Catching up on some "Ruminations"...

Sheridf's, "The Wait of the Nation II:  Parent Companies, the "Bain" of our Existence!" over at The Crunk Feminist Collective, is the best piece I've read about Romney and Bain Capital since all this hullaballoo first broke in the MSM. Here's my comment to her explaining why I think so:

"sheridf…What a wonderful piece of “follow-the-money,” investigative writing! I have to admit, when I saw the title on my emailed subscription, I said, “Argh!, more Romney-Bain sh*it! Does it really matter when he left (besides the fact he may have lied; I mean, Hell, all politicians lie about their money and what they do to get it, if they can get away with it — ALL of them!)?

But this sh*t right here?? This, is the kind of information the MSM and the Changeling’s campaign folk (full disclosure: I’m no fan of his, or them, either!) should be putting out there! Particularly given it’s horribly, negative contributions to the “framing” of our children’s, parents’ and families’ lives (which, as I think about it, speaks to yet another way the current residents of the “Big House,” continue to ignore, “big picture” issues affecting the Black community — I mean, Obesity is/has been his wife’s “signature” issue! Brava my young sister! Thank you for this work…"

Please do take a moment to tune out the MSM's dog-whistles and read this important and very relevant-to-the-Black-community piece of investigative journalism (cuz Lord knows you won't get it from either campaign's talking heads!).

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Glenn Greenwald's got some interesting links in #2 of his "Various Matters" post.  It appears there's at least ONE MSM journalist willing to confront this administration on their undying fealty to Israel.  Glenn has the transcript, but if a picture's worth a 1000 words, then a video is -- priceless! Check it out:

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Now after all this, the Changeling adds insult to injury by, sending "Biden to NAACP convention":

The NAACP had hoped that President Obama would speak during its six-day confab, as he did when campaigning in 2008 and again in 2009. In 2010 Michelle Obama addressed the convention...On Tuesday an NAACP spokesman said the group was reserving a Thursday speaking spot for the president. (emphasis mine)

Well, seems they've certainly got the "hope" part of his "Hope and Change" message down pat!  I guess since Biden thought the Changeling was, "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy...” -- THAT guy thought it was okay to send him to a room full of similarly situated Black folk in his stead. (smdh)  Talk about needing to "take off your bedroom slippers and put on your marching shoes" -- so you can march the hell away from this joker!

I think I can safely say that his tenure in the Big House, has effectively put Blacks in an untenable position.  We've not demanded, nor gotten anything from him!  Who's really going to take us seriously after we've sat back and let him get away with ignoring us for four (maybe eight years) with hardly a collective peep?  Come on family, ain't y'all tired of asking:

**UPDATE:** Obama Administration Creating African American Education Office.  Well, family, he finally threw out one of his "executive order" crumbs.  Oh,  go ahead --  I can just imagine all the, "See!  I told you he cared!" happy-dancin' going on right now!

But wait a minute!  Is it just me? Or did it take over three and a half years AND three months before the election to even spit in this direction? Seems to me, if it looks like a shut-the-hell-up duck, and quacks like a shut-the-hell-up duck -- it's a damned shut-the-hell-up duck!  Just sayin'...

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The Julian Assange Show on RT News continues to offer up some interesting conversation that again, we need not look to the MSM to provide:



Occupy movements notwithstanding -- there appears to be little, if any, danger of popular forces creating practical, functioning, new and significant "models" here, Noam!

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Israeli-Arab community upset over new military draft law (article that accompanies the video):

Arab Israelis make up about 20 per cent of Israel’s population. While they have not traditionally been conscripted by the government, many of them choose to serve willingly, either in the army or community service, thereby becoming eligible for the same social benefits that Jewish Israelis enjoy after serving.

However, the new law would make the above service mandatory for the Arab population, raising questions among a community torn between their loyalty to the Jewish state and their heritage as Palestinians. (emphasis mine)

Man! All I can say is -- that is some re-e-ally sad, split-mind shit right there.

