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13 comments… add one
  • Eric Wittenberg Feb 17, 2009 @ 11:58

    My friend Mike Nugent has a saying that is particularly appropriate here.

    Arguing with these people is like trying to teach a pig to dance. You’re bound to fail, and all you do is annoy the pig.

    Eric

  • Kevin Levin Feb 16, 2009 @ 3:44

    Corey,

    Why do you insist on engaging the forum? What do you expect to get out of it?

  • Sherree Tannen Feb 16, 2009 @ 1:07

    Hi Kevin,

    My husband has a saying that would seem to apply here, and that you obviously understand and observe: “Never argue with people who know less than you do.” There is truly no point to it.

    Victoria, I am proud to know you. I noticed that none of my conversation with Kevin was referenced. That is telling, since according to the definition of region held by some, I am a “real” white Southerner who finds both the Lost Cause view of the Civil War, and parts of the emancipationist view of the Civil War to be false–issues that Kevin and I have discussed at length. Also, Abraham Lincoln is, and always was, my hero, yet I have three ancestors who were in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, two of whom were killed in battle. Myths thrive on lack of knowledge, and the need to have something that gives meaning to experience. I see men and women on both sides of this debate clinging to myth, and I find some of the most refreshing studies ones that are being done by scholars from outside of the US. I am interested in what you have to say, and as always, I am interested in Kevin’s point of view and I thank him for the outstanding work he continues to do. For the record, it should go without saying that the Civil War was fought over slavery, and that there was not one moment of grace or beauty spent in the life of a slave, outside of the grace and beauty that lived within the soul of each black man and women who was a slave, and who knew that some day he or she would be free. Why are we even talking about this in the year 2009?

  • Corey Meyer Feb 15, 2009 @ 18:50

    My point exactly…they have not had an orginal thought or thesis statement in the ten years I have been following them and their ilk. But it usually provides a giggle during the day.

    Corey

  • Greg Rowe Feb 15, 2009 @ 18:43

    Well, I did watch “Gettysburg” again the other day, but it just wasn’t the same…:/

  • Peter Feb 15, 2009 @ 16:57

    I find it a bit incongruous that there are commentators stating “We need to form groups to drive these people out of the South….like in the 60’s HELLO!” along with a banner at the bottom that proclaims “Southern Heritage, No Hate, No Apologies.” This line in particular, “because in the 60’s we were more aggressive with them and did’nt put up with their buly intimidation,” recalled for me Michael Schwerner and Andrew Goodman (as well as James Chaney). Hard to square that with “no hate.”

    • Kevin Levin Feb 15, 2009 @ 16:58

      I wouldn’t think too deeply about their logic. You may not come out in one piece.

  • Kevin Levin Feb 15, 2009 @ 16:29

    Marc, — Like I said in the earlier comment, it’s just a way of archiving some of this language w/o having it ruin what are usually fruitful discussions.

    Corey, — Nah…these sites are a dime a dozen and they repeat the same themes ad nauseam.

    Greg, — Are you sure you are not tempted by the dark side? 🙂

  • Greg Rowe Feb 15, 2009 @ 16:11

    Wouldn’t the term “rebel with a clue” (the name of one of the websites linked to from this forum) be an oxymoron? Some of these guys couldn’t get a clue if you hit ’em over the head with it! But, it wasn’t that long ago I might have visited a site like this, not as an outsider, but an insider. Thankfully, I am open to a small thing we like to call “historical evidence.”

  • Corey Meyer Feb 15, 2009 @ 15:51

    Believe it or not this site is just the tip of a really big iceberg.

    Corey

  • Marc Ferguson Feb 15, 2009 @ 13:46

    Wow! What can you say? I can see why you felt no need to even comment. This may demonstrate that sometimes the best way to fight ignorance and bigotry is to give it a form and let it expose itself.

    Marc

  • Daniel Sauerwein Feb 15, 2009 @ 11:01

    Kevin,

    Just read these postings and all I can think about is the advice my Government teacher gave me back in high school, “You can’t fix stupid. Once you realize that, your life becomes much simpler.”

    I find it amusing that instead of attempting to engage in rational debate, they want to threaten your job (I do not think they realize that you teach for a private school). I am not sure how you feel about this, but I have always taken the view that the Confederate cause, specifically the defense of slavery, was misguided, but that the men who fought for that cause should not be ignored. What I can never figure out is that these people seem to not research Lincoln and read his First Inaugural where he puts the ball in the South’s corner. I would suggest that we “invade” 😉 their forum and post, but I doubt we would get very far before being banned.

    • Kevin Levin Feb 15, 2009 @ 11:06

      I don’t really have much of an interest in “invading” their forum. Not too long ago I commented on my struggle to deal with inflammatory comments. By linking to it I am able to integrate this language on my own terms. It also makes for a good laugh.

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