I went a few times to the dixie air show. If you have seen it once you have seen it! You don't get the point with the name change. I don't believe I ever saw one minority of any kind there! Not even the military people who brought some of the planes. They can fight in Iraq but not participate here,I think. Or if they do, they have to live with the attitude of dudes like you. Sorry, but that is what you sound like.

Because I was born and raised in the south, am a proud southerner, and believes this whole attempt of eradication of southern tradition and heritage is a bunch of poppycock, you think that "I don't get it" and the problem is the "attitudes of dudes like me"... do I have that about right?

I said nothing about race, only commenting on the stupidity of political correctness.

I submit the problem is rather more with "folks like you" who try to turn everything into a racial argument .... dude.

I too was born in Virginia and remember the southern traditions and heritage well. I was glad to see the signs that said "white" and "colored" over water fountains, removed. The "black" and "white" waiting rooms at the Greyhound bus stations and drug stores, also confused me when I was young. To hear a sheriff say that all of our troubles were caused by a particular race that couldn't even vote him out of office---they weren't allowed to vote. I'm sorry, but the word "dixie" in any context except a dictionary or encyclopedia is hurtful to many people, just as "slave-holder" is.
I remember one large black family, who were not legal slaves, but were slaves, nonetheless, to a white family, and in all of my growing up, didn't see a one of that black family progress one little bit. The black race does have particular problems yet in a quantity much higher than the other races. All the more reason to do away with old hurtful names if not the memories.

As another proud southerner, I feel the need to weigh in on this conversation. Why must all the signs of the south disappear? Why is everything southern no longer PC? I get so tired of hearing all the old arguments regarding Hurtful memories. Bull puckies!! Half the people spouting the rhetoric of southern slavery are not even from the USA. Did you own slaves? I didn't. My family didn't. How long must this keep being an issue of hurt feelings? How many people are alive today that were slaves? I don't even remember any signs on water fountains or waiting rooms. Does anyone remember that history books, (even Black History books), tell us that African slave traders sold the slaves to mainly European ship captains who in turn sold to America. Where is all the animosity toward the african slave traders? Where is the animosity toward the ship captains and their families for over a century? Why I'm waiting to hear that Stone Mountain will be blasted away because it is offensive to some members of our society. Most streets bearing the name of a southern military man is being changed. Southern tradition and heritage is not PC even though only a very small portion of southerners owned slaves, Not everyone did. I met people in my travels who actually thought all Americans owned slaves. Except Lincoln of course. When is this nonsence going to stop. Why are some people allowed to live in a past that very few know anything about, except what they are taught in schoool and church. Most don't have a history passed down through the generations by family members. Let's feel sorry for all the share croppers who were slaves in essence. What about their families. Do we get a special treat because of that history? I didn't fight in the War of Northern Aggression but, my Great Grandfather did. Proudly for the South. He didn't own slaves and didn't think it was right to own another human being. He was a proud God fearing man who raised a family to be proud of. Why must his history and patriotism be deminished? Does anyone care about the hurt feelings of southerners? Not PC is it?

I will not for one minute deny that there are valuable elements of the southern heritage of which people are rightly proud. Northerners neither know how to make grits nor do they comprehend okra.

But did anyone happen to catch the episode of American Experience on PBS last night? It covered the civil rights movement in some of its earlier days, including the "Little Rock Nine" in 1957 and James Meredith's attempts to register at Ole Miss in 1962.

The film included lots of footage of rabid, rioting whites who even attacked black bystanders for the twin crimes of (a) being black and (b) bystanding. (Which black comedian said that he was once arrested on the charge of "being a ni&&er at night"? Chris Rock, maybe?)

Mississippi Governor (pronounced "Miss-Hippy" by him) Ross Barnett comes across as an ass and a buffoon for the likely reason that he was indeed an ass and a buffoon. Hearing his phone conversations with Kennedy is like listening to a conversation between Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel and Albert Einstein.

The images of southern redneck whites, faces contorted in anger and throwing bricks to "preserve their heritage" (Governor Cletus's words which, rightly interpreted, meant "keeping the ni&&ers out") went a long way towards cementing the stereotype of white southerners as sh*t-kicking rednecks.

As I've tried to indicate in earlier posts, there is, I think, a great deal of naivete on *all sides* when it comes to race relations. On the one side, saying "Slavery ended 150 years ago--get over it!" seems *excessively* naive.

--

Photo: Cocoa Beach, Sept. '06

Sounds like the only America they looked at was from the 1950's. Did they cover more than the race riots?

I wish I had been able to watch it. I rarely watch TV anymore.

Did they cover situations where people falsely cry racism?
Like the incident where Cynthia McKinney had the unmitigated gall to cry racism when SHE struck a police officer?! Muddle do know what would have happened to you or I if we had pulled that stunt?(I forgot you probably do know because your dad was a cop)
We would have gone to jail for assaulting a police officer.
Instead a false claim of racism kept a race baiting idiot out of prison where she belonged!

We should never forget what happened 150+ years ago. History is the best teacher. However, if we keep wallowing in our pity party, we will never move forward. Success is a choice, we can choose to succeed or we can choose to whine.

You don't sound like a Democrat.

In truth I really am not 100% for either party. I really don't like everything about the independent party either. I have resigned myself to vote for the lesser of all the evils. No matter which party.

of all the evils is still evil. Evil exists in ALL of politics. Our wonderful system of government has been corrupted by both directions. You think Bush is the devil....using your standards of judgement could you honestly say Kerry would not be the same?

