However, his points really

argue for my point of view. It is exactly because of the misuse of the

flag that we should fight even harder to return it to a place of honor.

Mr. Ryder, like so many other good-hearted folks, thinks that by giving

up here on this argument, we will somehow bring everyone together (that

never happens in groups of more than one) and peace and harmony will reign.

Sadly, that won't happen, and

even worse, the enemies of the flag (and they are usually the enemies

of everything America has traditionally stood for) will not stop with

our state flag. They will continue to attempt to eradicate all politically

incorrect historic symbols from public view.

If you don't believe it, then

I would refer you to recent school name changes in New Orleans: No more

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, or James Madison. In Texas, no more

William B. Travis (commander of the Alamo), and in DeKalb County, Ga.,

no more Clarkston Elementary since the founder of that city is rumored

to have been an antebellum slaveholder.

[Ryder] also makes an eloquent

argument about the true meaning of the flag: That it is a symbol of battlefield

bravery and sacrifice. Again, I agree with him, but again, this point

enforces my belief that the Confederate flag is the symbol that most deserves

incorporation in our state flag. What other time period or event in the

history of our state can even remotely compare with the horrors of the

War Between the States, and its effect on our state? Obviously, nothing

else can.

Some critics of the flag say

that the Confederate flag doesn't represent all Georgians. My response

to that is to ask how the Stars and Stripes is any different? It is not.

Both were symbols that were born in different times that we have to look

at for what they were. They were steps along the way to the freedoms we

all enjoy today.

The last time I checked, I

didn't see much diversity in the makeup of the founding fathers of our

country, but look what they gave us. The same can be said for the founding

fathers of the Confederacy. They fought against centralized government,

political despotism, and for the constitutional principles that their

ancestors fought for 1776. Some of their specific issues may be offensive

to us as modern Americans, but their principles were timeless.

Some media outlets are predicting

dire consequences if the flag is changed