Wednesday, March 5, 2003

The flag that so many Southerners are proud of is, simply put, a duplicitous and illusive symbol of their heritage. The Stars and Bars did not make its appearance on the state flag until 1956. The Confederate emblem was defiantly added to the flag after the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education. The symbol was an act of defiance and meant to work hand in hand with the South's refusal of integration. The Stars and Bars, therefore, linger as a reminder of what can only be seen as the act of an apostate territory. Because it refused to recognize and obey the power and legitimacy of the United States of America, the state of Georgia became a traitor (think B. Arnold). As in the Civil War, the South had refused to remain an active and cooperative part of this country.

The flag, however, can also be seen as a good thing. When analyzed, the Stars and Bars are seen as a combination of both the Union Jack and the national flag of Scotland. It is from these countries that most traditional Southerners descend from.

But wait, isn't it England whom we Americans fought in the Revolutionary War? And didn't the South have the most favorable link to the "mother country" in Revolutionary America? Didn't most Southerners favor maintaining the dictatorial link with the British Isles, all for their own monetary gains through the sale of cotton and indigo? Could there be a pattern emerging in the history of this truly infamous and well-rooted state?

Besides (and here is something that every good Southerner can understand) if the Stars and Bars are raised once more over Georgia, millions from businesses and tourism will be lost. And in the state Georgia occupies at the moment, can we really afford this?

I would recommend any AP History textbook for further reading.

Dixie Eska-Thedra

Fayetteville