As a proud native Southerner, I have always prefaced any argument about the causes of the Civil War with: "It was about states' rights, not slavery."

Nowadays, though, I can admit that it wouldn't matter if the War was only about slavery; the North had every right to march through our fields and force my ancestors into submission.

In the same manner, the U.S. is on the correct side of history should we aid the Northern Alliance and end Taliban control in Afghanistan.

We've all heard or seen the brutality of the regime and the strict control it commands of the Afghan people, which is reason enough to help set up a stable government. Meanwhile, using the Marshall Plan as an example, we can help rebuild the infrastructure and be a guide for the nondemocratic nations of the region on how to run a country of the people, by the people and especially for the people.

So far, so good in the area of international assistance. The war is more than a week old and France still hasn't surrendered.

You ever notice that while citizens unhappy with the U.S. frequently burn our flag, you never see an American even bother with flicking our enemies', let alone torch it?

This should be reassuring, then. After the attacks on the Taliban started, in Peshawar, Pakistan, a pro-Taliban demonstrator was engulfed in fire while protesters burned a U.S. flag during protests against the airstrikes. The demonstrator was taken to a hospital, and his present condition is unknown.

I wonder how people will react the next time a city has to implode a building? Or will that even be an option anymore?

How backward is Afghanistan? They're not just eight hours ahead of the East Coast; they're eight and-a-half hours ahead! What's up with that? Not that it matters, since no one owns a clock anyway, and the only guy with a watch is the evil hypocrite bin Laden wearing his blue-eyed-devil built Timex.

How ironic, humiliating, infuriating       How insulting for Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) to apologize to Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal who represents a government of super-rich, self-indulgent, repressive sheiks who don the trappings of the modern world, yet spurn its fundamental ideas of equality, democracy, rule of law, free market and free press.      How ironic for my congresswoman to beg for money from a regime that would allow no female equivalent of herself.       How humiliating for my congresswoman to turn her back on New York City in this terrible time of need and pursue her own political self-interests.       How infuriating that my congresswoman wrote a letter endorsing the view that the United States brought this attack upon itself to a regime that has been funding fanatical Islamic schools for years.       KARNA CANDLER, Decatur

Here's something that just defies all common sense in the U.S. right now: The cutest little Commie in Congress, Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney, wrote a letter of apology to Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia after his $10 million gift was refused by New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Remember, Giuliani returned the money because bin Talal blamed U.S. policy in the mideast for the Sept. 11 attacks, essentially saying we got what we deserved for our support of Israel. Giuliani did the right thing by saying that the Prince couldn't purchase a forum for his views under the guise of helping New Yorkers (as a billionaire, $10 million is nothing to him).

McKinney then pulled a Lewinsky, getting on her knees to persuade the Prince to turn over the $10 million check to benefit African-Americans - apparently forgetting that hundreds of her race died in the atrocity last month. No matter to our little Cynthia.

"Whether he agreed with you or not," McKinney said in her letter dated Friday and addressed to the Saudi Embassy in Washington, "I think he should have recognized your right to speak and make observations about a part of the world which you know so well." She then went on to criticize the Israeli government's actions against Palestinians.

Most of the time I just laugh at Cynthia's silly antics, but this time she's gone too far. You should be ashamed.

I'm liking Tony Blair more and more over the past month. England is truly our buddy. If we were high school classmates, we'd sign their yearbook "Best Friends 4ever!"

Just as the Queen dubs many Americans as honorary knights and dames, I think we should do the same to our friends overseas. Maybe we could put their face on Wheaties or buy him a beer and dub him Tony Cool.

The Heritage Foundation has uncovered some shocking things done by the nation's education establishment entrusted with teaching our children:

* The Oklahoma State School Boards Association told the Broken Arrow school district that a sign with the words "God Bless America" might violate the separation of church and state. The Roxbury, NJ school superintendent ordered "God Bless America" signs removed until the community forced him to back off.

* A Chico State University professor claimed President Bush wants to "kill innocent people," "colonize" the Arab world, and capture "oil for the Bush family."

* A Tampa schoolteacher who came to Washington to protest, laid blame at the feet of the United States, and said Americans must "directly address the crimes of the U.S." Though he claimed he was sorry the terrorist attacks occurred, he wanted to draw attention to the "1 million Iraqis killed by sanctions."

* The dean of the international affairs school at Columbia University (located in Manhattan, no less) even denied America is under attack: "Students in my classes see this as an assault on international trade, globalization."

* University of Texas professor Robert Jensen said the attack "was no more despicable than the massive acts of terrorism ... that the U.S. government has committed during my lifetime."

* A University of North Carolina lecturer said, if he were president, he would apologize to "the widows and orphans, the tortured and the impoverished and all the millions of other victims of American imperialism."

THE LATEST VENTS from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

I used to bemoan the fact that the press was indulgent on trivial stories like Monica Lewinsky and Gary Condit. Boy, do I miss trivial stories now.

I just discovered that the Taliban flag is white. It's going to come in real handy in about three weeks.

Amid all the rhetoric about the evil West, it was interesting to see Osama bin Laden with a microphone in one hand and a Rolex watch on the other.

When our jets were flying over Afghanistan, the net worth of the region doubled.

So bin Laden thinks we are scared from the north to south and east to west. This from a man who is hiding in a cave.

So there was an airport logjam because only five of the 18 security checkpoints were open? Sounds like Hartsfield is taking lessons from Kroger.

So the Madison, Wi., School Board has banned recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance because it contains the word "God." Since our currency does, too, the school board should be banned from receiving any.

I'll be glad when the news media leaves behind the overused slogan "America Strikes Back" in favor of "America Kicked Butt."

How do you tell the difference between the before and after pictures of the bombing of Afghanistan?

If bin Laden is wearing a Timex, we'll be finding out for sure whether Timex takes a licking and keeps on ticking.

For Halloween it should be red, white, and boo.

Let me see if I have this right. The liberals who define political correctness somehow feel it's OK to make fun of Rush Limbaugh's hearing handicap.

I'll bet that you guys who continually complain about Fox News Channel don't like Dubya, apple pie, or '57 Chevys either.