SPLC starts new campaign of historical cleansing "Erasing Hate"

a reply to: Skid Mark

Really, every time I see stuff like this I think of Orwell's 1984.

Great book....just never imagined I'd be living it.

I keep wondering when Americans are going to snap out of it and take their country back.....

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Asktheanimals

And so far there has only been one flag that has been 'banned', even though that really isn't what happened.

People never said that others will try and extend it, just that we shouldn't let these impractical wants affect the issue of the flag on state building at that time.

You know, not throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

The original Confederate flag in question - the very one which the young lady shimmied up the pole to cut down wasn't over any building. It was in fact next to a monument for the South Carolina Confederate war dead.

This is going beyond throwing the baby out with the bathwater, it's closer akin to burning the entire house down the baby was in.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

All I can say is many were claiming "it's only 1 flag were talking about taking down"
Remember those famous last words?
Just 1 flag, then it became that flag everywhere and just kept expanding from there.

If South Carolina chose to take the flag off the state building and several stores chose to stop selling it, and a few other places chose to stop displaying it, I don't see the problem. As long as the government isn't trying to tell the individual that they no longer have the freedom to display it, then people are going to do what they do. It's not "everywhere" and nothing is expanding with this story. Someone MENTIONED it and you all are freaking out.

I think the people who get SO upset about this kind of thing are overreacting to the natural changes in a society. This whole thing will blow over. Hopefully racial relations will get better. Life will move on. And the government won't take anyone's rights away.

The Confederate symbolism is in the spotlight right now and people are heated and upset about it on both sides of the issue. (I'm thankful I don't take a side in it because I see both sides, and they both look a little ridiculous to me.) For a long time, LGBT was in the spotlight and you saw "both sides" going at it, getting heated and upset - worried about the future. Then social change happened. No one died. Nothing revolutionary happened. More freedom was realized and now, society is moving on.

As long as people are free to display the flag, everything is fine. We can display the swastika, burn the US flag and make effigies of our president. Do you fear the government "banning" the confederate flag, when they don't ban those actions? The flag is harmless. It means nothing. But people on both sides have given it craploads of meaning, like it's some kind of Eugenics Threat or precious Eagle Feather. It is neither.

What's REALLY the worst that could happen if the Confederate symbols and names were removed from all government operations? What would happen then?

a reply to: Asktheanimals

A woman took down the flag, but she was arrested and taken to jail. That's what should happen to vandals.

Sounds like an awareness campaign to me.

A lot of people are unaware or don't even think about the real history of stuff they see everyday.

Will there be any action taken? Maybe, maybe not.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

The erase campaign has to do with decoupling Confederate symbolism from the government. If people want monuments etc... saved let them raise the money to maintain and guard them. The public shouldn't be burdened with the expense when it's all tribute to a time when some of the people represented in the public now, were enslaved.

Besides we have this awesome thing called text books (unless Texas has their way) plus the internet.

originally posted by: Asktheanimals
a reply to: burntheships


You're correct about the labelling of Constitutionalists and Ron Paul supporters as dangerous.
That was when my jaw hit the floor quite honestly.

Same here, jaw dropped.
Now that Ron is retired, I wonder who will fill that slot?

Anything that is in danger of supporting freedom and personal liberty they are quick to slap a hate label on.
Pretty ingenious when you think about it but the problem is too many don't think and just accept whatever the SPLC throws at them as fact.

Indeed, and this map they have put up...will only further the divisions,
the hate and chaos. Several times in the last few days I have read where
folks actually called 9/11 to report a man walking down the street with a
confederate flag.

Someone else called the police to report confederate flag merchandise for sale.

Lets just run this out a bit to imagine they do strip all flags,
symbols and monuments that contain the "offensive" confederate
flag. Then what? What of all of the websites with same? Are they next?
Then what, the books? Every book that is sold with pictures and mentions,
and how about the museums? Burn them?

Where does it end?

a reply to: Kali74

We’re looking for Confederate statues or monuments; flags; government seals; patches on government uniforms; the names of parks, streets, schools, military bases or counties; school mascots; and other examples.

Making new signs alone for everything named for someone who was a Confederate would cost a fortune. Then there's the often vexatious process of choosing new names. Every Confederate monument erected was paid for by heritage groups such as the Daughters of the American Revolution or Sons of the Confederacy, etc. Most of them are also maintained by these groups.

These people were also our ancestors. It is to memorialize the deaths of over a half million Americans that these monuments were erected or institutions given the names of those who sacrificed all. What this amounts to is one group telling another to remove public mention of their ancestors. No thank you. I don't feel the need to erase public monuments for Nat Turner or John Brown even though they were mass murderers. They are a part of history and belong with the rest of it.

These Confederate soldiers were all Americans and even qualify as American war veterans deserving full military honors including burial in Arlington National cemetery. Now they're all suddenly unfit for public display because slavery was legal? If that's true then all Americans prior to the Civil War should be treated the same way including the founding fathers, after all slavery was legal and even written in to the Constitution with their blessing.

