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Jefferson Memorial, Confederate statues enter national race debate

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu calls for removal of Lee Circle statue

Group calls for removal of Confederate monument from Lake Eola Park

‘Gone with the Wind’ should go the way of the Confederate flag

Dukes of Hazzard Toy Car Axed Amid Confederate Flag Controversy

Now let's get into the good stuff.

New Black Panthers – 'Finish the mission, kill slave masters'

{ At a rally there on Tuesday, Malik Zulu Shabazz [Al Sharpton's buddy, New Black Panther Party chairman] called for the completion of the mission of Denmark Vesey, a slave who strategized to kill slave masters nearly two centuries ago when the church where the nine were murdered was being founded.

“Vesey had a plan to kill all the slave masters in the state,” Shabazz said at his rally. “All of their [expletive deleted] families. We need some Denmark Veseys today. We got to complete what Denmark didn’t finish.”

He led the crowd in a chant of “Black power” and “by any means.” And continued with another, “What do we want? Justice, When do we want it? Now.” }

Farrakhan – ‘We Need to Put the American Flag Down’

(audio available on site)

{ Louis Farrakhan [leader of Nation of Islam] stated “We need to put the American flag down. Because we’ve caught as much hell under that as the Confederate flag”.

Farrakhan said, “White folks march with you because they don’t want you upsetting the city, they don’t give a damn about them nine.”

He added, “Who are we fighting today? It’s the people that carry the American flag.” }

At what point do we call it out for the cultural cleansing it is?

People dislike racism. People dislike slavery. People dislike things associated with racism and slavery. When the dislike of something genuinely bad grows into extreme hate, this hate of what's bad in itself becomes bad due to the extreme means by which the hate is carried out. The question of where to draw the line in this gray area of what's too extreme has gone unanswered, and as a result you gain a variety of responses, some seemingly too mild, some seemingly too extreme. It is not an absolute cultural cleansing, but perhaps the time has come to figure out where the lines should be drawn before it becomes an absolute cultural cleansing. Should great figures such as Thomas Jefferson, whom did many great, meaningful things throughout their lives not have monuments because they had slaves? Should an organization that existed with the intention of protecting slavery and winning a war against the United States not have a monument? Questions like these are important to answer if the grey area is to become clear.

The comments being made by leaders of racist hate groups go a bit beyond disliking slavery. These comments are ignored by the mainstream media and lauded by the crowds cheering on their every word. If we're going to make this the moment to address racism in our country, it needs to be addressed completely.

edit: just in case you guys don't recognize the names, these two groups and their leaders have made these same kind of speeches in FL during the Trayvon trial (the NBPP is the group that put out a $10,000 bounty on George Zimmerman's head), in Ferguson, in Baltimore, everywhere there's controversy that can even slightly be spun towards race.

Nation of Islam/Farrakhan has said that gang members are the "natural soldier" who can be taught "the science of war" which will apparently end racism against blacks.

That's from Baltimore, it's Bloods, Crips, and the Nation of Islam "uniting for Freddie Gray". They posted it on facebook with the tag #JusticeOrElse.

Wow that's disgusting. Even Malcolm X might think these guys are a little loopy if he were to see this in his early activist days like that's actually sickening. Like how deluded are these people? What do they think killing people is going to accomplish, particularly people who have done nothing more wrong than be born? This is disturbing it's sad these people think this is a just cause.

yes congrats you got the really obvious reference, serious debate forum, thx.

he spended about an hour in the irc trying to control himself from not doing so.

alas here he is now

I've been commenting on this issue here and there, so forgive me if I repeat myself. There is a legitimate argument to be made in favor of removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol. It makes enough black citizens uncomfortable that taking it down is a gesture of sensitivity. However, this single act of concession has jump started a rabid movement bent on cleansing the culture of any symbol of southern heritage. They want the flag and all associated symbols gone, impossible to find or buy. Many southerners use these symbols not to express racism, but pride in their ancestry and way of life. To ask them to completely abandon all Confederate imagery is too much. It's not a surprise to see the Left going on about this (I suspect many of them associate southern with conservative, thus it must be destroyed), but it's disappointing to watch the businesses fall all over themselves to concede. Even more disheartening is how many on the Right are giving in. Maybe it's out of fear of being called racist, or maybe the North/South divide matters more than the Left/Right divide. I really hope the good ol boys are planning a backlash to this.

Have some stuff:
America Loses Its Mind
You Will Be Made to Care

Did the mainstream media do something stupid again? Shocking news!

Apple bans apps which use the Confederate flag, including historical video games

I get the controversy over a state using the flag, but this is crossing a very distinct line. When you can't even show history accurately without it getting censored, you know a line's been crossed.

