Common Good

"Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will....We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people."

Martin Luther King, Letter from Birmingham Jail, Jan. 1963.

Does keeping the Confederate Flag over the South Carolina Capitol Statehouse represent common good for the all people? Maybe the people of South Carolina should consider the words of James Madison 4th president of the United States and one of the framers of our constitution. He said, "In republics, the great danger is that the majority may not sufficiently respect the rights of the minority." Which means, if the majority of the people in South Carolina say they want to keep the Confederate Flag up, the Confederate Flag will be kept up. The minority of the people in South Carolina will not be satisfied with the Confederate Flag flying.

 

Our opinion on the 'common good'.

The South Carolina Capitol Building is the property of the people and if people want it taken down it should be taken down. It is understandable that people want to keep their heritage. So why choose the battle flag to represent the Confederacy, why not the 'Stars and Bars'? Or, how about the 'Bonnie Blue Flag'?

 

Heritage aside, does the Confederate Battle Flag really represent the common good of the people of South Carolina or was the battle flag chosen to start a battle? This battle flag was put away after the Civil War and then brought back out in the 1960's for an anniversary celebration of the Confederacy. It was never taken down again. During these years in the U.S. the Civil Rights Movement was ongoing.

 

A flag is a very powerful symbol. It can represent anything you want it to. There was another symbol that took on a new 'look' in the 1930's and 40's? It was the swastika, and this symbol was not thought of as bad before the Nazi's used it. How interesting that certain hate groups use both of these symbols for their 'cause'. Two symbols that seem to paint a picture of 'BAD'. One of our nations governors said "..butt out.." of the South Carolina issue. He said that it was for the people of South Carolina to figure out what to do and that it was not our problem. Now we ask you, does this flag represent the common good for ALL of the people of the United States?

 

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