Attitude towards the Civil War

[struggle4progress]

Poll question: Attitude towards the Civil War

[Rowdyboy]

1. Double or nothing!

As long as I can emigrate to Kahleforneea when the shooting starts.

[AuntiBush]

2. I'm with you!

I want Senator Boxer as my fearless leader, too!

[Rowdyboy]

10. As long as I can lve in "southern" California

I'll be fine! Boxer would be a damn fine senator too!

[barb162]

3. some people in the South are still fighting it

On Countdown last night Keith had a spot on MLK and the way a certain county or state office in Mississippi was answering the phone. The message was "In honor of Robert E. Lee's and MLK's birthdays...."

[Sanity Claws]

5. Amazing

Thanks for the item. I hadn't heard this before.

[barb162]

6. It was a recorded message and he played it for us

[underpants]

9. They are fighting a different fight

don't let them confuse you on the matter.

[Rowdyboy]

12. Pretty much all state and county offices in Mississippi were shut down

yesterday for the MLK holiday. State law also acknowledges Robert E Lee's birthday on this date. Nobody's fighting anything anymore, it just celebrates two very significant Americans whose birthdays coincide.

MLK only became a holiday here in the 1990's, while Robert E Lee's birthday has been a holiday for decades. In 25 years working in Mississippi none of my black co-workers ever objected to taking a day off for Robert E Lee. Why should they? Its a day off, thats all that matters.

And that is really all that matters. To most people its just a day they don't have to bust their ass for the man who signs their time-cards. Celebrate who/whatever you want but celebrate a day of freedom!

[RagingInMiami]

19. Some people in the north are still fighting it

By writing off the whole south as nothing but a bunch of ignoramuses

[BikeWriter]

4. I prefer to call it the War for Southern Independence.

The Southern States were exercising their right to secede.

[barb162]

7. I think that is fine or "the War between the States"

[BikeWriter]

13. I'm okay with that one, too, but...

Anyone pretending it was all the fault of the Southerners is dead wrong, in my opinion.

[barb162]

14. Nothing in the Constitution prohibited secession

but was the war about that or slavery. I think the Southerners at that time considered the war to be about the right to secede and the Northerners thought it was about slavery. I know I am horribly generalizing a complicated event in 2 sentences

[BikeWriter]

21. The average citizen in the North may have thought so, but not the...

politicians. Slavery was not the main issue.

[Carson]

17. How about "The War of Northern Agression"? nt

[NoPasaran]

18. Are you talking about "The Slaveholders' Rebellion"? n/t

[underpants]

8. They took up arms to end taxation without representation AND..

intrusion of the government. South Carolina was paying 70% of the Federal Government budget at the amount. It wasn't about slavery, that was not an economic issue. How's that for a summary that there are recreations, magazines,and books have been written about?

Wrap yourself in white if it makes you fell better.........hold it wait that's not a good example.........

[LeftyMom]

11. Secret Hidden Option: I don't really care

My family was on another continent and my thrice great grandparents proably never even heard about it in thier rural farming villages. Of course it sucks that it took people so fucking long to figure out that high melanin content didn't make one an inferior being (and it's sadder stil that some people still don't get it) but I really have no more emotional connection to that than I do to the crusades.

It's interesting from a historical perspective, I just don't have the emotional attatchment to the conflict that some people do.

[barb162]

15. My family wasn't here until about 1900 but we still all live with

the aftereffects of that war.

[LeftyMom]

16. I realize that

I just don't have the emotional attatchment to one side or the other that some people do.

Also, I live in California, so really the civil war isn't as important here as it would be someplace where it was actually fought. I don't expect east coast people to get whipped into a frenzy about the 1849 gold rush or the effects of dust bowl migrants on the California economy, both of which are probably more locally relavant than a war fought three thousand miles away. :shrug:

[onebigbadwulf]

20. Where's the "Too bad the south didnt become its own country" option?

We know there'd be no Bush's in power.

[WindRavenX]

22. It's over and done with.

Keeee-rist, I just do NOT get the obsession with the civil war...

[imenja]

23. How about: We changed our minds. Go ahead and make your own country

then we can hold another presidential election, only the outcome might be sane.

[tjwmason]

24. The Cavalliers had really cool outfits

The Roundheads were boring sods.