Letter to the editor

Dear editor,
Images are powerful; they shade our perceptions, code our implicit bias and help us interpret the environment. The Confederate Flag (stars and bars), and monuments are powerful images; however, these images evoke different messages for different people. To some these images can evoke different messages for different people. To some, these images can provoke good and positive imagery, saying, “It’s our heritage”. To others these images provoke hatred, violence and chaos, like massacres at churches, church burnings, murders and violent acts against blacks and whites, usually wearing their confederate flag memorabilia, simply making this a symbol of hate.
Let’s be clear, I in no way believe every Dodge County citizen or American who displays the Confederate flag endorses slavery as an economic and social order, treason as a solution, bigotry as a value ad is a racist.
Over decades the Confederate flag has been used as a crutch for traitors, Nazis, the Klan, bigots and racists, as those who claim it as their southern heritage, sitting quietly by saying nothing as horrors are infringed upon people, black and white.
Now is the time for glorification of the Confederate flag, flying it on public property and the “rebel” culture to surrender. This is the United States, the civil war was fought and the rebels, confederate flag flyers, lost, thus returning to the union, the United States of America; let’s atop this division over a symbol, ban together replace the stars and bars with stars and stripes.
To our commissioners, it’s time to rise to the occasion, unite us and stop inflating tensions and promoting racism. I ask you to read your history and remember this flag, (confederate flag) was brought back into circulation in the 60’s to serve as a protest of school integration, a symbol of hate. We all have a history, a past and a heritage, but when it causes discord it needs to be removed.
John Battle, Sr.