A Webb of Confusion

Former U.S. Senator Jim Webb has been criticized for defending the Confederate Battle Flag. But did he really? The answer is a nuanced yes and no. Webb's contention is that the issue is more complex than some, according to him, are allowing it to be. He states that Confederate soldiers fought with honor and that the use of the flag by racists have twisted the issue.

I don't think anyone has cast aspersions on the honor of Confederate soldiers for this reason, a Civil War naturally contains within it a reconciliation at it's conclusion. As a nation we have already done this. The Confederate Flag certainly became a tool of defiance to Civil Rights and therefore a symbol of intolerance.

There are still those who wish to  advance a narrative that slavery was not the main issue for the Civil War. They will often massage it as a states rights issue conflict. Which is the same thing. It was a states rights issue of those states that believed it was perfectly acceptable to own human beings as property and those that did not.

The original confederate flag had color issues that was to close the flag of the United States. The Confederate States of America sought to be it's own nation and had a flag. It was defeated and it's flag replaced by it's original, the flag of a united country under the stars and stripes.

If I were an African-American and had to look at my State Capitol flying a flag that symbolized a philosophy which is one of the greatest stains on human history and I include all of the world's nation states throughout the ages, I would be deeply upset and outraged that it occupies a spot in the public square.

If a private citizen wishes to display this flag on their private property they should be able to do so under free speech. We allow people to march and make statements which most of us find reprehensible but we must defend the right, otherwise preserving the country was for nothing and the Constitution is merely a set of optional suggestions.

Webb might come to politically regret commenting on the subject if he runs for President but only time will tell. What he said was not off the cuff and it was not a sound bite, in politics however, it will be portrayed that way.

I think he's off base concerning what is occurring with regards to that flag, sincere in his expression but missing the point of the moment.

Another fact from the Democratic side of the Presidential race is that Hillary Clinton has said it shouldn't fly over a State Capitol or anywhere. She has not however, as her ultra right opponents are stating, called for banning it.

The commercial decision by some major companies to cease selling the Confederate Flag is their right as private companies but the importance of preserving it in museums and among civil war memorabilia collectors cannot be stressed enough. Do not allow history to be scrubbed clean of our misdeeds. Simply dispensing with a piece of cloth does not change the human condition. Only honest dialogue and the bright light of truth can begin to do that.