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Letter: Why is it still flying?

This is in response to Bobby Dobson’s letter of May 12: Let’s go to the source to explain why I oppose the flying of the Confederate flag.

To quote Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, in his Cornerstone Speech of March 1861: “Our new government’s foundations are laid, its corner-stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery subordination to the superior race is his natural and normal condition.” (Primary Source: American Battlefield Trust)

The Confederate flag represents the Confederacy, which is the “new government” of which Mr. Stephens spoke. The “great truth” is false and contradicts the humanity of each individual. Flying the Confederate flag today announces that Stephens’ “cornerstone” beliefs are alive and well.

Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis believed that the flag should not be flown after the war ended in April 1865. Later that year, Lee wrote in a letter to the Gettysburg Identification Committee m...

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