Different as Night and Day

Freedom. It is what makes our country the land of the free. Now one of our rights is being compromised. To appease opponents of the Confederate flag, one of our dearest freedoms may be sacrificed - the freedom of expression.

To some, the flag represents slavery and the glorification of racism as well as a symbol of white supremacy. To others, it represents the heritage and history of their home.

The first Confederate flag was adopted by the Provisional Congress on March 4, 1861, and had three stripes (red, white and red) and a blue field with seven stars. The second flag, used from May 1, 1863, until March 4, 1865, was solid white with the Confederate battle flag in the upper left hand corner. The last Confederate flag was identical to the second one except it had a red vertical stripe at the end of the right side of the flag. What is commonly referred to as the Confederate flag is actually the Confederate battle flag, which was never an official Confederate flag.

In South Carolina, a major controversy involving the removal of a Confederate flag from a state building has become a political hot potato. Demonstrators have marched all over South Carolina to protest the Confederate flag at state buildings. These people choose to view the negative aspects of the flag and fail to understand the historical importance this flag has to the Southern states.

A complete ban on the flag would be a direct violation of the First Amendment: the freedom of speech and expression. As our freedom of speech is taken away, we start to lose what makes this country the land of the free. We lose our most cherished privilege as a democracy - free speech. We cannot go around banning freedoms simply because we do not agree with someone. I personally would never wave a Confederate flag, but I know it is a person's right to do so.

Racial extremist groups such as the Ku Klux Klan have adopted the flag to support warped causes such as white supremacy and racism. Because of these groups, the true meaning of the flag has become mixed up. Whereas the flag once stood for the Southern heritage, history and the sacrifices young men made for their nation, it is now viewed as a symbol of hate and racism.

Laws that force the American people to disregard things they cherish to be sensitive to other cultures will undoubtedly be subject to controversy. Americans have adopted an attitude of freedom. They feel the government has little to no say in what they believe, which is exactly the way it should be. If a law was passed that brought the flag down in South Carolina, it would be like walking into a field filled with weeds, uprooting only one, and leaving. Groups of people loyal to the flag will not suddenly disown the symbol of their heritage.

I personally would rather see the Confederate flag disappear by individual decision than by government mandate. Then we would know for sure that we are making progress toward living together in harmony.

What's your opinion?

Back

Hurrah for the flag of the free, may it wave as our standard forever. The flag John Philip Sousa wrote a march for is not the same flag that symbolizes 400 years of oppression for African-Americans, although it has the same colors.

The Confederate flag is the embodiment of everything slavery stood for. To wave it is to directly insult the descendants of slaves. As an African-American, I am irked every time I see that flag. The ignorance of the people who fly it is astounding.

Some may call it freedom of speech to wave the Confederate flag, but what about the freedom to feel at ease in one's own country? What about the freedom to not worry about the bearer of the flag using obscene and offensive names? Why should any African-American child have to look up and see that other stars and bars?

In South Carolina, the Confederate flag is flown beneath the state flag. To some, it is a reminder of the Lost Cause, the Civil War. Who needs a reminder of a "country" that bit the dust nearly 150 years ago? Certainly not the people whose freedom came with the end of the war.

Some say that the Confederate flag is a symbol of Southern pride, like John McCain, but it was really a symbol that grew out of the arrogance of the South. It was a symbol for the arrogance of people who thought that they had the right to have slaves, the right to keep human beings in bondage and forced labor.

The problem with freedom of speech is this: where do you draw the line? Many people consider the flying of the flag to be freedom of speech.

A fraternity on the University of the Pacific campus named Archania flies the Confederate flag sporadically. A number of fights have occurred between this and other fraternity on and off the campus. Freedom of speech is seriously questioned when that so-called freedom compromises the security and peace on a campus which has students of different ethnicities.

The flying of the Confederate flag is an issue that sparks debates and stirs up old feelings of strife and suffering. Even beyond obvious racism, the flag causes opposition between the people of the United States.

The issue of the Confederate flag is not going to be solved soon. There will be many more years of fighting before anything is done. Unfortunately, by that time, too many barriers may be put up between the African-Americans and whites.

Many types of racism exist. Flying the Confederate flag, while it is not exactly a hate crime, can be detrimental to the self-image of people of color. A person should not have to see something that is a reminder of the terrible past their ancestors had to endure silently.

Then again, perhaps it is better to see the Confederate flag flown in certain places. At least then, you will know what kind of people you are dealing with. Overt racism such as the kind demonstrated by the people who fly the flag is easier to recognize than the surreptitious.