There is this big old Confederate battle flag flying out by the interstate just north of Montgomery. Can’t miss it.Not supposed to miss it.
That’s the point.
According to Leonard Wilson, commander of the Alabama division of the SCV, “We put the flag up so people could see it. We are showing off our heritage. The flag is part of our heritage.”
And they have every right to.
The flag is on their property, purchased for this purpose. Flying it is a political statement covered, as we see it, by the First Amendment. Chances are pretty good that the American Civil Liberties Union, which the SCV counts among its arch-enemies, would defend their right to fly it.
Not everyone agrees, of course. Birmingham talk show host and civil rights activist Frank Matthews plans to lead a protest against it and is looking into state billboard regulations to see if the flag violates the law.
Which, of course, would be just fine with many on both sides. It would add more fuel to an already heated debate, result in more converts to both causes, and give talk show folks more to talk about.
And round and round it would go and nothing would be resolved.
Because, we suspect, resolution is not the object. The two extremes thrive on controversy and compromise is impossible.
So let the flag fly. A symbol of heritage for some. A symbol of hate for others. But for the rest of us, it is a symbol of how differing opinions, controversial and unpopular, can be expressed in a free society. Love it or hate it, the flag is a symbol of freedom for us all.
