When we first decided to move to Arkansas, I knew that we were moving somewhere unlike anywhere we had lived before. Somewhere more conservative, somewhere in the Bible belt, somewhere with a very dark racist past. But I didn't know just how backwards people here could be. The local/state paper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, ran a story on Friday about a motel owner in the town of Huntsville who is flying a Confederate battle flag in protest of Barack Obama's election victory. He says it is because Obama is a Marxist, and has abandoned the (so-called) Christian values of the founders, not because Obama is black. But the (so-called) Christian founders (TJ for one was not Christian - he was a Deist) enshrined slavery in the Constitution, so their values do include racism. And how in the world can anyone believe that Obama is Marxist? He isn't even that liberal, as far as liberals go. (Well, I'll tell you how - they just don't pay attention to reality.)
As if that were not enough, the paper has had numerous letters-to-the-editor from people who are angry that anyone would criticise the motel owner. Apparently, anyone who does so is anti-Christian, anti-American, anti-Bible, and so on and so forth. Huh? I think Jesus would be highly offended by the use of a racist and hurtful symbol against anyone. I think that people who say otherwise are blinded by their own arrogance and ego. Not to mention just plain stupid.
3 comments:
Time to relocate!
Mom! That is not helpful!
That's just what my mom would say, too! (Then she would suggest that the community college back home might be hiring, hint, hint . . . not that I can blame her!)
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