More "Bad Flag"

Hello Everyone:

It's Tuesday evening and I'm feeling tired from a sudden case of the allergies. Nothing like the sniffles and watery eyes to wear me down.  Nevertheless, I prevailed in the blogosphere, posting a nice piece on what a creative neighborhood looks like. Speaking of posting articles, I found a couple of nice articles on the Confederate flag. The first article is on why the Civil War was fought and the second is on the commodification of the flag.  I was reading some of the articles, posted by all the usual media outlets, about businesses and government institutions removing the flag. What amazes me is that it took nine dead people and decades for a loud enough call to remove the Confederate flag from public buildings and products bearing its image. So insane. I'm anxious to print both articles and read them carefully. It's one of those subjects that one must negotiate carefully. From a historic preservation perspective, it falls under the heading of something with a difficult history.  Granted it's a flag not a building or landscape but it represents a culture that was propped up by the enslavement of millions of men, women, and children. What is even more perplexing is given the Southern United States's positive contributions to Americab history and culture, why point to something that represents racism and bigotry as a symbol of heritage?  Perhaps once I delve into the subject, I might get a handle on it.  Maybe.  Maybe not. More likely not.