Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
The Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has come up with an idea for celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War—known to some as the “War between the States.” The veterans group has proposed that the state of
Mississippi issue a series of specialty license plates commemorating the war. These specialty plates, planned for the years 2011 through 2015, would each have a different design.
What has some people upset is the specialty license plate slated for the year 2014, which would honor General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest, a native of Tennessee, is considered by some to have been a military genius. Others feel differently about Forrest who is “reviled” by some for allegedly having lead a massacre of Black Union troops at Fort Pillow in his home state in 1864. It should be noted that Forrest also served as the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
According to ABC News, the NAACP is planning to send a letter to Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour requesting “that he publicly denounce the license plate and use his office to prevent it from being issued.” Derrick Jackson, president of the Mississippi state NAACP, said of Forrest: “He should be viewed in the same light that we view Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. The state of Mississippi should deny any vanity tags which would highlight racial hatred in this state.”
Although many historians agree that Nathan Bedford Forrest distanced himself from the KKK later in his life, some believe “it was too little too late because the Klan had already turned violent before Forrest left.”
Sources
I am having a hard time understanding what Brent is saying. Could someone enlighten me?
If you must know one of my family members claims to have fired the first shot during the war among the states. It was fired January 10, 1861.
I am not claiming to have read all thre messages here most looked like spam. However I did read one and when they said
“, but the injustices of today are the ones that must be fought, while those of the past must be remembered only as lessons in the context of changing today’s world and for our children’s future.
I saw right away that they just don’t get it! Wee are not fighting the past we are fighting the present!
Today’s hearts and minds is what we are fighting for – every single day somewhere in the USA there is an article, blog, or other bashing and lying about the South and my ancestors. Just mention the Confederate Flag and they can go go on for days with their bashing and lying. This has to be one the most money making schemes for the politicians, authors, bloggers,pundits of the century.
All the lies that were printed about the South and my people in the 1960s we couldn’t get a word in and most of us just held our tongues, but when this bashing all started up again in the 1990s by the naccp and splc a lot of us vowed to fight it! the Daughters and the Sons were mostly silent and the more silent they were the worse the bashing and lying got. So I came out swinging and a lot of us are swinging the bat now. And if you don’t like that well that is just too bad, cause we don’t give a damn.
As to the 1st shot at Charleston, you should read the latest info and a different point of view because yours is wrong and biased.
Elaine,
You are correct….where does this Brent come from Florida….
AY,
It’s hard to answer questions when you have no answers.
Mike,
I am not so sure about this Brent…..He seems to be all over the deck side with teak wiped in oil….I have yet to see him answer one question…
dense brent I am not one convinced. where is the proof that it is not yours and that you are not using your son’s identity. if you are really in prison, how do you have the ability to use a computer.
Brent,
Thank you for answering my questions. Since you and I appear to agree on their answers, I would submit to you again my original point. I personally don’t care why the Civil War was fought, or about the atrocities committed on each side. That is for historians to debate. I am glad that the South was defeated because that defeat led to the outlawing of slavery in the US.
However, the South continued to be looked upon askance because between the KKK and “Jim Crow” the same horrors of slavery were perpetrated on Black people, except they had the option of leaving the South. This “Jim Crow” terrorism was made worse by the fact that it was written into law, enforced by peace officers, condoned in church and by its nature insured most Blacks in the South would remain in poverty.
The other part of that is by constantly replaying the victim’s role in the CW, many Southerners have themselves been kept from escaping poverty or low incomes because of this. To me the reason is that the Southern Politicians have always used hatred of Black people and the CW grievances to get votes. Almost all of these politicians were actually the agents of the rich, White establishment and so the South has always had poor infrastructure, lousy school systems and laws that go against the working people and small businessmen. These politicians have also inserted Jesus into their demagoguery to further confuse the
Southerners who worked for a living and held fast to their Christian values.
Your own State has as its governor one of the slimiest politicians in this country, Haley Barbour. He has made a career
out of working for the best interests of the wealthy, while race baiting and wrapping his crooked self in Christian values and I’m sure he has broken many of the Ten Commandments in the process. This wealthy Southern Elite has always behind your backs looked at people like you as ignorant rednecks, or a flock of sheep to be sheared.
Although I’m Jewish, I think Jesus put it right in saying hate the sin and not the sinner. I’ve never hated so-called rednecks because I realize that they are just common people like me, with the exception that they have been fooled time and again, by people they trusted. I’ve spent a long career in the service of helping people screwed by their race, ethnicity and the system in general. Also with the tragedy’s in my own life, common people are those I identify with. As for Southern culture itself I love Bluegrass, Country, the Blues, Dixieland, Cajun and even Gospel music (unusual for a Jew)and southern cooking. One couldn’t love this music and lyrics without having a feel for the people who produced it.
What I can’t abide in Southern culture is just some of the things you are articulating, which in the end leaves you all as victims and keeps your States generally backward. It’s over. Have
respect for your ancestors but stop dwelling on them and start dwelling on the fact that you are being shortchanged by your scurrilous leaders, who allow your States to remain at, or near the bottom in education, poverty and wages.
What I also can’t abide is that somehow you all have gotten the idea that it is you (The south)that has a monopoly on patriotism and love of country. This belief entails the feeling that you are the “Real Americans.” You really can’t have it both ways. The
South, despite any provocations, chose to secede from this Union and fired the first shot of the war of that secession. While that is all more than 150 years past you are being conned into still “re-fighting” it and yet believing that you are the true patriots. “That dog don’t hunt,” to quote Bill Clinton
As to your points that prejudice, slavery and injustice also occurred and still occur in the rest of the country, I more than agree. When it comes to intolerance there is more than enough criticism to go around and also more than enough corrupt politicians to go around. It may be a simple homily but two wrongs never make a right.
Finally, I think you must admit that I’ve treated you in general with courtesy and for the most part haven’t engaged in name calling and in truth you’ve haven’t with me. Yet, when you say something like come say it to my face to others, you and I are both male enough to know that those are words that imply a fight would occur. You also made some characterizations of people that were not only over the top, but also were aggressive in nature. I suspect you are man enough to realize it.
As to your alleged criminal record being that of your son, I apologize if I implied it was your own. In the interests of honesty I have no criminal record, but was as a teen in a lineup on suspicion of felonious assault and was locked up in a Jail for six hours until I was bailed out. my crime was failure to pay a $15 dollar traffic ticket and my fine was $25 when I got to court. That doesn’t mean I couldn’t have gotten into more trouble, but that I was lucky. You are obviously a man of passion, but from an old fart like me, I would strongly suggest putting your passions into making the world better in the present and give up the anger over the past. Human history is full of injustice, but the injustices of today are the ones that must be fought, while those of the past must be remembered only as lessons in the context of changing today’s world and for our children’s future.
this boy’s left for good about as many times as limbaugh’s moved to costa rica
dueling you-tubes
Yawn.
-30-
Zzzzzzzzzzz…..
THIS is our flag.