EDITORrnThomas FlemingrnMANAGING EDITORrnTheodore PappasrnSENIOR EDITOR, BOOKSrnChilton Williamson, Jr.rnASSISTANT EDITORrnMichael WashburnrnART DIRECTORrnAnna Mycek-WodeckirnCONTRIBUTING EDITORSrnHarold O./. Brown, Katherine Dalton,rnSamuel Francis, George Garrett,rnChristine Haynes, E. Christian Kopff,rn].0. Tate, Clyde WilsonrnCORRESPONDING EDITORSrnBill Kauffman, William Mills,rnJacob Neusner, John Shelton Reed,rnMomcilo SelicrnEDITORIAL SECRETARYrnLeann DobbsrnPUBLISHERrnAllan C. CarlsonrnPIIBLICATION DIRECTORrnGuy C. ReffettrnPRODUCTION SECRETARYrnAnita CandyrnCIRCULATION MANAGERrnRochelle FrankrnA publication of The Rockford Institute.rnEditorial and Advertising Offices;rn934 North Main Street, Rockford, IE 61103.rnEditorial Phone: (815)964-5054.rnAdvertising Phone: (815) 964-58B.rnSubscription Department: P.O. Box 800,rnMount Morns, IL 61054. Call 1-800-877-5459.rnU.S.A. Newsstand Distribution by Eastern NewsrnDrstributors, Inc., One Media Wav, 12406 Rt. 250rnMilan, Ohio 44848-9705rnCopyright © 1996 by The Rockford Institute.rnAll rights reserved.rnChromcks (ISSN 0887-5731) is publishedrnmonthly for $39.00 (foreign subscriptions add $12rnfor surface delivery, $48 for Air Mail) per year byrnThe Rockford Instihite, 934 North Main Street’,rnRockford, IL 61103-7061. Preferred periodicalrnpostage paid at Rockford, IL and additional mailingrnoffices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes tornChromcks, P.O. Box 800, Mount Morris, IL 61054.rnThe views expressed in Chroniclsfi are thernauthors’ alone and do not necessarily reflectrnthe views of The Rockford Institute or of itsrndirectors. Unsolicited manuscnpts cannot bernreturned unless accompanied by a self-addressedrnstamped envelope.rnChroniclesrnVol.20, No. 10 October 1996rnPrinted in the United Shites of AmiriuarnPOLEMICS & EXCHANGESrnOn the Confederate FlagrnI would like to respond to Clyde Wilson’srnexcellent editorial (Cultural Revolutions,rnMay 1996) on the Confederaternflag. Mr. Wilson is correct in what hernsays, as far as it goes, but there is, orrnshould be, more here than meets the eye.rnFirst, why do we really care what mayrnor not be “offensive” to blacks? In ourrntime, blacks are “offended” on racialrngrounds by virtually everything, from thernAIDS virus to flat tires. Were we tornchange or modify every aspect of Americanrnlife that is “offensive” to blacks, therernwould be nothing recognizable of thernUnited States. And I find the “offensiveness”rnof the Confederate flag laughablernas an excuse for black violence. Shouldrnwe suppose that the scandalous numberrnof white victims of black violent crimernwere all flying Confederate flags, whichrnthen provoked their assailants into uncontrollablernrage? In any case, underrnwhat prescription of democracy or republicanrngovernment is it mandated thatrnII percent of the population alwaysrnexercises a veto over whatever the otherrn89 percent wishes to do, or in this case,rncommemorate? Time to call a halt tornthis not-so-subtle form of terrorism andrnset a few people straight.rnFortunately we do have a choice ofrnsymbols, but that is not really the crux ofrnthe Confederate flag debate. In myrnopinion, as a Southerner, few if any folkrnfly that flag out of “pride of ancestry,”rn”love of country,” or any other highfalutinrnmotive. When that flag is flown, itrnis in protest of and resistance to the excessesrnof blacks and the privileges theyrnreceive in our country today. It is the exactrnequivalent to the Malcolm X Tshirts,rnthe black-green-red “African” flag,rnand all the other black power symbolismrnwhich blacks are able to flaunt in publicrnwith impunity.rnA final point. It is interesting thatrnwhile blacks claim to have been enslavedrnfor some 300 years, the Confederacy lastedrnfor only four. This means that for 296rnof those years, blacks were enslaved underrnother flags, i.e., the various versionsrnof the Stars and Stripes, the British flag,rnand the French and Spanish flags, yet Irnam not aware of any blacks being “offended”rnat the sight of those flags. Indeed,rnblacks remained in slavery in Brazilrnand Cuba for some time after they werernemancipated in the United States, and Irnhave never heard of black protests againstrnthe flags of those countries. And ofrncourse blacks are even now in slavery inrnMauritania and Sudan, vet where is thernoutrage and protest?rnNo, black “outrage” is all too selectivernand has nothing to do with “symbols ofrnslavery.” Blacks know well that theyrnwould get absolutely nowhere shouldrnthey protest against those flags, and sornthey target the Confederate flag becausernwe allow them to do so. It is time that wernstood up to this bullying and, regardlessrnof the symbol, made it perfectly clearrnthat we will fly any flag we choose, just asrnblacks do.rn—Donald M. MillerrnAmerican Embassy, MexicornLaredo, TXrnOn Europe and AmericarnI would like to congratulate FrangoisrnFuret (“The Long Apprenticeship,” Julyrn1996) on his Richard M. Weaver Awardrnand do him the courtesy of taking hisrnacceptance speech seriously.rnI start by confessing that here in Englandrnthe sense of inexorable democratic/rnconstitutional progress which Furetrnclaims for France and Europe seemsrntremendously problematic. Englandrnused to be a deeply constitutional countryrn—as was her American offspring.rnWhen people—over here—stopped sayingrn”England,” we had Britain, whichrnwas more democratic but had a pretentiousrnimperial constitution which neverrnstabilized. Now we have the Britain-in-rnEurope, where the constitution (as itrnmight be inferred) is a mixture of pretentiousrnsounds and disquieting silences.rnA Frenchman celebrating the swellingrnconstitutionalism of France’s Fifth Republicrnleaves an Englishman staring atrnthe line of scrapped constitutions behindrnit. In any case, the restored and legalizedrnascendancy of the Executive over thernLegislative—De Gaulle’s gift to hisrncountry—seems to us very French butrnnot very parliamentary. Nevertheless,rnwhatever the prospects of a Sixth Republic,rnthe European Community is in a far,rnfar worse state. It is a strictly bureaucraticrnmechanism for distributing subsidies.rnIf the deliberations of its “Parliament”rn4/CHRONICLESrnrnrn