In Reference to the article: "The South Still Clings To Its Offensive Symbols" by: Stephen Chapman, dated Thursday, February 27, 1997 - in the Daily News- Section A, Page 5
The Southern Symbols vs. Northern Revisionists
by Jack B. Harris
Feb 28, 1997
NOTE: See bottom of this page to read about Stephen Chapman. Scalawag Chapman's traitorous article follows
It completely amazes me that a columnist can write what he likes and the public takes it as 'gospel.' How Stephen Chapman claims to be a Southerner, yet writes such falsities about the South (which he claims to be his heritage) shows that he is not only opinionated, but also uneducated of the South's history. Mr. Chapman states that he was the only southerner who was taught that there was a right and a wrong side to the Civil War. He was certainly taught the wrong facts and is teaching the wrong facts. Like most Northern revisionists he changed the truth to be taught the way the North would like it to be, not the way it was.
First of all, it was not a Civil War. It was a War for Southern Independence. The South had legally seceded from the United States. The South was forced to defend their independence much in the same way as we defended our independence from England in the previous century.
In reference to the Virginia State song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," Mr. Chapman quotes the lyrics: "there's where the old darkey's heart am long' to go,/ There's where I labored hard for Old Massa." and goes on to state "not exactly in the mainstream of national attitudes, are we?" This song was written by a black man. It was written in honor of Virginia by an ex-slave, speaking in the tongue of his people. This song was written with honor by an honorable person. It was voted into legislature as the state song. Recently it was voted out because it first offended a handful of people. Mr. Chapman goes on to belittle other Southern symbols such as the battle flag atop South Carolina's Capitol, and on tee shirts, and waved at football games. Doesn't Mr. Chapman realize that these symbols are the South? These are symbols honored by Southern people. This IS our heritage. We are proud of our heritage. We earned the right to honor our heritage, our ancestors and our Southern symbols. Should Southern history be blocked out as if it never existed? As Southerners we have the obligation to instill in our children our Southern Heritage. Being Southern is something in which to be proud. It has nothing to do with hating, racial discrimination, or illiteracy. We've all heard the saying "American by birth, Southern by the grace of God." It is time that we realized that the South was not the bad guy.
Stephen Chapman states that "one peculiarity of the South is that many people who would stomp anyone burning an American flag proudly embrace the banner of those who tried to destroy the country that the American flag represents. Now, we all know that is a bunch of hogwash. I'm not going into a history battle with Mr. Chapman though I will be glad to argue these points with him at any time. We all know that the South did not try to destroy the United States. The South took action to defend itself from a Northern invader. The South fought for her independence from an overbearing government. The South fought for state's rights as stated in the original constitution. Certainly there were other issues, but slavery was never the main issue as many would have us believe.
Chapman says "most black southerners object to such exercises in nostalgia, and many whites are coming around to the same point of view. I disagree strongly with this. Most black southerners do not agree with this and the only white southerners that agree with this are the Yankees that moved into the South and after 130 plus years, are still trying to tell us how to run it. He is using the Yankee myth of insinuating that South Carolina (and the Southern States) were to blame for slavery. Doesn't he know that Slaves were never brought into the South by any vessels except ships flying the Star Spangled Banner or by other foreign countries. Never were slaves brought to any country on a ship bearing the Stars and Bars. Slavery was not abolished under the U.S. Constitution until after the War Between the States ended. Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution of the C.S.A. made the first clear and unqualified prohibition against the slave trade. U.S. Grant, as well as a lot of Yankees, and even blacks owned slaves right up until the end of the War. At the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence there were slaves in every American state. Not one Northern state rushed to free its slaves after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
South Carolina should be proud to be the first state to leave the Union. South Carolina should be proud that the Confederate flag is still flying over their capitol. I am certainly proud that it is still flying at our capitol here in Florida. Chapman says that our symbols and honor didn't come about until the civil rights movement in order to express opposition to racial integration and equality. More Hogwash! When my father and probably Mr. Chapman's father were kids, there were still plenty of Confederate veterans walking around. Did they happen to lose their honor, courage and valor? Do you not think this was passed on to our fathers who in turn passed it on to us? Do you think honor and valor can disappear over a couple of generations just because a few politicians want to be Apolitically correct"?
To paraphrase Steve Batson (a friend of mine), "The South is many things and most of them are neither black nor white but a mixture of joining of black and white. The music we make, the food we eat, the stories we tell, yes, and the religion we believe all have joint roots in both African and European experience. Looking deeper, we even find a little oriental. Most of us have learned at great price that black and white are a people jointed together. Whatever Southern is . . . it is a reflection of both. Like symbiotic beings, neither group can exist without a recognition of the value of the other.
This doesn't mean that we always have to love one another or subscribe to the same political, religious, or moral authority. Hopefully, it means we can recognize the need for values, especially those we might view with suspicion.
To be Southern means something different for each of us , but for most it means the right to be eccentric, different, touched or insane, and yet still belong. It is about having a place, a time, a home, roots and history. They're not always pretty, especially if viewed honestly . . . they aren't always the best angles of our nature, but they are always ours. Proudly and profoundly, both black and white.
Some of us come from plantations, some from slave quarters, others from dirt floor mountain cabins, some are native American, a few have an oriental heritage, some are African, some are European, and many of us are a little of all of the above. We are, however, one thing those from outside can never be or understand. We are Southern. Hate us if you must but you can never make us hate ourselves and I hope, profoundly, that you will stop trying to make us hate each other. Our journey to get to where we are was difficult and I have no desire to repeat it. I certainly will not forget that journey, the lessons learned on the way, or dismiss it by destroying the symbols of that odyssey."
If you want to learn the true history of the South, take a tour through the Dixieland Ring. You will find Southern manners and Southern culture. You will find no hate. Just truth. One of the goals of the Dixieland Ring is to promote the teaching of a truthful and accurate history of the South, and in particular, of the history of the War Between The States. The Dixieland Ring does not subscribe to the false and malicious Northern, revisionist 'history' of the War. If you are interested in the true history and culture of the South, visit the Dixieland Ring.
If you follow the Dixieland Ring, you will come to a site called "Dixie Net". There you will find the following fact based statement . . . "If the South were its own nation, its GNP would rank it in the top five nations of the world. Its laws would better reflect the natural conservatism and Christian roots of the Southern people. We could enjoy low taxes, sound money, secure private property rights, and a free-market economy. We could follow a foreign policy of armed neutrality, leave the UN, and oppose the New World Order. We could once again reward merit and abolish the Welfare State and Affirmative Action. We could severely limit immigration. We could get government out of our children's education. We could remove ourselves from the current judicial tyranny. In short, we could seize control of our destiny as a distinct people." This is where the South was headed before the Northern Invasion.
We need to get back to the basics of our Christian heritage, our home and state's rights. These are the principles on which the Confederacy was based. Be proud of it. Keep our flags, our monuments, our honor and our heritage. Restore it and reserve it for all time. Do not listen to history illiterates such as Stephen Chapman. They want the glory without honor. Mr. Chapman writes what is termed Apolitically correct" and not the truth as it is and as it was.
912 Linden Avenue
Niceville, Florida 32578
850/678-0467
NOTE: I wrote this concerning the atrocities written by Stephan Chapman. I never got any response from him. I assume that none of this really matters to him as long as he got paid for his article. Stephen Chapman is a syndicated columnist. You may write to him at Creators Syndicate Inc.; 5777 W. Century Blvd., No. 700; Los Angeles, CA 90045
The Politically Correct, traitorous, atrocious article written by Scalawag Chapman follows:
The South Still Clings To Its Offensive Symbols
by Scalawag Stephen Chapman
It's common knowledge that the South is becoming more indistinguishable from the rest of America every day, but that process is not complete just yet.
Only a few weeks ago did the Virginia senate finally feel enough embarrassment to vote to retire the state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia." which contains these lyrics: "There's where the old darkey's heart am long'd to go,/ There's where I labored hard for Old Massa." Not exactly in the mainstream of national attitudes, are we?
The song is one of those symbols of the Old South that stoutly resist being relegated to the past. The most familiar of these is the Confederate battle flag. It still flies over the South Carolina capitol 132 years after Appomattox, and it is conspicuously incorporated into the state flags of both Georgia and Mississippi.
It's also emblazoned on bumper stickers and T-shirts and waved at football games. One peculiarity of the South is that many people who wold stomp anyone burning an American flag proudly embrace the banner of those who tried to destroy the country that the American flag represents.
Most black Southerners object to such exercises in nostalgia, and many whites are coming around to the same view. Georgia Gov. Zell Miller tried and failed do change his state flag. South Carolina Gov. David Beasley may likewise fail in his effort to persuade the legislature to remove the red flag with the blue St. Andrew's cross from atop the statehouse in Columbia.
Miller and Beasley face a lot of opposition among their whit constituents, many of whom think you cannot be proud Southerner without also being proud to the Lost Cause. Defenders to he Confederate flag say they have good reason to cherish it.
"It's certainly not about race from our position," Christopher Sullivan of the Southern Heritage Association recently told The New York Times. "It's about the courage and valor of Confederate soldiers on the battlefield." A letter issued by South Carolina Republican legislators who favor the flag said that if it is removed, "the day will come when the children of South Carolina will be taught to be ashamed of their history and their heritage."
I have a surprise for those lawmakers: The children of South Carolina should be ashamed of some parts of their history and their heritage, particularly the part that involved treating human beings as property to be used and disposed of by other human beings B and the part that involved a determined effort to demolish the Union rather than accept any interference with this barbarous practice.
Having been born and raised in Texas, I have nothing but affection for the South. But I'm not the only Southerner who was taught from an early age that there was a right side and wrong side in the Civil War and that the South was on the wrong side. It was on the wrong side because the Confederacy was first and foremost an effort to defend the enslavement of black people as a moral right and an economic good.
It's true that brave and decent people fought and died to Preserve the Southern way of life, but that doesn't make the Confederacy a noble undertaking. Brave and decent people fought to keep the American colonies under British rule. Brave and decent people fought for Germany under Hitler. We can respect the sincerity and sacrifices of all those people without revering what they were trying to achieve.
Displays of the Confederate flag are not really about honoring the courage and valor of the men in gray. It came into vogue only during the modern civil rights movement to express opposition to racial integration and equality. South Carolina didn't start flying it over the state house until 1962. That's when many white Southerners were vowing, with George Wallace, "Segregation forever."
Abandoning official displays of the banner would be public sign that white Southerners have moved beyond the darkest elements of their past, as many of them have and all of them should.
It's not a matter of "cultural genocide," as the flag's defenders claim, for Southerners to symbolically renounce the evils of slavery and secession B and more that it's cultural genocide for Americans in general to recognize that our ancestors were wrong to try to exterminate the Indians or to deny basic rights to women or to hang witches. It's a matter of simple honesty and maturity.
We owe our forebears a lot, but we don't owe them blind, unreasoning worship.
What is good in Southern culture B and there is a lot that is B deserves to be preserved. But the first step in preserving the good is separating it from the bad.
Stephen Chapman is a syndicated columnist. You may right to him at Creators Syndicate Inc, 5777 W. Century Blvd., No. 700; Los Angeles, CA 90045
