That's bull****. I've not insulted you so I have no idea why you had to make this personal. Thought you were better than that crap. I was trying to have a civil conversation.
FWIW, my goal here isn't to destroy anything except perhaps the last vestiges of racism and white supremacy in this area. I love the South and love the people, warts and all, including on me, and don't want to live anywhere else. So why do you think that disagreeing with you on this means I want to destroy what I love? My hope is doing like I do helps us all get over these petty differences.
I had a busy day yesterday and was thinking about what you said. For some it does come down to one side trying to destroy what the other side holds dear. As long as outsiders stay out, it doesn't give me a feeling of being pushed or forced, I don't care what stays or goes. It's the same as I get mad when I see 10 million dollars flowing into our CD-6 from California to influence or buy the special election we had in CD-6. Who is elected as their Representative should be left to the people of CD-6, not someone from California.
Same for the statues and flags. And yes, it comes down to, especially with all these folks pouring in from outside whichever community that they are trying to force the community involved to do exactly what the outsiders want. In this case destroy the statues or flags. Then it becomes a fight. Normal people, like who don't care usually one way or the other become outraged. That is if you consider me normal. Maybe I should say a lot of people.
Why should I care what happens in Charlottesville, Lexington, Ky or where ever. It really none of my business. It also isn't anyone's business except those who live in or reside in Charlottesville or Lexington. You shouldn't have a say, I shouldn't have a say, those from Louisiana who came to march shouldn't have a say and neither those from Pennsylvania who came to counter protest should have a say.
You equate these things to slavery, others don't. So perhaps there is no solution, no meetings of the minds. One side wants them all down, the other wants them to stay. I'll side with Andrew Young, symbols aren't that important. Unless one side makes them the most important thing. It's what's in a man's heart, leave the symbols alone, they are dying out on their own anyway. One at a time, peacefully, without any rancor. Hardening the opposition heart, getting his hackles up ready for a fight, that isn't going to help people get along. That isn't going to help cure the race problem. That isn't going to make life better for blacks or whomever and it isn't going to improve their standard of living. It isn't going to bring down their crime rate or make their neighborhoods safe.
It isn't going to solve a thing except harden everyone's hearts that are involved. As long as their are some who view the attack on these statues and flags as wanton destruction by the other side, there will be no meeting of the minds. You can destroy all the symbols, ban them, make all them illegal, but not one heart will be changed or soften, quite the opposite. Andrew Young recognized this. It will also make some folks who were basically neutral on this whole thing take a fighting position against it. I'm your prime example. Nothing is solved, the problem remains, it just goes underground, festers there and is hidden from site. But those who wanted the statues and flags down do feel better because there are no longer any symbols. They think they accomplished something and they feel great about that. I don't think they accomplished a thing, except harden hearts, perhaps got more people to oppose them, abet covertly, it didn't solve the problem. It really doesn't even attempt to cure it.
I said my piece. Two days ago it did seem to me that you were out to destroy. Out to fight the civil war all over again even though it's been over for 150 years. Let time take care of the symbols, peacefully and quietly with no outsiders interfering or trying to force a community to do their bidding. They are disappearing, slowly, but they are being taken down peacefully and without any media attention. New generations see things differently than older generations. Me and Andrew Young are quite old.
