Getting Free from the Past

Can you spot the difference in the two photos above? In some ways they are alike, but in one way they are very different. The picture on the left shows a Confederate flag flying in a place of honor at the South Carolina State House. It's not sharing the cupola mast with the flags of the United States and South Carolina, but it is in a place of honor, and protected--by state legislation.

The photo on the right shows the German Reichstag, the seat of government of Germany. Several flags can be seen. They are all the German national flag, re-adopted in 1949, replacing the swastika-bearing flag of the Nazi Reich (and, since 1990, the black-red-and gold represents unified Germany).

Both of the entities represented by the photos made war against the United States--South Carolina, as part of the Confederacy in the American Civil War; and Germany, as the Nazi state under Adolf Hitler. Both lost.

In today's Germany, there is no widespread nostalgia for the old days of the Nazi regime and the oppression it placed over Europe, especially against a minority group considered by many as filthy and subhuman. Glorification of the Nazi state is frowned upon. You can see no flags of the Third Reich flying at the Reichstag today. In contrast, South Carolina (and many throughout the South and even beyond) idolize those who fought for the continued oppression of a minority group many of them considered filthy and subhuman, and South Carolina
flies a Confederate flag at a memorial at the State House. Although slavery was officially ended in South Carolina by the Emancipation Proclamation, former slaves and their descendants continued to be persecuted and oppressed by Jim Crow laws. 

After the racially motivated murder of nine individuals in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina continues to honor the symbol of oppression. Germany got over its stained past; South Carolina has not.

"Rebel Flag at South Carolina Capitol" by Jason Eppink.
"Reichstag building Berlin view from west before sunset" by Jürgen Matern - Own work (JMatern_071104_8454-8458_WC.jpg). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki 

UPDATE:  State Representative Norman Brannon has announced that he plans to sponsor legislation to remove the Confederate flag. 

Terrorist Attack in Arkansas

A terrorist struck last Sunday in Russellville, Arkansas. There was only one death, but a number of victims.This is not an isolated incident; indeed, it occurred on the same date as Gabby Giffords announced she would resign her seat in Congress in order to fucus on her recovery from another act of terrorism. Both cases involved demonization of a perceived "enemy,"  spread by the media.

Did Palin reveal true feelings?

Did Sarah Palin reveal her true feelings when she used the term "blood libel" in her attempt to portray herself as the victim of Saturday's assassination attempt on Arizonaa's first Jewish Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords? Some people believe it to have been the utmost callousness; I think it was Palin's gross ignorance and her reliance on others to do much of her work for her.

For those who don't know or haven't yet heard, "blood libel" refers to the anti-semitic charge that Jews murder Christian babies and drink their blood, or make matzohs with the blood. As foolish as it is, this charge has been the basis for much anti-semitic activity. 

I suspect Palin was at best only vaguely familiar with the term, thinking it simply referred to any false charge (or, quite likely, that was the thinking of her writers), and did not realize associating this term with an attempt to kill a Jew. After all, she was only trying to tell Real Americans that she was the victim.

And the gunsights she drew on the map of America, including Giffords' location? As she (well, her people) explained, they were just surveying symbols. Or bunnies, or unicorns. 

Don't fret, Sarah...we know you have to reload your victimhood. Along with "Second Amendment remedies" Angle, "Armed and dangerous" Bachmann, and all those other politicians and media personalities who have been saying it may be necessary to revolt against our illegitimate government. And that includes all those liberals who bring guns to political rallies and call for the overthrow of the elected government (or would, if there were any; but oddly enough, there aren't).  

Nice work, Sarah Palin

Sarah, you put the gunsights on several people, including Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. But the effort would not have been successful without the help of Sharron, Glenn, Sean, and various other damn fools, including Arizona Governor Jan Brewer who recently signed into law the bill that allowed the assassin to carry a concealed weapon without needing a permit (or a background check). As I write this, a 9- or 10-year-old girl is known to be dead and 10 persons in critical condition or in surgery, among them a Federal judge.  

Thanks also to the Pima County Republicans for helping to set the mood with their "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords" M16 shoot in June 2010:

Hat tip to Jed Lewison for Palin's gunsight promo, and to David Safier (via David Neiwert) for the Pima County shooting event.

Obama fails to protect America from terrorists

It looks like the Republican fear-mongers were right after all, when they told us that President Obama would fail to protect America from terrorism. This past Sunday, a religious zealot committed an act of terrorism inside a Kansas church, assassinating an usher.

This was no typical murder, but rather part of terrorist activity that has been ongoing for years. The murdered usher, Dr. George Tiller, had been harassed for over 25 years, and the doctor had been shot before. All part of a campaign to terrorize Americans by a group of jihadists who are convinced they are carrying out the will of God, abetted by right-wing talk-show hosts like Bill O'Reilly and columnists who have been demonizing Dr. Tiller and others.

Perhaps we should accept former Vice President Richard Cheney's counsel. Round up anti-abortionists and people with Jesusfish on their cars, imprison them overseas, and waterboard them until they reveal their next targets. So far, I haven't seen any of those conservative pundits suggest that we use torture for these domestic terrorists. I wonder why.

Who would Jesus murder?