History Should Not Be a Mystery

I'm from Central, not southern New Jersey so I never really understood the appeal behind the flying of the Confederate flag. Don't come at me with the 'it's heritage not hate' bromide unless you're also willing to concede it is the physical representation of a heritage of hate. 

When I worked for the Department of Defense, on two continents, I'd see the stars and bars on the back windows of trucks and as bumper stickers on cars and reached a point where I just viewed it as an indicator of a first-cousin-screwing toothless gorm and nothing more. 

And if that characterization offends you, think of how your fondness for a symbol that signals it's okie-dokie to own another human being strikes people, especially those whose ancestors were property.  

Now a nearly spineless Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper, has contorted himself into knots in coming up with the language that effectively bans that hateful rag of a flag from US military installations without, he hopes, triggering the Grand Klan Wizard, Mr. 'Very Fine People On Both Sides' Trump into firing him. 

To be clear, the flag being banned isn't historical, it's hateful. And needs to join the other flags of those who lost when waging war against the United States.

-bill kenny