The current brouhaha about removing the Confederate Battle Flag from various public places in the South might be confusing to those of you living in other parts of the United States, foreign countries, and California. After all, when a war is over, the winner usually tells the loser to get rid of all the signs, symbols, and other objet d’art related to their adversarial positiion.
I was born in the North, and ancestors on my mother’s side fought for the union. My father’s ancestors weren’t yet settled, but did enter the New World through northern ports.
Ancestors aside, I have lived in three Southern States, accumulating over fifteen years south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I have studied the history of the South and of the Civil War. Here’s my synopsis:
The South wanted a divorce.
The North sis not.
The North prevailed, so like people who stay married “for the sake of the kids” they remained married.
On a More Personal Note
To me, the South means “Clean Eyeglasses.”
You walk out of your air-conditioned house into the heat and humidity, and you wipe the fog off your glasses.
You get out of your air conditioned car, and you wipe off your glasses.
You are either constantly cleaning your glasses or you can’t see through the fog.
And that might explain a lot.
sfnowak 