In Defense of the Confederate Flag

Recently, I read a scree against the honor and dignity of the Confederate battleflag by a Eureka, California newspaper reporter named Glenn Franco Simmons, entitled "Confederate flag represents ungodly suffering". the article appeared in the January 26, 2008, issue of The Eureka Reporter. (See http://eurekareporter.com/article/080126-confederate-flag-represents-ungodly-suffering#comment-1332 ). Below is my response to his diatribe:

I am proud to be the second woman to uphold the honor and dignity of the Confederate flag. I was born in "Land of Lincoln" Illinois where Lincoln is worshipped as a demi-god. I grew up with the northern version of history. For its antidote, I also highly recommend reading DiLorenzo's excellent THE REAL LINCOLN.

Fortunately, an American History teacher in Colorado taught me in high school to question and examine what I thought I knew. Doing so, I set out in my senior year to research and write a term paper on "The War Between the States: the Southern Viewpoint." I came to understand that most of what I had been taught about the causes and origins of this terrible conflict was wrong.

Today, I live in Northeast Florida. I have continued to study this era in history and have visited many of the sites where this great conflict occurred. One of the things that fascinates me is the number of blacks who owned slaves in the South.

Did you know that the largest slave-holder in Jacksonville, for example, was a former black slave woman, Anna Kingsley? Interestingly, despite her obvious economic interests in preserving slavery on her multiple plantations, she supported the Union during the war. Why did she side with the supposed enemy of slavery? Because she feared that if the South was a separate country, the North would impose stiff tariffs on the production of her plantations, and she was dependent on those New England markets for her sugar, rice, and indigo. As with all wars, it was primarily about economics.

Of course, to attempt to ban or denigate the Confederate flag because it was the supposed flag of slavery is silly. More U.S. flags flew over slave markets than any C.S.A. flag ever did. The flag in question was a battleflag. Actually, it was originally a naval flag for Confederate boats only. As another commentator pointed out already, the U.S. flag was the banner of the exterminators of many Indian civilians. True, the KKK and other such groups display the Confederate battleflag. However, their own rules require them to have an American flag and the Bible at every official event. Should we, therefore, ban the American flag and the Bible from display because they misuse them?

The War between the States was the first modern war of attrition. The Confederate generals were men of honor and character. They did not target civilians; their goal was to engage rival military forces. Sherman, with the complicity of Lincoln, deliberately targeted civilians and introduced the concept of "total war." Today, under the Geneva Conventions, they could be brought up on charges of war crimes and would be found guilty.

Today, the Confederate flag represents the desire for self-determination and freedom from tyranny to those of us who proudly display it. For those who wish to learn more about these issues, I recommend THE SOUTH WAS RIGHT by the Kennedy brothers.

Charlie Crist for Vice President?

John McCain had a coup with the endorsement of Florida's Governor Charlie Crist the weekend before Florida's primary. Crist's and General Schwartzkopf's endorsements may well put McCain over the top Tuesday. Crist, who enjoys an approval rating of over 70% from Florida voters, will influence wavering Republicans. The General will sway Florida's large contingent of retired veterans, as will McCain's own military ties in the state.

If John McCain becomes the Republican Party's presidential nominee, I expect Charlie Crist to be his running mate. Because of Florida's importance as a swing state, there has been speculation that Crist, with his popularity in Florida, would be on any nominee's short list of possible vice presidential candidates. Time will tell if McCain and Crist brokered a deal for v.p. over the weekend.

Mayor Peyton, Cancel the Courthouse and I'll Vote Against the Property Tax Amendment

Here is the email letter I sent to Mayor John Peyton this afternoon. At this time, I say Florida voters should vote "yes" on Amendment One on January 29th.

Dear Mayor Peyton,

You have argued that Duval County voters should defeat Amendment One that would provide property tax relief to Florida taxpayers. It would increase the homestead exemption for homeowners with additional benefits to senior citizens. It would reduce corporate taxes for Florida's businesses. However, it is your position that Duval County cannot afford the cuts in services that would result if this amendment is passed.

So far, I am not buying your argument. First, experience shows that tax cuts increase revenues. I cannot think of one instance where that was not true, although I am open to evidence to the contrary.

