I was born a Yankee. My upbringing and my education were infused with a simplistic story of the American Civil War — that The Confederacy was manifest evil, The Union was unquestionably righteous, and this nation’s bloodiest war was waged solely over slavery.
That tidy tale is established firmly in the American consciousness, not merely reinforced but enforced. Thoughtful analysis is discouraged, even punished.
Victors, after all, write the history and make the rules.
Though I have no affection for involuntary servitude or the institution of slavery, I know that history never is as simple as it’s portrayed. I’ve always sought to understand stories untold, those conveyed only in hushed whispers.
Two years ago, I moved to The South.
Here, the rest of the story is told out loud. No, these folks aren’t “still fighting the Civil War” — they’re fighting for their heritage, their identity, their culture. They do battle daily against a Holy Narrative which continues to cast them as backward, bigoted, evil.
It’s commonplace in Ozarkansas to see the Confederate battle flag flying from porches and poles. A number of the guys who’ve done work here on The Mountain drive pickup trucks and wear caps displaying the same symbol of defiance.
I talk with these people. More important, I listen to them and take note of their behavior. And I’m here to tell you that not a single one of them matches the stereotype.
In fact, I witnessed far more hatred and overt racism living in The Tolerant North than I see here in The South.
My sense of all this was confirmed again today, when I read a report about the imminent dismantling of the Reconciliation Memorial (aka the Confederate Memorial) at Arlington National Cemetery. A federal judge yesterday issued a temporary restraining order blocking its removal, which was to be completed by Friday, but I have my doubts that the injunction will stick.
At the base of the memorial is a passage from the Old Testament:
“And they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
The verse is echoed in the figure of a woman atop the memorial. Her crown is an olive wreath. In her right hand she holds a pruning hook, resting it on a plow. She looks south, the sun always on her face, watching over her fallen sons — every one an American — to whom she extends a laurel wreath.
From another inscription on the memorial:
“But in simple obedience to duty, as they understood it, these men suffered all, sacrificed all, dared all — and died.”
Now, to sanitize history and preserve a false narrative, this symbol of honor, reconciliation and peace is to be erased. That act, if it comes to pass, heaps shame on our nation.
If anyone’s “still fighting the Civil War,” clearly it’s the anti-American Left. They have no interest in honor, reconciliation or peace, because none of those expressions of common decency serves their agenda of perpetuating a permanent Victim Class.
History must be revised. Statues must fall. Flags must change. Speech must be suppressed. And the culture of The South must die.
We all remember the words of Lincoln at Gettysburg, among them “now we are engaged in a great civil war.” Today we can say the same — we’re in the midst of a pivotal struggle, pitting those who believe in America against those seeking to unmake it.
It’s just not a shooting war. Not yet.
What I characterized as rumor when writing about “Leave the World Behind” is, in fact, confirmed — another movie, “Civil War,” will hit theaters in April. This trailer was released online last week.
When I watched that, I picked up on a few things.
“19 states have seceded”
“The Western Forces of Texas and California”
“The Florida Alliance”
“Mr. President, do you regret that you used air strikes against American citizens?”
“Okay. What kind of American are you? You don’t know?”
And emblazoned on the dark screen, one word at a time,
ALL
EMPIRES
FALL
I can’t comment on a movie I haven’t watched — I know only what I’ve seen. I suspect, however, that “Civil War” will be littered with anti-American messages and symbolism.
Since last week, though, I’ve heard a lot of like-minded voices saying that this movie, like LTWB, falls into the realm of “predictive programming” — that is, producing content that conditions the masses to accept a thing (like a civil war) as somehow normal, even expected. For all I know, that may be true.
The Left, of course, labels such talk “conspiracy theories.” Well, that gets us halfway to the truth — it’s a theory. Whether or not it’s an engineered conspiracy is, for all intents and purposes, unprovable.
And that, my friends, also makes it irrelevant. Devoting any energy whatsoever to unpacking the “predictive programming” theory is pointless.
Our appetite for drama distracts us. Our unrequired pursuit of justice tramples common sense. Our penchant for concocting theories, hoping to extract sense from nonsense, makes us dumb as stumps.
Stop wasting your time. I mean that — focus, dammit. Quit the intrigue and pay attention to what’s right in front of you.
In the end, that’s all that matters.
If you managed to read this far today, your reward is news that Mercy is back Home. Deb’s cousin gave me a ride to Flippin late this morning, where I had a brief chat with the owner before paying the bill (which was quite reasonable, by the way) and driving away.
While our Jeep was in the shop, it got an oil change and its parking brake was repaired. But the “death wobble” Deb reported was the main attraction, and (along with giving steering and suspension a good going-over) that was addressed by installing a new dual steering stabilizer. It’s a sort of pushmi-pullyu affair designed to settle things down in both directions.
I swung by the post office in Yellville on my way back to The Mountain, and along the way I made every effort to wring a wriggle out of the Wrangler. Nothin’. Either the problem is solved, or Deb soon will tell us that it’s not.
All I know for sure is that I’ll have my truck back tomorrow.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB