Don't get me wrong, I'm glad those rebel flags are gone. They represented a painful reminder of the old southern way of life, that made ownership of human beings not only legal, but desirable: symbolic of wealth and status. (Anybody remember when Dubya, during his second term, tried to promote an alternative to The Great Society? He touted it as "The Ownership Society". Different intent, but still an indication of his tone-deafness toward this nation's history).
The recent murder of nine African-American men and women --- pillars of their communities --- at the hands of an emotionally toxified, hatred-laden white kid inside an historic church in Charleston, South Carolina stunned the nation. In the wake of this tragedy, that state's governor, Nikki Haley ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds. Public officials in other states including Mississippi followed suit.
Such actions were long overdue. Several states began flying the rebel flag in the 1960s --- not the 1860s --- in defiance of the budding civil rights movement: the ultimate neener-neener toward everyone intent on asserting their basic human rights.
So the act of scuttling this oppressive symbol made a lot of folks feel good. Rightfully so. But it also provided a distraction. Voting rights and gun control have been conveniently sidelined as vital issues.
Both urgently need to be addressed, yesterday if not sooner.
