The Confederate Flag

I saw a post the other day on Facebook that sadly was posted by a relative. In this post, it said that if you believe that the Confederate Flag is a symbol of racism, then you must believe the icons representing civil rights groups such as the NAACP are also symbols of racism.

To equate a symbol of treason, hate, racism and oppression with symbols of organizations advancing the rights of minorities is disingenuous at best and dangerous at worst.

I have never understood the allure of flying, wearing or glorifying the Confederate flag. Why would anyone, in their right mind, want to brandish a flag of the treasonous losing side in our nation's civil war? Why would anyone want to glorify such a symbol?

Some claim that they brandish the Confederate flag to celebrate "Southern" heritage. But what part of their heritage are they celebrating and why does it have to be Confederate flag to be that symbol?

If the Confederate flag is supposed to be a symbol of celebrating Southern heritage, why does it show up in locations north of the Mason-Dixon line? Why is it brandished by citizens of states that fought against the Confederacy?

No, the Confederate flag is a symbol of treason, racism, oppression and hate. To say or do otherwise is just plain wrong.

And it not lost on me that I write this on Flag Day as celebrated here in the States.

The Republican Civil War Is Damaging Our Nation

As much as I enjoy the schadenfreude of the two decade old Republican ideological purity civil war, I can’t help but think of how much damage it is doing to our nation.  Think about that for a moment.  Due to the purging of moderate and liberal Republicans since 1992 and the purging of non-tea party movement Republicans in the last four years, our nation has been damaged and is being damaged.

Republicans who supported unions, public education, investments in infrastructure, strong environmental laws and the social safety net are either no longer in elected office (at all levels) or are in elected office but are too scared to support what they once did.  They have been replaced or are scared of being replaced by corporate backed socially conservative ideologues.  This is not to say that Republicans haven’t always been the pro-business party, but before 1992, they always put the nation first when needed.

Instead of working with Democrats to negate the effects of the “Great Recession”, the Republicans have been focused on anything but.  The primary goal is to make sure that the economy doesn’t recover in a meaningful way until a Republican is once again President.  This is why we had the fight over the “debt ceiling” and now the “sequestration”.  This is why we haven’t had a second and much needed stimulus package.  This is why vote after vote in the House of Representatives is to defund the Affordable Care Act.  This is why it took the House of Representatives 100 days to pass the Senate version of the Hurricane Sandy relief package.

And not all of this treasonous (yes, I believe it is treasonous) intransigence is economic.  Take for instance the Republican drumbeat attack on the nominee for Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, a Republican, decorated Vietnam Vet and former Senator.  For the first time ever, a nominee for Secretary of Defense is being filibustered.   This unprecedented filibuster, even if broken, weakens the effectiveness Mr. Hagel should he become Secretary of Defense.  This is not what the nation needs.  This is not what the nation deserves.

So, why we may be gleeful about the Republican ideological purity civil war, we need to be mindful of the damage it is doing to our nation.

Treason via the Norquist Pledge

I don't like to throw words such as "treason" and "traitor" around lightly.  It has too much meaning in human and U.S. history.  To be a traitor in this nation is to be against the very foundations of our nation and system of government.  To be a traitor means that you place yourself and your ideology above all else.  But anyone who has taken the Grover Norquist pledge against voting to raise taxes, including Mr. Norquist himself, has committed an act of treason and are thus traitors to the United States.

It doesn't matter if the person taking the pledge and acting upon it is a member of a local school board, a city council, a county board of supervisors, a state legislature or a Congress, they are committing treason.  They have, by taking the pledge, chosen to work against the best interest of those they are supposed to represent and have forsaken their oaths of office.  They have, by taking the pledge, chosen to wage war against our very system of government.

They don't want to make government better for all, they want to destroy it and replace it with a form of government that favors the rich, powerful and corporations and in most cases, a government that embraces their brand of Christianity as the only allowed religion.  They aren't trying to overthrow our government via use of an army, but through economic destabilization.

Our forefathers weren't against taxation, they were against taxation without representation.  They knew then that taxes were a necessary part of allowing government to function.  They knew that taxes were how we take care of our "debts and obligations".  That's why they gave Congress the ability and the authority to levy taxes as needed, without the requirement of a "super majority".  It is also why they didn't put a false ceiling on taxes or debts.

This is why I believe that Grover Norquist and his adherents are committing treason.  This is why they are so dangerous and must be stopped.