"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote:

I consider the KKK to be about racism, not
slavery. It was originally started as a response
to the heavy-handed political disenfranchisement
of the former Confederate states by Northern
"Carpetbaggers" who essentially swept into the
South and took over in the aftermath of the Civil
War. I don't believe that was right and never said
so. However, the KKK, instead of targeting the
mostly white Yankee politicians who violated the
constitutional rights of the citizens of the Southern
states, chose instead to target ethnic and religious
groups, such as blacks, Catholics, and particularly
Jews. (snip)


The "particularly Jews" is news to me. I know the KKK doesn't especially
like Jews today (to put it mildly), but I've read a lot about the early KKK
and don't remember seeing anything about Jews being targeted, especially
"particularly" targeted. Can you provide a source where I can read more
about this?


However, in the context of our modern and presumably
more enlightened times, they represent something that
is, best, an anachronistic example of age-old prejudices.
We should all be united under one flag, and that flag has
50 stars and 13 stripes -- not a big "X" running through it.


I think you're interpreting the whole thing wrong, Larry. Very few in the
South see that flag as a statement about slavery or racism. From my
observations, most see it as a way to stick up their middle finger at a
government they don't particularly like. For example, the flag is displayed
most often when a liberal is in the White House and less often when a
conservative is in the White House. A few years ago, during the Clinton
years, you could see that flag everywhere (vehicles, yards, and so on).
Today, it has virtually disappeared. When another liberal gets in the White
House, that flag will suddenly show up on everything again. The more liberal
that person is, the more you'll see that flag displayed.


Dwight Stewart (W5NET)

http://www.qsl.net/w5net/