What people are forgetting is that slavery was a world wide institution that wasn't abolished until the 19th century. It was not only Blacks who were the victims of slavery but people of nearly color and nationality. The very first slaves in the 13 colonies were in fact Irish. They were slaves and not indentured servants. There were a quarter of a million free Blacks in the South in 1860 many of whom also owned Black slaves, some owning more than a hundred.

The whole reason this is happening is because they got so little resistance to removing the flag they decided to go for the whole enchilada. Demonizing the flag proved so popular they figured everyone who fought for it could be treated with the same disdain and enmity. This is going too far, way too far imo. People have been too tolerant in indulging this kind of nonsense and now it's getting out of control.

Remove every name and vestige and what have you changed? Nothing.
Will it improve race relations 1 iota? No.
Will it stop people from hating each other? No, in fact it will backfire in that regard.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Yes! There were Irish slaves, as well as American Indian slaves. You hardly ever hear about it.

a reply to: Benevolent Heretic

What's REALLY the worst that could happen if the Confederate symbols and names were removed from all government operations? What would happen then?

Nothing today, maybe...

Or even tomorrow.

It sets a trend, if you will, that heads down a slippery slope that we might not like. I know, that whole slippery slope argument gets old...

But what's next on the list of "socially/politically unacceptable" things that "need to be removed" as hateful?

It's not that the flag itself is being removed, it's that something is being seen/deemed "bad", and worthy of having to be removed at all. That's what I find very worrisome, if not downright scary.

Oh dear GOD are we f%cking ourselves.

This is just an uproarious joke.

originally posted by: Kali74
a reply to: Asktheanimals

The erase campaign has to do with decoupling Confederate symbolism from the government. If people want monuments etc... saved let them raise the money to maintain and guard them. The public shouldn't be burdened with the expense when it's all tribute to a time when some of the people represented in the public now, were enslaved.

Besides we have this awesome thing called text books (unless Texas has their way) plus the internet.

Funny you should mention Texas "having their way". abcnews.go.com...

This is getting beyond ridiculous. I agree with a poster before me, history should remind us of ugliness sometimes, it should offend us, if only to remind us not to repeat the same actions.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
a reply to: Asktheanimals

Yes! There were Irish slaves, as well as American Indian slaves. You hardly ever hear about it.

The reason you hear so little about Indian slaves is because they didn't last.
Most died under the horrible conditions of the Caribbean sugar plantations.
The Irish was an embarrassment to England.
Not only were half a million sold off as slaves but genocide killed millions.
The population of Ireland was reduced over 50% at one point due to England.

a reply to: seagull

Indeed, who will make the decisions as to what is suitable for public display or is unfit as symbolic of "hate"?
- The SPLC?
They have over 1,000 groups listed as such.
Where does it end?
It doesn't, and THAT is precisely the problem.
As I said you cannot institute world government without first destroying the Nations of the World.
This is part of the program.
Welcome to the NWO, phase 2.

When people start thinking someone of the character of Robert E Lee is evil all I can say is BITE ME!!
Seriously pisses me off.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

I have an immense amount of respect for what the SPLC has done in the past, and much of their work is on the side of the angels now...

In this, however, I am forced to part ways with them.

Hate is best combated by education and exposure, not by erasing.

a reply to: seagull

This isn't even about hate but dismantling a culture.
By extension Southern Whites are portrayed in the same light.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Every Confederate monument erected was paid for by heritage groups such as the Daughters of the American Revolution or Sons of the Confederacy, etc. Most of them are also maintained by these groups.

If that is so, you have nothing to worry about. Private property. However, I think you are incorrect about the most part.

a reply to: artnut

Yes history should be authentic regardless of how uncomfortable it gets but I'm not sure it needs monuments in tribute to the evils of our past. Generally monuments reflective of uncomfortable history pay tribute to the wronged not the wrong doers.

a reply to: Asktheanimals

Assuming for a minute everything about confederate symbols are hateful/racist. Assume everyone who embraces or holds any symbol pertaining to it is as well. Assume you remove all the symbols from public display or whatever else this ends in. At that moment will schools become better , willl college be more in reach, will better jobs become available, with murder rates lower, will any other problems be solved for those who may be offended by the presence of confederate symbols? If the goal here is truely to make a positive impact on the lives who may be hurt by confederate symbols it seems that on the problem/priority list this is like non existent. Resources/time/effort, but this is the targeted problem that will lead to improvement? Anyone actually believe that?

originally posted by: infolurker
a reply to: Asktheanimals

Sounds like they mirroring the ACLU's tactics on Christian symbols and monuments. Socialism / Communism marches on.....

Any of this sound familiar?

Communist Goals:

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

For the record, this is not the Communism I'm referring to when I call myself a Communist.

A revamped version of Communism is the only thing that's going to stop the coming train wreck, unless you truly believe we're in the end of days... which I don't.