The Stars and Bars
In the insanity of our Civil War, the emperialist North invaded the South, to "Preserve The Union."
Both groups had united to win Independence from Great Britain, but the Southern States no longer identified with the North. Believing it as muchtheir right to leave the Union as it had been to join it, the South formed a group with which they could identify, a Confederacy.
The South met the invading Northern troops with military force. Hundreds of thousands of the South's finest young men were slaughtered. The Southern States were ravaged and empoverished. Ultimately, the survivors surrendered and were "reconstructed."
The Southern culture was destroyed. Southerners were second-class citizens economically for almost seventy years. Still, they were proud to be Americans and grateful for the Constitution which unites us all. The Stars And Bars remain a symbol of sacrifice and valor but generations of Southerners have fought bravely and well for the Stars And Stripes.
Slavery fared worse. Though free, segregation in both North and South made their descendents third-class citizens for about a hundred years. Generations of African Americans suffered bitter experiences above which it is difficult to rise.
Today, a failed educational system has produced a generation of Americans ignorant of our true cultural history. Immigration has produced generations with no family roots at all in the America we were.
The Stars and Bars are not the problem. Tearing it down is not the solution. The problems lie in our lack of mutual respect. The solution lies in improving understanding between all our cultures.
