Look Away. Look Away Dixieland

                          Look Away, Look Away, Dixieland

Most people, over a certain age, remember this catchy tune from the Old South. It is from a difficult period in our history when brother fought against brother. Some 600, 000 Americans gave their lives during this awful conflict. The residue of antipathy has not yet gone away even these one hundred and fifty years later.

The recent controversy over the “stars and bars,” the rebel battle flag, flying over the Capitol of South Carolina is a case in point. After a horrific slaughter of nine wonderful and religious people in a Charleston church, by an avowed white supremacist, feelings naturally boiled over. The spirit of forgiveness and charity offered by the relatives of the slain is heartwarming and an example to all of us. The lowering of the flag is an equally magnanimous gesture of reconciliation.

To a large segment of our population, the stars and bars represent an era of repression that cruelly enslaved hundreds of thousands of their ancestors, during an era that is now an embarrassment to all Americans. The Constitution has noble phraseology about equal rights under the law and all men are considered equal. They were applicable of course unless your skin color was black. The issue of the abolition of slavery had arisen at the Continental Congress. The staunch opposition of the Southern States precluded abolition in our founding fathers deliberations. Had the conversation persisted at the time, there would probably not be a Unites States of America as we know it today. Some claim the American Civil War was the last battle of the American Revolution, freeing all of our citizens and insisting on total equality under the law for all. Watching the recent movie “Lincoln,” we now realize that the 13^th amendment, abolishing slavery permanently, was a close and narrowly won victory.

 The evil from that period festered in America through the dark days of the Jim Crow laws, until the issue exploded onto the American consciousness during our civil rights era in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Like lancing a cancerous boil, the cure was not without pain. The patient since then is much recovered and healthier for the experience. Martin Luther King, LBJ and others showed leadership to a country much in need of guidance during a difficult period. And the individual heroism of a Rosa Parks is an example to all Americans.

Given all of this history, some wonder at the stubborn admiration of present day Southerners for the glories of a fallen republic, that of the late Confederacy. The pride they feel for the valor of their ancestors is not so hard to understand for me. Most of us hold our forbearers in high esteem and speak of them respectfully. Why would we expect Southerners to do otherwise?

The unfortunate part of their history is that, during the last century,  the stars and bars, a symbol to many of Southern valor and tradition, have been hijacked by hate groups and white supremacists. Much like the modern day religion of  Islam, noble symbols and principles have been usurped by varlets and rascals who mean no one well.  In short, we all have issues with the past.

I think we must show respect for the many admirable traits of our Southern brothers and sisters. The legacy of courtly manners, civility and decency of conduct are even today much admired by all of us. And, the glories of the South will not only rise again, they have done so in dozens of major cities and economically successful ventures.

The South once again has much to be proud of. And all should remember that without our Southern military tradition, during the American Revolution, there would probably be no United States of America. In the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, WWI & WWII, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East, Southerners of all colors have defended the honor and fought for the ideals of these Unites States of America. I think all of these contributions should be remembered when we speak of the valor of Southerners and the respect they have for their military traditions.

The stars and bars are a remembered symbol of the glory of an era long ago, for Southerners. But today, that flag is sometimes being used, for nefarious purposes, by rascals who bring no honor to the South, but rather seek to shame it with remembered evils from long ago.

The South Carolina Legislature and Governor rightfully lowered the Stars and bars flying above the State Capital. What we now need to do is heal once and for all the wounds from one hundred and fifty years ago, so that all men and women may enjoy the rights and freedoms that so many Americans of all colors and religions, from all sections of the country, have fought and died for.

                                                -30-

                                         (813 words)

                                   Joseph Xavier Martin