A bit of advocacy about the rebel flag: Private citizens have the (wonderful) right to do whatever they wish, but the rebel flag should not be maintained by U.S., state or local governments.

Here’s why:

1. It’s not part of history. In the Civil War, the South had a series of three flags – and the rebel flag, as used today, wasn’t one of them. To be historically accurate, Civil War battle sites should display only one of the true flags of the Confederacy. Nixing the rebel flag doesn’t “rewrite history.” It corrects it.

2. It’s not “just a piece of cloth.” Flags are communication, the original Facebook. Tell a veteran with his hand over his heart that the U.S. parade flag is “just a piece of cloth.” Words start wars – ask Harriet Beecher Stowe. Pictures incite change – ask Kent State. Flags define allegiances.

3. It represents racism, even if 50% of Americans see it symbolizing the South the way the Eiffel Tower represents Paris. Racists in the 1940s, notably the Klan, wanted a symbol – a flag – to rally others to their cause. They looked back at the Civil War for inspiration and picked a flag that a handful of Southern troops carried into battle. They repurposed that flag to symbolize white superiority and be the standard bearer for the race war they hoped to incite. Hate groups use it the same way today.

4. It doesn’t represent The South. The North doesn’t have its own flag, nor does the Midwest or West. No one loves their home state more than Texans, but their flag doesn’t saturate the public consciousness the way the rebel flag does. And when Texans fly the Texas flag, it signifies only the great state of Texas – not a quagmire of hate history.

5. Let it go. I’ve always been intrigued with the geometric pattern of a Swastika but its meaning – its message – has damned it for all time. We pull hurricane names out of rotation after they cause significant damage. It’s time to do the same thing with the rebel flag.

© 2015 Smithtakes.com