However, there is a more important reason why I plan to vote in favor of the Property Tax amendment. I will never believe Duval County cannot afford these tax cuts as long as you support the expenditure of nearly a half a billion dollars for a new county courthouse. Cancel that project as unaffordable, and I will be much more willing to listen to your protestations that Duval County cannot afford property tax relief to its homeowners and businesses. Otherwise, I will vote "Yes" on Amendment One.

Respectfully,

Republican Presidential Candidates on the Confederate Flag or Why Mike Huckabee Gets My Vote

Mitt Romney

"That flag frankly, is divisive and shouldn't be shown. Right now with the kinds of issues we've got in this country, I'm not going to get involved with a flag like that."
"That's not a flag that I would recognize so that I would hold it up in my room."
"The people of our country have decided not to fly that flag. I think that's the right thing."

Mike Huckabee

"You don't like people from outside the state coming in and telling you what to do with your flag," In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we'd tell 'em what to do with the pole, that's what we'd do."
"It is not an issue the president of the United States needs to weigh in on."
"I know what would happen if somebody comes to my state in Arkansas and tells us what to do, it doesn't matter what it is, tell us how to run our schools, tell us how to raise our kids, tell us what to do with our flag — you want to come tell us what to do with the flag, we'd tell them what to do with the pole."

Fred Thompson

"For a great many Americans, it’s a symbol of racism."
"As far as a public place is concerned, I am glad that people have made the decision not to display it as a prominent flag, symbolic of something, at a state capital."
"As a part of a group of flags or something of that nature, you know, honoring various service people at different times in different parts of the country, I think that's different."

John McCain

"My answer, sir, is that I could not be more proud that the overwhelming majority of the people of this state joined together taking that flag off the top of the...." (end of comment drowned out by cheers of McCain's supporters)
"a symbol of racism"
"a symbol of heritage"
"I really don't think it's a good idea to fly the confederate Flag."
"I said it was strictly a state issue and clearly knowing it wasn't. I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So I chose to compromise my principles."
"My answer to that is I can’t be more proud of the overwhelming majority of the people of this state who came together in taking that flag off the top of the Capitol."

Rudy Giuliani

"One of the great beauties of the kind of government we have, which is a national/federal government, is that we can make - on a broad range of issues - we can make different decisions in different parts of the country. We have different sensitivities, and at different times we are going to come to different decisions, and I think that is best left up to the states."
"That's a good thing to be left on a state-by-state basis."

Ron Paul

I could find no direct quotes by Ron Paul on the subject of the Confederate flag, despite extensive research online. However, given his strong defense of states' rights against federal coercion, it is reasonable to presume that he would not object to a state choosing to honor the Confederate flag. If anyone can cite any direct quotes on the subject by Ron Paul, please forward the URLs.

As a Florida voter, I’ve been fluctuating between voting for Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee. They are the candidates that most closely match my own positions on the issues. I cannot give either my unqualified endorsement. I have concerns about Huckabee's positions and past history in dealing with illegal immigrants. I like the fact that the Republican establishment opposes him since I do not like the neo-cons or economic conservatives/social liberals that currently control our party. Romney's support from them raises red flags as does his past support for abortion rights. One thing that does not cause me any hesitation is Romney's Mormonism. A Mormon approach to social welfare would be a great plus in the White House.

When I read what Mitt Romney said about the Confederate flag, I was sickened. Then, I heard Mike Huckabee say how Arkansans would tell outsiders (carpetbaggers) what to do with the flag pole if they came to take down their flag. Hallelujah! He won my vote. I get to vote for a real, authentic Southerner who understands states’ rights and Southern heritage. Yes!

If Huckabee does not win the Republican presidential nomination, who will I support in November? That is an easy answer for me. I can support any of the other Republican candidates except Rudy Giuliani. I have severe doubts on a couple (Paul on foreign policy and McCain on immigration), but I would prefer them to any the Democrats will nominate.

