Ta-Nehisi Coates on waving the Confederate flag in front of the White House:
If a patriot can stand in front of the White House brandishing the Confederate flag, then the word “patriot” has no meaning. The Nazi flag is offensive because it is a marker of centuries of bigotry elevated to industrialized murder.
But the Confederate flag does not merely carry the stain of slavery, of “useful killing,” but the stain of attempting to end the Union itself. You cannot possibly wave that flag and honestly claim any sincere understanding of your country. It is not possible.
Yes, a flag of sedition and treachery. I am rather furious that it is visible in pictures on the web, but I have yet to see any of the television news air the images that include that banner of shame. Stupid media….
The South lost as I recall but at a terrible price of life and treasure. I really found that flag in front of the White House to be terribly offensive. Slavery was a great evil and we are STILL dealing with the aftermath.
When I saw the Confederate flag and the Marine Corps flag held by the same guy, I had to laugh. According to what I’ve been able to find on the internet, the flag-waver is a 24 year old from Texas who claims he spent four years in Afghanistan. I imagine we are to assume he was in the Marines. However, I think (not at all positive) that deployments are approximately one year and there are approximately one year intervals between deployments (a killer for the soldier and his family), wouldn’t that guy have had to have been about 16 years old when he enlisted? Four one year deployments plus four one year intervals between deployments does make eight years, right?
But then, I was equally suspicious of the actual service of a bunch of those old white-haired, fat f….s whining about the WWII memorial. Looked like a put up job to me AND one old feller’s camo’s were brand new and woodland jungle. What? He trained in Panama?
Why do we not treat these guys as potential terrorists?