Like many minorities here, the Druze have been trying to be "patriotic" and serve "their country" (even though the Zionists, much like "real Americans" here, see it as their country).  And if they do, they get a shot at a somewhat equal and decidedly "better life" -- at least materially.  But when one considers that the Druze must fight and/or kill, other Palestinians, that whole "material" thing seems a bit hollow (the Civil War springs to mind).  But that's just me.

And then of course, there's this, Israeli Military Draft Panel Defies Netanyahu:

Shaul Mofaz, chairman of parliament's largest party, Kadima, told reporters Netanyahu "crassly" violated their coalition agreement on Monday when he disbanded the panel, which proposed ending sweeping exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men and penalizing them if they dodge the draft. Many Israelis deplore the privileges that the ultra-Orthodox receive, but Netanyahu is reluctant to alienate what are traditional supporters by adopting proposals they vehemently oppose...The draft privileges for the religious date back six decades, when Israel's founders granted exemptions to 400 exemplary seminary students to help rebuild great schools of Jewish learning destroyed in the Holocaust. The numbers of exemptions have steadily ballooned over the years, and today, an estimated 60,000 religious men of military age are exempted. The pattern of studying instead of serving continues long past draft age, with ultra-Orthodox men commonly spending their lives in religious study instead of working, while collecting welfare. (emphasis mine)

Sounds a lot like those "exemptions" enjoyed by many of the well-connected, college-bound in this country, no? -- like this, one of many:  Starting as a freshman at Stanford University in 1966, Romney received a series of deferments, including one for his role as a “minister of religion or divinity student,” that kept him out of Vietnam (read that here). 

So if I'm reading these pieces correctly, mandatory for most Arab-Israelis -- exemptions for all ultra-Orthodox Israelis/Zionists. Hell, I'd be more than a little ticked off my-damned-self!

I had one more, but it's way too long to insert as a mere rumination.  Hope to post it soon.

From 100:1, to 18:1 - Yay!! or Yay??

"So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

(I Have a Dream speech - August 28, 1963)

Seems that check, of which Dr. King so forcefully spoke almost 47 years ago, has bounced - yet again.

While there's certainly cause for some celebration after the passing and signing (hm-m-m, the Changeling was uncharacteristically silent during this signing) of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, I see no reason for Black folk to be saying, "Yay!!" and Lindy Hoppin' (I had the pleasure of spending a little time with the venerable Ms. Miller back in 2003).  Akin to the  "3/5 of a man compromise," - drawn up by greedy (read taxation), power-hungry (read Congressional representation) white men who enshrined their supremacy over Blacks in the Constitution - this legislation continues to scream, "We are better than you." 

Me?  I'm saying, "Yay??" Because after all the studies and on-the-record hearings which simply concluded - "Got powder? Got crack? Same thing." - privilege, and the White Supremacist Capitalist Patriarchy still win the day!  The conspiracy theorist in me believes this has more to do with helping states like California balance their budgets wrecked by overzealous prosecution of Black and Brown folk, than anything else.  It never fails does it?  Seems only when something's re-e-ally good for them do we benefit ever so slightly.  Plus ça change, plus c'est le même chose (translation:  The more it changes, the more it remains the same).  {heavy sigh}

Congress calling a reduction in, instead of a total elimination of, the sentencing  disparity - "FAIR" - is nothing more than another generous portion of "shinin' up shit and callin' it gold" (kind of like the bait-and-switch the Changeling and Pelosi pulled, hoodwinking women into believing that the Lilly Ledbetter Act dealt with gender-based, pay inequities). 

And, as expected, the NAACP is doing its share of shoveling, which smacks of that "tranquilizing drug of gradualism" for which Dr. King said we had no time all those years ago:

"The NAACP supported this legislation as an important first step toward completely eliminating this racially discriminatory sentencing disparity." (emphasis mine)

An important first step!  Please.  It's been 24 and 22 years respectively, since the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988 legitimized this disparity!  How many more years will the "premier civil rights advocacy entity on Capitol Hill" think are appropriate before there is no disparity at all - 24 again?  Funny how the Changeling, channeling Dr. King, could invoke the "fierce urgency of now" to get  Black voters to vote for him, but those same Black voters are still willing to "be patient and wait" for the rights to which they're entitled as full citizens of these United States - the same rights, incidentally, that are clearly, already afforded ALL similarly situated white citizens. {smdh}

And let's not forget - the Act is not retroactive. So the thousands of lives already negatively affected before this insult passed, will still be negatively affected now that it has. Yeah, that's fair too.