You can't just wipe this stuff away and pretend it never happened. It's almost sickening to see African Americans committing such blatant white-washing of history, when it was one of the things they struggled so hard against during the civil rights movement.

Dear users of KYM, do you also believe we need to put the American flag down? Do you know that white people don't give a damn about them nine black folk killed?

Amazon can hook you up with your very own Nation of Islam flag~

Is a more violent kind of terrorism more your thing?

Amazon can help with that too! Consider Hamas instead!

Or maybe a nice Hezbollah window cling for your car?

What a deal~!

Walking into this thread like:

1. The Flag is not "banned". People aren't going to jail for the rebel flag. Just because it's being taken down at government buildings(Where it should've never been) doesn't mean people can't enjoy their "Heritage".

2. Just Because you can't buy the Stars and Bars at Amazon or Wally-world doesn't mean you can't buy it at other retailer!

3. Using other flags is pointless, because
>"Geez Willakers! I guess i dunno, you can get the retailers to prohibits sellings dem' othder flags as well!!111!!}

Sure, things like banning historical simulators is bad, but defending a flag that represents an insurrection towards the government flown in a public place near at A STATES CAPITAL is wrong.

I haven't been as ashamed at conservatives like this since Sandy Hook of all tragedies….

Have I given any indication in this thread that I am protesting the flag being removed from a government building?

I would like you to point out where.

Let's give this a whirl.

The Flag is not “banned”. People aren’t going to jail for the rebel flag.

That's not the point. Although the flag is not being banned, there is a concentrated effort to remove it from public life and pressure retailers into removing it from their shelves. Taking it down from the capitol was merely the first stage. We've moved far beyond that in a mere four days. Now, we are witnessing an organized whitewashing of history. Southerners are rightly pissed that all symbols associated with their ancestors are being removed and compared to swastikas.

Just Because you can’t buy the Stars and Bars at Amazon or Wally-world doesn’t mean you can’t buy it at other retailer!

Yet. The controversy is just beginning. With the stigma currently being attached to the Confederate flag, any retailer offering it for purchase will soon be accused of racism and cultural insensitivity. As I've said before, activists don't just want the flag (and associated symbols) off government buildings; they want it gone, nearly impossible to buy or find.

you can get the retailers to prohibits sellings dem' othder flags as well!!111!!

That would make us as bad as the activists we are criticizing. It also misses the point. It's not that we want the retailers to stop selling the Nation of Islam etc. flags, but are dismayed by the hypocrisy of them ditching the Confederate flag while keeping far more incendiary flags.

I haven’t been as ashamed at conservatives like this since Sandy Hook of all tragedies….

Me too. Specifically, it's disappointing how many of them are pussing out to the Lords of Sensitivity.

{ It’s not that we want the retailers to stop selling the Nation of Islam etc. flags, but are dismayed by the hypocrisy of them ditching the Confederate flag while keeping far more incendiary flags. }

I already explained this to him on the Confederate flag entry, he doesn't get it. People are rolling with the "it's a private business it doesn't matter what they do" excuse, like this is in any way comparable (and these are the same people who say private businesses can't deny a cake for a gay wedding!).

Well you guys are heavily implying this, not just on KYM but on other media as well. I'm pretty shocked that you people are mad that those are using “it’s a private business it doesn’t matter what they do” excuse. Doesn't conservatives support these type of decisions?

It doesn't matter what private businesses do. Businesses who buy decisions that benefit them (and directly impact billions of people) from active politicians for millions of dollars can not be considered a private business by any reasonable person. How our government, how the world's governments, interact with these corporations crosses far beyond the party lines or concepts of conservative and liberal.

If it didn't matter what private businesses do, then why are you people mad that they aren't selling a flag anymore?

Let's give this another whirl.

That’s not the point. Although the flag is not being banned, there is a concentrated effort to remove it from public life and pressure retailers into removing it from their shelves. Taking it down from the capitol was merely the first stage. We’ve moved far beyond that in a mere four days. Now, we are witnessing an organized whitewashing of history. Southerners are rightly pissed that all symbols associated with their ancestors are being removed and compared to swastikas.

Your first response is conspiracy nonsense. Yes, it is a bit too far to take down a historical app game because of it, but an Organized Whitewashing of history? If you lived in my neck of the woods, Southerner are rightly angry that the the symbols of hate were not being moved from public places long ago. If you want to see those symbols of ancestry, visit a museum.

Yet. The controversy is just beginning. With the stigma currently being attached to the Confederate flag, any retailer offering it for purchase will soon be accused of racism and cultural insensitivity. As I’ve said before, activists don’t just want the flag (and associated symbols) off government buildings; they want it gone, nearly impossible to buy or find.

