Letters to the editor

It's about now, not then

Dear editor:

First, I extend my sincerest apologies to anyone who thinks that my purpose is to attack any Nevada family or their ancestors in a personal way. As an annual celebration I think Bushwhacker Days is a great thing for folks to do every summer. I approached this matter as one with a plea for someone to explain why attaching glory to things symbolic of the Civil War was considered so positive and hoped for an explanation as to why so many people in this area embellish their belongings or person with the Confederate Flag. I certainly do see a lot of positives about Bushwhacker Days. Folks love and hold high regard for their ancestors and are interested and proud of their American history -- that's a good thing. So ...

Why mess with the name if most folks don't even know what a bushwhacker is? Why should we care about what it might or might not mean to other races? How shall we pay back any race for years of abuse? Would monetary means suffice? Reparations? Affirmative action? Becoming overly concerned about politically correct speech?

As I mentioned before I'm not affiliated with the NAACP. We owe no many anything but respect, understanding and a responsibility to reconcile a war between races that our forefathers began. A "color-line" still exists today -- racism falls on both sides of it. In my opinion the NAACP is a far cry from the organization of the Martin Luther King Jr. era. He preached and urged people to love and extend their hands toward brotherhood.

My attitude isn't "know it all," as Mr. Brophy mistakenly accused. I believe misunderstanding comes in when we think we are arguing about the same issue. My desire is social and spiritual reconciliation not a battle over history. I am coming at this name change proposal from the opinion that names and all that they may represent are very important. I think that is something Mr. Brophy and I can agree on, after all just a few weeks ago he was offended about the name of (Izaac) Walton Pool. Names are also important to God. In the Bible God thought of names as representative of the condition of the heart. After Jacob, whose name meant "swindler," went through a "heart change" God changed his name to Israel because he had submitted to a different nature -- God's.

Mr. Brophy thinks this is an attempt to make folks give up their ideals, "embodied as they happen to be in a name and a flag," he says. The Civil War was and is a complicated topic some may say, more than just reducing it to slavery. It's complicated all right. More complicated than Union ravaging. Both sides were guilty of foul play but I'll always stand on the side of a united America and racial equality.

What ideals are embodied in the name and the flag and what ideals does Mr. Brophy possess? I've often wondered if the Confederate Flag was some heavy cloak to hid issues of the heart. But now I think, for some at least, it's not such a heavy clock -- but a thin, flimsy veneer. I'm not implying racism on Mr. Brophy's part but a balanced person will at least consider the connotations, embrace the America of this 21st Century, and be forward focused rather than past possessed.

In a speech given by Confederate vice president Alexander Stephens in 1864 he stated that the founding fathers' ideas against slavery were "fundamentally wrong" because they rested on the assumption that all races were created equal (he endorsed the idea of white superiority). He went on to say that the new government (the Southern Democratic controlled states which had seceded from the Union) was founded on the complete opposite. He said, "... Its (the Confederacy) foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests on the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man." He went on to say, "(its) the first government in the world based upon this physical, philosophical and moral truth."

So what's in a symbol? Truth is a lot more than one might think ... If the name Bushwhacker Days remains it won't cause the end of my world or any other.

Throwing away all our American history would be a tragedy but denying our past would make fools of us all.

Shannon Harwell

Nevada

Support the president

Dear editor:

Again the president is under fire for not taking steps to bring home American troops. Once again the president is supposed to fight for our freedom, but a few loud voices think that their freedom costs nothing.

Our government was established to protect and defend our citzens and ensure that we remain free. Our fathers, husbands and sons have fought and died to ensure that you can do almost anything you want to, except something that would hurt another person.

What does that freedom cost? I was in Vietnam in the 70s and was proud to serve.

Now my son is in Iraq and proud to wear the uniform of the U.S. Army.

I can think of nothing that makes me more proud than to serve and honor our flag. Maybe it would help more if instead of complaining we were to get down on our knees and thank God for how good we really have it.

The schools cannot pray nor can the Ten Commandments be seen anywhere near a government building.

Every man and woman should get behind our president and ask "What can I do to get America back where it belongs?"

Support our president, and give our support to every elected official we have. We elected them. Now act like we want to help.

Charles Scott,

Milo