 But lest you think I'm always a glass-half-empty kinda girl, I am saying - Yay!! - to the elimination of the mandatory-minimum sentencing of 5 years for simple possession of crack cocaine.  This move may finally make at least these defendants feel EQUAL to their "simple possession" counterparts in the meth, powder and heroin world whose punishment was probation, or at the very most - a one-year prison sentence.

And I say, "Yay!" again, to all the documented, and unwavering heavy-lifting of The Sentencing Project (24 years) and the U.S. Sentencing Commision (22 years) on this issue.  It has always been their thorough commitment to this work - not the NAACP's - that has offered me the most enlightenment on this ongoing okey-doke over the years. 

Could they be a part of my aforementioned conspiracy?  Could be.  But I appreciate that they at least did the research, and again and again, presented the information to Congress which, up until now, has been fighting them tooth and nail since at least 1995 (and still are if we're honest).  Still doesn't make the Act itself any fairer though.

Just a couple more pesky, "privilege" observations before I let you go: 

What about the sentencing for methamphetamines which appears to not only be ravaging small, rural communities where it began, but now also, upscale communities? Will meth cookers, traffickers and dealers still be able to enjoy the "privilege" of going through drug court programs that offer treatment - rather than jail - as they have been? Probably so, especially since little, if anything will be changed for white coke traffickers and dealers.  Just curious.

And according to The Sentencing Project:

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 would raise the minimum quantity of crack cocaine that triggers a 5-year mandatory minimum from 5 grams to 28 grams, and from 50 grams to 280 grams to trigger a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence. The amount of powder cocaine required to trigger the 5 and 10-year mandatory minimums remains the same, at 500 grams and 5 kilograms respectively.

Seems to me, white traffickers will still enjoy the "privilege" of making a whole lot more money than the dime-bag boys before they go to jail (seeing as 28 grams equal .028 kilograms versus the 500 grams which equal .5 kilograms and, 280 grams = 0.28 kilograms versus the 5 kilograms).  More product, priced five times more than the dime-bag boys' product, sure sound like more money to me.  Just sayin'...

UPDATE:  Commission Unanimously Approves Sentence Reductions for Prisoners Confined Under Harsh Crack Cocaine Law

And this is why the NAACP can stop sending me solicitations...

NAACP Statement on the resignation of Shirley Sherrod:

With regard to the initial media coverage of the resignation of USDA Official Shirley Sherrod, we have come to the conclusion we were snookered by Fox News and Tea Party Activist Andrew Breitbart into believing she had harmed white farmers because of racial bias. 

Having reviewed the full tape, spoken to Ms. Sherrod, and most importantly heard the testimony of the white farmers mentioned in this story, we now believe the organization that edited the documents did so with the intention of deceiving millions of Americans. (emphasis mine)

When they start acting, instead of reacting - maybe I'll take them seriously.  "Snookered??"  Really??    (Who says that?)  Besides, shouldn't you have done all that shit in the second paragraph, BEFORE you put this out???

NAACP Slams Shirley Sherrod's Actions as 'Shameful':

"We are appalled by her actions, just as we are with abuses of power against farmers of color and female farmers. 

"Her actions were shameful. While she went on to explain in the story that she ultimately realized her mistake, as well as the common predicament of working people of all races, she gave no indication she had attempted to right the wrong she had done to this man."

First of all, let's just call it what it really is - Fox News just made a big, damn fool of you guys! And you fell for it - hook, line and sinker, tripping all over yourselves trying to look all Changeling-decreed "post-racial" with that knee-jerk, slamming of this sister for being honest about how she felt. You guys were in such a damn hurry to distance yourselves from this woman, that you initially MISSED the "teachable moment" she was trying to share!