Hate to break it to you, but that flag has had the same stigma for the last two centuries. You didn't see where I linked to a place where you can buy confederate merchandise? I wasn't impossible when I did a simple search to find those retailers at all.

That would make us as bad as the activists we are criticizing. It also misses the point. It’s not that we want the retailers to stop selling the Nation of Islam etc. flags, but are dismayed by the hypocrisy of them ditching the Confederate flag while keeping far more incendiary flags.

Tell that to your friends making and signing petitions to take the Soviet Union, Nation of Islam off of Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc.

Me too. Specifically, it’s disappointing how many of them are pussing out to the Lords of Sensitivity.

It's disappointing how you think taking a pro-treason/slavery flag isn't a 'sensitive' issue.

Your first response is conspiracy nonsense.

Scroll to the top of the page. See all the shit? That's a lot of shit. If it had just been a Confederate flag getting removed from the South Carolina capitol building as a sign of goodwill towards black people, that would be it. But it's more than that. You have all these examples of attacks on long-standing Confederate (and in some cases, Union) symbols, all at the same time. That's not a conspiracy theory, but a movement.

Hate to break it to you, but that flag has had the same stigma for the last two centuries.

In under a week, we've gone from southerners flying/wearing the Confederate flag and everyone else just rolling their eyes to libs screeching at Warner Bros. to stop selling General Lee toys. That's a bit of change in public perception.

Tell that to your friends making and signing petitions to take the Soviet Union, Nation of Islam off of Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc.

I doubt anything will come of it. It's easy for major retailers to disregard right-wing petitioners as kooks, but left-wing petitioners scare the hell out of them. Nobody wants to be called a racist.

It’s disappointing how you think taking a pro-treason/slavery flag isn’t a ‘sensitive’ issue.

You have to look at it from multiple perspectives. Am I glad the Confederacy lost? Yes. Am I glad slavery in America ended? Yes. However, this doesn't change the fact that many southerners fought and died for a cause. It wasn't a cause I would have supported (though I believe it was about far more than just slavery and the south had some legitimate grievances), but I'm not going to tell white southerners to stop respecting their ancestors. Regardless of how that flag was used in the past, modern white southerners are using it as a symbol of heritage, not as a symbol of hate. That being said, many southern blacks view it as a symbol of oppression, so a fair compromise is to remove it from the state capitol. The extreme lengths to which activists are pushing this, however, goes far beyond a fair compromise. It's basically telling white southerners, "fuck your ancestors."

On a related note: COOTER SPEAKS

South Carolina cop fired for photo of himself in confederate flag boxer shorts on facebook

this iz nawt a cultural clensing omg nobody is tryin 2 ban u regular racists from flyin ur flag at home lyk calm down.

While I can certiany understand the resentment over the confederate flag, I do honestly think that some things get unfairly demonized.

I mean take Robert.E Lee for example.

Out of the clusterfuck that was the confederacy, I must say that the dude was one of the very few legitimately good guys. On top of his terrific performance on the field.

He fought for his home state despite being against succession, when the war came near to a close he strongly advised that his fellow generals do the same, he had his frickin' house turned into a cemetery for Christsake and didn't complain, and after the war was over became one of the most prominent speakers for mending the nation.

Say what you want about the south succeeding (as I could) but as someone born and raised in the north, I can say with total honesty that Lee was a bro.

Holy shit. That handwritten letter.

It legitimately looks like a 3rd grader's penmanship.

….and why are communists on Mt.Rushmore?…I…I won't even question that one.

Moreover, had Virginia not join the Confederacy, Robert E.Lee would have been the general for the Union Army.

My god, it's stuff like this that makes me hate conservatives, even if they're not all complete fucking idiots.

I was about to make a new thread for this but I'll just post it here since this got bumped.

Police called over Nazi, Confederate items at flea market

{ The complainant, a town resident, feared possible backlash and asked to remain anonymous. He told the Record-Journal that in addition to several showcases there was Nazi merchandise, including German helmets with swastikas, images of Hitler, and Jewish stars of David, in a truck.

“I was shaking and almost vomiting,” he said. “I had to run. My grandmother had numbers,” he said, referring to the Nazi system of tattooing numbers on prisoners.

“It’s not the first time I’ve heard of this,” Sayles (assistant regional director of the Anti-Defamation League in Connecticut) said. “It’s unfortunate that under the law people have the right to sell these things; but it doesn’t mean they should sell these things. It’s not a crime but I would call it hate. People look at the situation in Charleston and say it’s down in the South. But this stuff is here in Connecticut.” }