Kerry I think would have been the lesser evil of the two. However I really voted for John McCain.
I still think he would have been our best choice. He served our country, and in his ill fated bid for the republican nominaiton I agreed with his stand on most topics. Not everything but most. That is what I mean, he was the least objectionable of all the politicians in the race.

You are right, politicians are really all snakes deep down. So, you have to pick the king snake, over the copperhead.(king snakes kill poisoness snakes)

Hi, skyspy.

When you speak of people like CK who cry "racist" by default, my first reaction is to say, "One issue at a time."

The program "American Experience" is pretty extensive and this was only one episode. I am inclined to think that, as this episode was covering only that particular era, they did a pretty good job.

Cynthia McKinney? She is an embarrassment to the black community (and is little more than fodder for extreme right wing pundits) and ought to be the subject of late night monologues.

But the reality is that serious oppression in America extended into the days of a generation that is still with us...and *remembers*. James Meredith himself is still around, for that matter. And the generation that heard from their parents what they endured is the black generation that largely makes up the leadership and work force of the black population today.

I have only two points to make at present: (1) Arguably, when we are dealing with *group* dynamics--whole populations--the fact that there are still people alive today who can recall the days when blacks were not admitted to the better schools helps to explain lingering inequities among the races. Look, in such cases, there just isn't such a thing as "old money." Grandpa was a common laborer who died in poverty, and dad was never able to go to a university that would set him up for "upward mobility." (The same was not (universally) true of the children of poor whites, who might well have been admitted to "Ole Miss.") Poverty can be perpetuated. Even though anyone can point to individual blacks who have become wealhty, and individual whites who remain impoverished, the real issue is about *trends*. (2) This explains a lingering resentment and anger in the black community. It even helps to explain the likes of a Cynthia McKinney, absurd as she is. I guess it also helps to explain why there remain holdouts for policies that probably cannot really stand up to close moral scrutiny, such as many of the affirmative action and quota policies.

Our society was ****profoundly**** racist for a very long time and it is only up until very recent times that things have improved significantly. The "American Experience" program quoted Ike and others saying that the civil rights movement was attempting to move "too quickly" with the changes towards genuine equity.

I am inclined to think that we are experiencing a counterpart to that: It is still a bit too soon to expect an entire sub-culture--the [population of black Americans]--to have gotten over what has been done in the past.

Is it virtuous and commendable to forgive and move on--especially when today there is a large segment of the white population that is all about equitable treatment? You bet! But it is still at least understandable that many in the black population are struggling.

I hope the above makes some sense.

As for voting for John McCain? Some people recently have made some noise about a McCain/Bush ticket. Jeb Bush, that is. I am a native Floridian who likes Jeb.

More importantly, I am very interested in McCain. I suspect that my views are somewhat to the right of his, but he has earned my respect as a patriot and man of integrity.

--

Photo: Cocoa Beach, Sept. '06

My learned blogger, thank you. Thank you for lending some sense and stability to this issue.

As I said previously I rarely watch TY, when is this program on again? When you hear of educational programs, will you let us know. I don't think I am the only one here who would be interested.

You always add a fresh perspective. Even if I don't agree with all of it, your opinions are a "breath of fresh air" on this site. Thank you for challenging us to THINK!

There are two links, look down for the other.

GPB/Georgia Public Broadcasting CHANNEL 8

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Friday, October 06, 12:00 AM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Friday, October 06, 9:00 PM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Sunday, October 08, 3:00 AM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Monday, October 09, 1:00 AM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Monday, October 09, 9:00 PM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Friday, October 13, 12:00 AM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Friday, October 13, 9:00 PM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Sunday, October 15, 3:00 AM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Monday, October 16, 1:00 AM

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Mississippi: Is This America 1963-1964; Bridge to Freedom 1965
Conclusion of the 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize.
Monday, October 16, 9:00 PM
Results 1-10 of 10

WPBA/Channel 30

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Thursday, October 05, 8:00 PM
WPBA - Channel 30

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Thursday, October 05, 8:00 PM
WPBA-DT [D]

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Sunday, October 08, 5:00 PM
WPBA - Channel 30

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Awakenings 1954-1956; Fighting Back 1957-1962
Part 1of three. Season 19 begins with Eyes on the Prize.
Sunday, October 08, 5:00 PM
WPBA-DT [D]

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Thursday, October 12, 8:00 PM
WPBA - Channel 30

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Thursday, October 12, 8:00 PM
WPBA-DT [D]

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Sunday, October 15, 5:00 PM
WPBA - Channel 30

American Experience
Eyes on the Prize: Ain't Scared of Your Jails 1960-1961; No Easy Walk 1961-1963
Part 2. The 1987 documentary Eyes on the Prize continues.
Sunday, October 15, 5:00 PM
WPBA-DT [D]

Thanks very much for the kind words!

You know, as far as TV goes, my wife and I aren't big fans. We only have a small TV with "rabbit ears" that Richie Cunningham's family might have used.

But I've found that when we *do* turn it on, often our only salvation is something on public tv. (And, other times, it is pure, unadulterated crap.) Last night we just happened to hit it right with the "American Experience" program, some episodes of which I've. seen before, and it was quite interesting.

--

Photo: Cocoa Beach, Sept. '06

I'm subscribing to the notion that a dead snake is a good snake. Regardless of the race or political persuasion of the snake.