Hell, if more of our people were truly honest about how they felt, maybe we could have a real conversation about race in this country!  But no-o-o, most of us just keep wearing that damn mask, tilting at windmills Don Quixote-style (instead of resolving to address the real issues with which our community struggles), being twisted in the wind by white folk, hell-bent on keeping that foot-on-neck scenario firmly in place by any means necessary. {smdh}

What she admitted feeling, was nothing short of what I, and I'm certain, plenty other Black folk would have felt - if we're honest.  And what she did, after feeling that, was again, nothing short of what I, and I'm certain, plenty other Black folk would have done in the end - the right damn thing.  It just blows my mind, that after damn-near 400 years (and counting) of white supremacy in this country, not only do plenty white folk still think that we don't have a right to our feelings - plenty of us do too!

Second of all, isn't this JULY?  This NAACP banquet (That's right - NAACP banquet!) happened in March!?!  But Mr. Jealous only got appalled, and felt all this shame about it now?   Please.  He should be appalled and ashamed that he got suckered into that knee-jerk statement.

There was no excuse for that attack.  None.  And they shouldn't have fired her (because we all know - that's what "agreeing to accept a resignation" really means).  Even though the tape had been edited, they still (I'm convinced, unwittingly - because that's not what they were looking for in the first place) left in the "teachable moment!":




It's obvious from the video, that she felt she was among "her own," having one of those conversations a lot of Black folk never have in "mixed company" (and never admit to having at all!). But c'mon ya'll - she had to know the cameras were rolling! Apparently, she didn't care to keep "wearing the damn mask" - preferring instead, to share an important, personal and necessary "teachable moment" with her people, in a way she was sure they'd feel and understand.  She was probably confident that if the shit hit the fan, her president, the NAACP and her kinfolk - at the very least - would "get it" and stand with her. As it turns out - that last part was her real mistake.

I've pretty much stopped watching the news in general, and CNN in particular but, I just had to put this video here:



See why I stopped watching CNN?  Have they no real researchers on staff? Look at how they killed the man while he was riding around on his Peterbilt!!

A-a-anyway, I posted the video because: 1) her, "if the staff were free to tell you" around the :58 click provides - despite all their blather about transparency - a very telling peek into how the Changeling's administration is no different than Shrub's or anybody else's, and 2) Eloise Spooner's call illustrates the importance of the "teachable moment" that Mr. Jealous, et al initially missed - because they chose to immediately believe the "lying eyes" of racist white men before even talking to the sister (patriarchy, after all is patriarchy) and they were too quick to "rush to judgement."

Instead of all these resolutions decreeing the obvious, young Mr. Jealous would do well to take a step back and stop - as the beautiful, "young, gifted and Black" Sunni Patterson says in the video below - "mistaking mimicry for mastery, or pretending for knowing."  Stop, as she says, giving "in to the empty threats and scare tactics of the powerless ones" and learn to "be faithful, strategic, victorious and free."  Maybe then, I'll actually open one of those solicitations for membership that keep coming in the mail - and respond.




UPDATE I:  Sherrod has her say!  Reminds me of another "Shirley" sister-warrior - Ms. Chisholm would be proud!

UPDATE II:  Yeah, the Changeling would have you believe it's the lunatics running the asylum.  Please!  As Jason Linkins so succinctly points out here - he's the HLIC (Head Lunatic In Charge)!:  Shirley Sherrod Scandal: How The White House Is Backing Away From The Decision To Fire Her.

Whistling Dixie in South Florida...Part 2

UPDATE: Seems they may be taking the easy way out: "Confederate flag may end Homestead parade"

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More from "NAACP, Homestead in dispute over Confederate flag." (again, all emphasis mine). Despite the "unique "small-town" atmosphere with all the urban amenities" description on the town's website, Homestead is primarily an agricultural community. It has the dubious distinction of having suffered the second costliest Atlantic hurricane in U.S. history as a result of Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 hurricane that devastated the area on August 24, 1992. The town is still recovering and rebuilding. Situated about 30 minutes southwest of Miami proper and directly northeast of the notorious, "18-mile stretch" leading down the Keys to Key West, it is the second oldest city in Miami-Dade County. It boasts a lively tossed salad of immigrants from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Colombia, El Salvador and Honduras with a relative sprinkling of everybody else thrown in for good measure. Republican, Lynda Bell is the first female mayor in the city's history.

