put away the past

Facebook is a wonderful place, bringing family and friends together for a moment to share our pictures and  videos, our joys and sorrows, our triumphs and tragedies, our like and dislikes.  Along with friends and family, we can view a variety of pages put together by others who share common bonds.  There are a couple of Facebook pages that I like for their pictures and puns, their humor and their punditry, but I have to admit to a tad bit of distress over the prolific use of the Confederate battle flag, the Stars and Bars.

I'm about as "Good 'Ole Boy" as is allowed by law these days, but in reality, the battle flag of our youth, once a symbol of courageous rebellion, is generally now used as prod of bigotry and hate.  In my humble opinion, it is time to put this archaic symbol of a bygone era to rest where it belongs, in the museums and history books.

There are many better ways to show our "Southern Pride" than this symbol that has long served its purpose as a fierce symbol of independence and aristocracy.  We can share our manners, our gentleness and our pride in a work ethic now quickly being washed away in a tide of slothfulness.  We can demonstrate our unique flavor through our wonderful southern dishes and our strength through courage in the face of cowardice and steadfastness where weaker souls waver in the slightest breeze.

We are Americans, from California to North Carolina, from Florida to South Dakota, from Arkansas to New York, from Texas to Pennsylvania, we are one nation, under God.

We may cry for secession in distress and dismay over the lunacy from the folks in the federal offices in Washington, D.c., but we must honestly admit that it is a civic fault, that of our selves, our neighbors, our families, our co-workers, our brothers and sisters, that put these government workers in places of power and that it will take a mass effort of sanity to remove the chaos and return America to her former glory days.  It is probably not going to happen in my lifetime but I pray that our children and grandchildren will see the light of truth and pave the road for a better tomorrow.

"The South" will not rise again and that's a good thing. Its past time to put the Stars and Bars away and together, wave Old Glory.

May God bless America, one more time.