren’t for Republicans, there would be no civil rights for African-Americans.  The difference between Democrats and Republicans is Democrats always want to give hand-outs, Republicans want to give a hand-up.

History is revealing, sometimes for the good and not-so-good, isn’t taught and stressed anymore in schools. Students say “history is history,” they don’t understand if you don’t know your past, how can you help determine your future? History tends to repeat itself because people don’t understand how important it is to study the root causes of conflict and destruction. They will be condemned to repeat the mistakes from the past.

The rotting of American from within continues…