''And the city of Homestead went one step further and decided to dissolve their part of the Human Relations Board,''he said.

Last month, the city council disbanded the Homestead/Florida City Human Relations Board, which was created in September 2002 after black city workers in Homestead complained of discrimination. It aimed to resolve issues involving race, immigration, police profiling, employment and housing.

The advisory board took up the issue of the flag display for six months, but did not come to a resolution with the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the chamber. The veterans group proposed flying less controversial Confederate flags at a Homestead public workshop, Bell said. But the board rejected that, ''insisting instead that the Sons of Confederate Veterans be banned entirely from all future parades,'' Bell said.

She said the changes to the human relations board, which she suggested, were implemented to make the board more reflective of the city. Hispanics make up about 60 percent of Homestead's population.

The fact that the Human Relations Board was not formed until 2002 to address racial discrimination and then disbanded only seven years later is an indication of how "Deep South" the city really is. With such an expeditious and miraculous cure for those pesky racism issues, the city ought to bottle that remedy and peddle it to the rest of the country. But I digress. The revamping of the Board follows a pattern of institutionalized racism commonly practiced where these kinds of boards, intended to address discrimination, are concerned. I've seen it firsthand. Back in 2002, an attorney with whom I worked to establish an independent Citizen's Review Board of the police department in Key West, aptly described the predictable stages of opposition. It was so dead-on, I wrote about it in one of my weekly columns in April that year. He broke it down like this (feel free to substitute city/county/federal government for police and just plain "board" for civilian oversight/review - it works):

1. The "over our dead bodies" stage, during which the police proclaim they will never accept any type of civilian oversight under any circumstances;
2. The "magical conversion" stage, when it becomes politically inevitable that civilian review will be adopted. At this point, former police supporters suddenly become civilian review experts and propose the weakest models;
3. The "post-partum" resistance" stage, when the newly established review board must fight police opposition to its budget, authority, access to information, etc.

He went on to say, "Expect minor lip service to be given to civilian review coupled with recommendations for the weakest civilian review board possible." Such was the fate of the Homestead Human Relations Board - I am certain. Another tactic that has worked amazingly well to dilute the voice of the Black community across the state is redistricting (read gerrymandering). In my June 14, 2002 column, "Could Key West go the way of congressional redistricting?" I wrote:

Consideration of the three alternatives for Key West voting districts, submitted by the Redistricting and Charter Revision Commission, was tabled last month and will be revisited in July. In the brief interval between now and then, Key West's minority voters would do well to look to the mainland, paying close attention to the legal battles surrounding Florida's new Republican-drawn congressional district maps.

Democrats, as we speak, are in U.S. District Court in Miami trying to convince three federal judges that the new district maps violate the Constitution and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which was enacted to ensure that the minority vote is fairly represented. Additionally, suit has been filed in state court by Carrie Meek of Miami, Alcee Hastings of Fort Lauderdale and Corrine Brown of Jacksonville.

Florida's three black congressional representatives, the first elected since Reconstruction, contend the congressional redistricting plan as proposed will result in a substantial dilution of the black vote in their current districts. And in a June 5 Miami Herald article, Allan Lichtman, a professor at American University testifying on behalf of the redistricting challengers, agreed saying, "Several versions of races that produced black winners under old boundaries would result in toss-ups or outright defeats for black candidates now."

Democrats charge in a June 9 Herald article that the GOP has diluted Hastings' mostly black district by adding thousands of white voters, many of them residents of the Century Village condominium in Pembroke Pines.

"I'm more than happy to represent Century Village, but it will drown out the black vote," Hastings said.