Rudy Giuliani, however, is nothing but a Democrat-in-drag. He will never get my vote because he is wrong on all the issues that matter most to me. He is wrong on abortion, the Second Amendment, and illegal immigration. Worse, he has the morals of a tomcat. Any candidate who cannot be faithful to his marriage vows to his wife cannot be trusted to be faithful to his inaugural vows to the people. Giuliani is a non-starter for me. If the Republican party makes the mistake of nominating him for President, then I will vote third party in protest even if it means the election of a Democrat.

2008 Fearless Forecasts

Here are my fearless forecasts for 2008 to prove psychics have no more power than anyone else to predict the future:

1. Ron Paul will shock mainstream media and alarm Republican party activists by a stronger-than-expected showing (around 10%) in many of the primaries.
2. Mitt Romney wil be the Republican nominee for President.
3. Hillary Clinton will win the Democratic nomination and the Presidency.
4. The outcome of the 2008 Presidential election will be strongly influenced by Third Party or independent candidates who will pull votes from both Republicans and Democrats. The winner will have less than 50% of the total vote.
5. There will be a mild, not major, tsunami along the Pacific coast triggered by an Alaskan earthquake.
6. The Atlantic hurricane season will continue to confound forecasters by being less active than predicted. However, Florida will have at least one category two or three hurricane. It will not affect Jacksonville, except for rain.
7. There will be a terrible rafting accident either in Colorado or on the Colorado River.
8. Housing prices will continue to fall, and the economy will be in full recession after the election and weak all year. The dollar will be weaker, too.
9. The drought in the Southeast will be broken, and residents will be wishing for less rain due to flooding by year's end.
10. The Florida4Marriage amendment will not pass because 60% of voters must approve it. It will get over 50% approval, however.
11. At least one current or former member of Jacksonville's (FL) City Council will be indicted due to sunshine law violations.
12. Something from or in space will cause a combination of alarm, fear, and wonder.

Now, feel free to join the fun by posting your own fearless forecasts for 2008.

Results of 2007 Fearless Forecasts

As explained in a blog posted in January 2007, I like to disprove psychic predictions by doing my own fearless forecasts. Through the years, I have found that I am right about 50 percent of the time, which means I am wrong about 50 percent of the time. This is similar to the results of so-called psychics who make predictions in supermarket tabloids.

So, how did I do with my 2007 Fearless Forecasts? I was on target in exactly 50 percent of them. Here are the results:

1. Mayor John Peyton will win re-election as Mayor of Jacksonville (FL) handily. True
2. Now that Saddam Hussein is dead, things will start to settle down in Iraq. However, U.S. troops will not be withdrawn. True, although it was the result of the troop surge, not Saddam Hussein's death.
3. We will be engaged militarily with Iran to prevent their further development of nuclear weapons and to keep Israel from acting on it. Wrong
4. Osama bin Laden will be captured alive. Wrong
5. California, especially San Francisco, will have a very damaging earthquake. Wrong
6. Jacksonville (FL) will continue to be hurricane-free. El Nino will continue to suppress hurricane activity, although not as well as in 2006. True
7. An F3 or stronger tornado will hit a major American city’s central or downtown area. Wrong
8. At least one new case of Mad Cow disease will surface in the U.S. Wrong
9. The Jacksonville Jaguars will replace both its head coach and quarterback. Half True: the quarterback was replaced. Half wrong: the head coach still has his job.
10. There will be a major announcement of a new recreational or tourist attraction, possibly an aquarium or amusement park, for Jacksonville (FL). Wrong
11. Construction of the new courthouse in Jacksonville (FL) will still be stalled. True
12. With Democrats in charge of revenues and spending, the economy will flat-line unless President Bush finds his veto pen. This year will be the prelude to a recession in 2008. True
13. After brief stabilization, housing prices will continue down as unemployment heads up. True
14. Nancy Pelosi will find it difficult to manage upstart congressmen with more conservative positions. The Democratic caucus will be more divided than most expected. True
15. There will be an accident of some kind (car, plane, something or someone falling) that will really rattle everyone in the White House. It will involve or affect the President, Vice President, or members of their immediate family or closest staffers. No one will be killed or seriously hurt, however. Wrong, although there was a fire in December in the Executive Office Building where Vice President Dick Cheney has an office.
16. The St. Louis Cardinals will disappoint me this year. (Of course, anything less than another World Championship will disappoint.) Too true!