The world is a magical place full of people waiting to be offended by something. In the last decade the number of offended people has grown exponentially. The American Experiment was started by wealthy folks who wanted to thrive and have ordinary people glad to be part of something that gave them more rights and chances for prosperity. Sounds OK, but perhaps they went too far.
The freedoms allowed the bad guys the same rights everyone else enjoyed giving power to any group, no matter their reason for existence. These bad guy groups have thrived and are protected. They have committed criminal acts but only individuals have been prosecuted. Why have these groups been allowed to exist? Isis does pretty much the same thing but must be destroyed. Why not ANY supremest group? They’ve been shown to use the same terrorist methods yet their numbers seem to be growing. This crap with folks being offended by anything Confederate adds to their strength.
Germany and it’s former empire have many former Nazi installations. Should they be removed too? I thought they were left intact so folks would never forget. The Confederacy is part of American history and removing the bad and embarrassing parts helps destroy what we went through forever. No, we should never forget that we’re a flawed and dangerous species and how inhuman we were. Are there folks that feel these monuments glorify what was? Of course, and their opinions (not actions) are protected by law. Leave the monuments and flags alone and let folks form their own opinions about them. Please don’t force anyone to think as you do. That’s what supremest groups do.
This rant wouldn’t be complete without a solution, and for that we can look to our fellow humans in other areas. Hate groups are not permitted to exist and those that do underground are not causing the mayhem they are in the US. They have been reduced in effectiveness in the past by busting and imprisoning the leaders. Many take credit for mayhem so it’s no mystery who the bad guys actually are. It’s time to arrest and try (en masse to save time and money) them. The entire group. Seize any assets and destroy anything they’ve built. Of course, debates defining “hate groups” will follow but any group that puts itself on a high horse at the expense of others works for me if they follow their credo with action. Including rallies and parades. You can believe as you wish but woe unto you if it effects me in any way.
So, set BASIC guidelines and make ’em illegal with severe penalties for their existence. If not, don’t complain when your neighbors turn their residence into a Klan House and festoon it with their symbols of hate. And DON’T let them turn one of the many historical American flags into one.