Minority voters in the affected districts can expect no intervention from the U.S. Justice Department. On June 7, it concluded that the newly drawn boundaries are in compliance with the federal voting rights law.

Given all the facts above, one might wonder how the Justice Department reached that conclusion. Simple. Republicans said it was necessary in order to provide a third congressional seat in South Florida for Hispanics who are also a "protected" group, thereby satisfying Justice Department requirements. Never mind three black districts would all but disappear.

Pitting each of these minority's interests against one another, keeps the old divide and conquer routine alive and well and keeps the powers-that-be, the powers-that-be.

So, why do minority Key West voters need to pay attention? Because it appears that the exact same thing could be in the offing for Key West but the results appear more racial than partisan, particularly with the "three-district, three-at-large" and the "six-residential districts with at-large voting" proposals.

As I understand it, the first proposal would not likely ensure the election of a minority commissioner in any district since blacks and Hispanics in the three proposed districts only represent roughly one quarter of the voting population based on the 2000 Census figures. This plan could pose a problem for the city in terms of Justice Department approval.

The second proposal could also pose similar Justice Department problems given the breakdown of the numbers of blacks and Hispanics versus whites. It is questionable, though not impossible, that a minority candidate, successful in their residential district, could or would win an election citywide.

Keeping in mind that blacks and Hispanics share "protected" status, a district drawn to increase the chances of a minority representative does not necessarily have to focus exclusively on blacks. If that district incorporates Hispanic voters in the minority as well, it may be possible to achieve a high enough minority percentage to satisfy the Justice Department, as has occurred with the congressional redistricting.

Since the Supervisor of Elections has pointed out that current district lines are flawed because they were initially drawn across census block boundaries, the status quo proposal changes somewhat. But, it appears that it is still the best thing going as far as minority representation is concerned.

All registered voters have an obligation to fully understand what is on the table, so when the meeting rolls around in July, Old City Hall should be packed to the rafters.

The NAACP notwithstanding, it seems Mayor Bell, with her "more reflective of the community" comment, stands poised to use the same totally legal, voice-silencing tactics to effect changes to Homestead's Human Relations Board a similar maneuver often used by the Changeling to muffle the, "No Justice, No Peace," normally heard anytime someone mentions what he's NOT done for the Black community.)

''This board will be structured more like the Miami-Dade County Community Relations Board,'' she wrote in her e-mail. ''At the end of the day, I would think that everyone, including the NAACP, would be delighted and pleased that this Mayor and Council is working to be responsive to the entire community.'' Former Homestead Mayor Roscoe Warren and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Katy Sorenson pledged to use a softer approach -- diplomacy behind the scenes -- to work with Bell and the council to resolve the dispute. ''I'm confident we will work it out,'' said Warren, Homestead's first black mayor, who started the board in 2002. ``You don't want to elevate this [dispute] to the state and national level.''

Meanwhile, Curry hinted at a possible boycott of chamber businesses at a time when most industries have been hit by the recession. He also set his sights on the November elections. Curry pledged that the NAACP would register new voters and raise the issue of the flag if council members did not ban it from future parades. Five of the seven council members will be up for reelection in November, including the mayor.

''Someone is going to be a casualty,'' Curry said.

As has been the case in these modern days of "movements," the NAACP appears more reactive than proactive on both the Board and the flag issue. It'll be real interesting to see just how effective all the proposed back-room dealing, boycotting and registering of new voters will be. I wouldn't hold my breath.

Whistling Dixie in South Florida - Part 1

Having just had a conversation with the husband's decidedly, Republican family this weekend about South Carolina's battle to remove the Confederate flag from atop the State House (among other various and sundry racial topics), imagine my surprise when I came across this, "NAACP, Homestead in dispute over Confederate flag," while perusing MiamiHerald.com today.

All that sun, fun and Miami Vice-like, glitz in print and on both the big and small screens tends to fool folks into thinking that South Florida is any and everything else BUT the Deep South, particularly from Miami, on south through the Florida Keys and down to Key West. But the article, and the very interesting comments that follow surely gives the lie to that perception.

