Letters: Shame on lawmakers for removing Confederate flag

As a Columbia native and alumnus of Annie Burnside Elementary, Lower Richland High School, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the USC Law School, I watched in disgust as our legislators voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from our State House grounds in a knee-jerk act of political correctness because a lunatic took a picture with the flag.

Bad people misappropriate the American flag and Christian cross too. Are they next? Our Confederate forefathers fought courageously under the battle flag for more than four years against overwhelming odds.

Equating the battle flag with slavery is ridiculous. Both North and South had legalized slavery. Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation specifically maintained slavery in the “loyal” Northern slave states.

The Confederate flag is no more a flag of slavery than the U.S. flag. Brave men on both sides fought and died for their respective states and countries. Union soldiers are appropriately honored with statues and flags throughout the North, and our gallant men in gray should be similarly honored here.

Shame on our governor and legislators who sold their birthright like a bowl of pottage to side with the likes of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson in attacking our proud Confederate banner. We can do better. When the next election comes, let’s replace them with South Carolinians who will not turn their backs on our Confederate heroes.

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Letters: Shame on lawmakers for removing Confederate flag."