i honestly don't know which is more remarkable: the fact that the emblems of a failed nation-state in open rebellion against the US government are finally considered passe enough that politicians are distancing themselves from them, or the fact that people are coming to terms with the idea that celebrating such emblems is a celebration of slavery and racism. i mean, mississippi of all places is reconsidering its support for the flag, as well as the various monuments to racism disguised as war memorials erected on official state property! and to think, it only took the mass murder of nine black people under the auspices of a racist agenda which used the battle flag of the Confederacy as one of its most revered symbols to bring this about, public protestations of the flag's symbolism for the last 50+ years notwithstanding.
i hope the sudden change of heart so many republican politicians have had is genuine, and not just pandering to the news cycle to score political points with the moderates they'll need to have any chance at victory next November. still, short of an outright ban on displaying the flag and its various forms, this has got to be the closest we've ever been to officially putting the "war between the states" to rest once and for all....
"That's the trouble with political jokes in this country... they get elected!" -- Dave Lippman