As a born-n-raised, Black, South Carolina girl who has lived in South Florida - from Miami to Key West - on several, different occasions, the dispute over the Confederate flag has long been a part of this journey of me. And as I've walked it, I've grown and evolved tremendously. Well, sort of. Okay, let's just say - some.

In any event, parts of the piece were particularly interesting (all emphasis mine):

A HURTFUL HISTORY

Since the Civil War, the Confederate battle flag has been a controversial symbol in American history. For some, it represents Southern heritage and evokes pride. Supporters have brought the battle flag to such events as the January's 24th Annual Kiss Country Chili Cook-Off and Concert in Pembroke Pines.

For others, it serves as a harsh reminder of slavery and racism. Thousands of white Mississippians, for example, waved Confederate flags when then Gov. Ross Barnett declared in 1962 that integration would never take place on his watch.

"Initially, we all thought this [Confederate flag-waving at the Homestead parade] was a matter of stupidity and all it would take would be to educate people that the flag is a symbol of terrorism," said Bradford Brown, first vice president of the Miami-Dade, NAACP chapter.

First of all, the Confederate battle flag will always be a controversial issue in these "united" states because let's face it, it does represent two sides of a diametrically opposed historical coin - depending on the lens through which the coin is viewed and who's doing the viewing.

For a long time (here's where that, "evolving some" comes in), I was definitely a member of the no-holds barred, no-Confederate-flag-wavin'-'round-me group. Its mere presence was, "a harsh reminder of slavery and racism."

But I can tell you exactly when I, ever so slightly, moved away from that position to the current limbo of sorts in which I find myself today. I even had a picture of it (said picture has apparently gotten lost over our many moves since I can't seem to find the damn thing. Back then, there was no saving to a CD, much less your camera!). I do, however, remember it like it was yesterday for some odd reason.

We'd moved to San Antonio, Texas in 1994 where we stayed for seven years. At the age of 10, my youngest son met a tow-headed blond kid, of East Texas parents, who would remain his best friend to this day. My son is now 25 - they still hang out.

On one of our annual "Let's get the hell out of Texas" summer vacations, we decided to take Calvin with us . He'd never, left the state before and I thought it'd be a great experience for him. The five of us and the dog piled into the Jeep and drove from Texas to South Carolina - an interesting undertaking, considering everybody except the dog was at least my size!

It was a wonderful and eventful trip (I won't even go into the three-car accident my oldest had while driving around town with the other two that extended my stay by a week! They still, to this day, blame it on a bee flying in the window!). Every time we crossed a state line, we'd stop so the guys could hop out and pose for a picture on every "Welcome to..." sign. When we got to my mother's, we decided we'd go downtown and do the whole tourist thing. The next day, we headed for historic, downtown Charleston.

We spent some time at The Old Slave Mart (preserved and restored - Lest we forget). There are sales transactions for "property" of another kind now at the open air vendors and shops which are also a part of the building today. I stopped in the doorway to talk to the Sweet grass basket ladies while the boys went through the stalls. Suddenly I heard a loud, "Man! This is so cool!"

Just beyond the doorway where my husband and I were standing, we could see Calvin and my youngest in a stall. With the sun streaming in from a small window overhead, I could see he was holding up possibly the biggest Confederate battle flag I'd ever seen. It had a picture of his favorite country music singer, Hank Williams, Jr., sewn smack dab in the middle of it. I looked at my husband, he looked at me, and I snapped the picture.

In that moment, it hit me - the flag controversy was not an either/or, but a both and. As the piece points out, to this kid, "it represents Southern heritage and evokes pride." To this not-yet a teen-aged kid, it was not, as Brown points out above, a "symbol of terrorism" on that sunny Low Country day, but his favorite singer on the Stars and Bars that his family holds dear. Jarring, to say the least.

Over the years since, I've still not yet figured out what exactly to do with this not-particularly-Teutonic shift in my thinking. But since it is a shift, nevertheless, I have at least acknowledged that there are huge challenges to figuring out how to somehow reconcile the two sides into something which marginalizes neither. I'm still workin' on it.