Confederacy History Month

So, this is one topic about which I cannot even pretend to be objective. As and African-American woman with no living relatives who lived through slavery or its immediate aftermath, I cannot understand why anyone would want a Confederate History Month.

Well, that's not entirely true. I can understand how they get caught up in the romance of it all. Brothers battling on opposite sides of the same battelfield. People standing up for what they believed in. It's all very typical war story stuff. But when put into context of why the Civil War happened and how different this world would be for me had it ended differently, I can't even fathom taking it beyond a romantic memory.

Yet, some governors of states in this country have declared April Confederate History Month. These are the same governors who are supporting the filing of suits to bat down healthcare reform. These are the same governors who are against immigration. These are the same governors who shunned the stimulus money then took credit for the money when the ceremonies were had to celebrate its arrival. These are the people who are showing themselves to be not patriots, but enemies of the good of this country.

They keep saying things like "remember who we are" and "take our country back". They speak in terms like we and our and us. Yet somehow, I don't think they mean me. Me, both my parents, all four of my grandparents, all 8 of my great-grandparents, and at least 10 of my great-grandparents were all born and raised in this country. Most of the deceased died here too. The point is, we're super Americans. But because of the color of my skin, someone I'm not one of "us." And no one can tell my why that is.

Is it because I think taxes are a good idea? What can I say, I like roads and tunnels and bridges. I like public school (I've been in public schools my entire like besides pre-school). I like police men and firefighters. I like Medicaid and Medicare. I like government workers (when they don't have me on hold). I like that they send our veterans to college when they return from service. I like the things our government does with its money. I don't want to take any of that away. But hey, that's just crazy thinking I've got going, right?

I'm also against rewriting history. Slavery happened, there's no avoiding that. Reagan's de-regulation is the main cause of the muck we're in now. Catholic priests have abused thousands of minors over the decades, but that's not a problem of homosexuality, that's a problem of pedophilia. America used to have a problem of leaving a country without cleaning up the mess we made (time will shortly tell if we still have that problem). I thought being American meant having my opinions and being expected to respect others' rights to have a different opinion.

That America I think I live in means it's okay for there to be a Confederacy History Month. But I thinks it's highly irresponsible to try and rewrite history all while exposing your ulterior motive. Virginia's governor is just trying to piss off the black president of this country by exploiting either the romantic or racist (they can be mutually exclusive) notions of his constituents. I wonder if he truly realizes what he's done.