Proud Heritage
To the Editor:
In reference to your story on Generation Dean and the Confederate Flag, many Southerners are also offended by the way that the Confederate Flag is used in this political debate.
My great grandfather bravely served the Confederacy, as did his two brothers and his son. I am a son of the Confederacy by birthright.
I am offended that Governor Dean thinks that Southerners are stupid, and the Southerners who display a Confederate flag on their pickup trucks form an undesirable class unto themselves. I am also offended that the Confederate flag is used to mock Governor Dean. Quite obviously few, if any, Northerners respect or understand the meaning of the Confederate flag, and therein lies the problem.
I am as offended by Governor Dean's misuse of the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism as I am by your references to the same. Many of you in the North take too simple a view of this issue and consequently miss the point completely. You see racism where it is not, and you fail to acknowledge it where it is.
My suggestion is that Governor Dean not waste much time campaigning in the South for votes, because there is insufficient time to learn what is not understood about Southerners. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
