Civil War historian Lee Bright (R-SC) is not happy about his most favorite symbol being challenged by some uppity black folks.
Hot on the heels of comparing the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag to a "Stalinist Purge,"South Carolina Republican and Ted Cruz For President Co-Chair Lee Bright has released his own Confederate Manifesto on just why the most prominent symbol of racism in America must not only be preserved, but celebrated. "My Statement on the Confederate Battle Flag" helpfully clarifies that the flag actually symbolizes, not racism but "resistance against a federal, centralized power that far overreached its constitutional limits," and "proudly symbolizes states’ rights and constitutional liberties," chief among them the right to own slaves in perpetuity, and lynch them with impunity if they get out of line.
Here are the questions we should be asking: What occurred in this young man’s brief life to manifest such hatred? What psychiatric drugs was this person taking at the time? What was his home life like? What behavioral cues should we have picked up on but went unnoticed? THESE are the answers that can prevent future acts of violence.
Oh, thank you, Senator Not-Very-Bright, for instructing us on which questions are acceptable to ask. To answer your first one, what manifested such hatred in this young man's life were conservative/white supremacist websites and ideology, the same ideology that gets idiots like you elected year after year in the South. And because your ideology and political power ensures that absolutely NOTHING can stop such a violent, hate-filled individual from purchasing as many deadly weapons as he can afford, he was freely able to act out that hatred. But of course "the party of personal responsibility" is never responsible for anything. It must have been hard for you not to blame the victims in your manifesto.
By focusing our outrage and attention on a simple flag, we’re missing out on the true lessons to be gleaned from this tragic event. That is a shame, and in no way does this honor the memories of those who were murdered. I urge every South Carolina citizen to take actions that can produce actual results, rather than allow our emotions to run away from us and fixate on scrubbing historical symbols that memorialize states’ rights.
As far as honoring the memories of those murdered, I think I'll wait to hear what their families and friends have to say about that, not you. You do not get to define what their deaths mean to America. Personally, I think their deaths will not have been in vain if the most prominent symbol of the kind of vicious white supremacism that inspires your fellow conservatives like Dylann Roof is taken down. "State's Rights" my ass.
This is a tough time for people like Lee Bright and his buddy Ted Cruz. For probably the first time in their lives, their completely undeserved white privilege is being tested, and they do not like it one bit. Keep digging in, Senator. It can only hurt yourself and the Cruz campaign.