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	Name:	Viewpoint -
	Subject:	Any thoughts on this!
	Date:	4/29/2009 2:23:21 AM

Ok, I tried to sit this one out.

Coming from the position of being a student who has grown up in the South and taken extensive courses covering the South, Racism and Social Class, I feel as though this article opens up the chance for great dialog between both sides.

In regards to the Battle Flag of the Confederacy, one has to look at the group that is flying it in order to ascertain its meaning. If the flag is being flown over Confederate grave sites, or at Reenactments, there is generally little, if any racist sentiment applied. While the flag inherently breeds images of slavery and discrimination in the old South, one has to respect the fact that these men fought and died for a cause they believed in (state's rights, not necessarily slavery, only 5% of the population of the South were slave holders), and should be able to be buried under the flag they fought for.

On the other hand, groups such as the KK K and the skinheads have taken the flag and have used it to represent racism and try to intimidate African Americans. In our society, we cannot tolerate those who support those ideals, and it is our duty to stand up to anyone who supports those thoughts.

This dual usage of the flag inevitably makes for hard feelings. There have been numerous cases involving the Battle Flag throughout the South over the past decade, including changing the State Flag of Georgia and removing the Battle Flag from the State Court House of South Carolina. These harsh feelings will probably not go away in our lifetimes, so we must look for compromise and understanding.

We also have to remember that Alabama was a hotbed for racism during the civil rights movement. Looking at the Lake Martin Community, there were several incidents involving Reeltown, Camp Hill and Dadeville (Ralph Gray incident), so the issue does hit close to home.

Unfortunately there is no good answer in regards to what to do about the situation. Some propose compromise, including flying the Stars and Bars instead of the Battle Flag. However, I do not see this issue going away until we can look past the flag itself and see the person or group that is flying it in order to derive the meaning that they are trying to portray, be it heritage or hatred.