There is increasing talk from all across the southern (Confederate) states to remove statues and flags that pay homage to the Confederacy. The complaint is these symbols of the Civil War pay tribute to slavery and racism.

The British flag (Union Jack) represents oppression and tyranny to countries across the globe. Can we expect that flag to be hauled down, too?

The American Flag may represent genocide to the Japanese of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (not to mention the American Indian)! 

Should not the American Flag be tucked away to prevent it from offending those people?   

How far will politically correct revisionists go to purge symbols of history from public view because someone might deem them offensive? Symbols of the Confederacy are simply reminders of America’s past, or a chapter from American history to reflect on in a variety of ways.

They should be looked on as how far we have come as a nation … striving still for equality. 

What is more repugnant than those who are on this crusade to remove statues and monuments themselves is their attempt to destroy American history itself.

They’re pointless actions that heighten racial tensions … if anything! Were it possible to resurrect every dead Confederate soldier long enough to ask them what they died for, their answer would be for freedom, independence and to repulse an invader.

It would certainly not be for the preservation of slavery.    

If there are some who can only see racism in Confederate statues and flags, that is their personal interpretation — not a universal one.

America is a melting pot of races, religions and lifestyles impossible to coexist without a measure of patience and tolerance we must have for each other. We cannot all fit into the same mold. If we should behold things that personally offend us, look away, look away, look away!   

Karl Schmidt moved to Farmville in 2004. His email address is tenbears@centurylink.net.