You know Teresa I think I have made my thoughts well known on my personal position and I'd like to think I've done it in an articulate, thoughtful way but maybe I've missed the mark somewhere....so let me try this again.
People in general whether its you, me, jdarg, Andy A, Poppy (whoever) have an absolute right to be personally offended by something you find offensive. Being what I consider agnostic as it relates to religion, I'm offended by people who knock on my door (possibly interrupting and important phone call, bathroom break, meal prep etc.) to deliver a sermon, pamphlets relating to a religion or to solicit donations etc. so, I tell them I'm not interested and shut the door. Sometimes, I even slam the door because it annoys the hell-o out of me but I'm not asking the government to remove and entire religious community because I don't believe in the same religion they do. The same could be said of the Nativity Scene and the 10 Commandments. I'm personally offended by those adornments sitting on Government Land because it fly's in the face of the Constitution and because I don't personally share in the Christian faith. I think it's offensive to Jews, Non Christians and people of differing faiths (IE) Buddhists, Pagans, Amish, Jehovah etc. (the list goes on and on) but if I created a petition to have them removed from the Courthouse I'd be putting a target on my own back for my entire Community to write, threaten and say disrespectful, hurtful things and ask that I be shot at sundown. In my opinion, while it certainly isn't legal to do those things, I can justify in my own mind why people would say and do them because I'm trying to change an entire Communities way of life and honestly, that is the very CRUX of this issue. People in the South end of the County who started this petition are hell bent to change an entire County of people, what they believe in, what they have fought and died for and what they have struggled to preserve what they consider to be is their piece of the promised land simply because they are offended and have a different view of what a piece of cloth means. Again, you have the right to your views, you have the right to be offended but you DO NOT have the right to change the history behind why that flag flies in Walton County or how the Community as a whole views that monument.
I personally have not signed either of the petitions floating around the County or on the internet because I'm not about changing who people are or what they can or can't believe in. It's arrogant, it's disrespectful, it's racist and ignorant because WE personally choose whether or not to be offended. Yes, it's a choice, if you want to be offended by something you can certainly find something to be offended by.
You're asking people to see why removing it could be a positive step while refusing to see that they don't view it in the same context you do. That's ridiculous. You are not going to change people. If you care about every member of your community then RESPECT the fact that it represents something entirely different to them which has nothing to do with race and hatred in their minds.
And for whatever its worth, we have a wonderful population of blacks in North Walton who have all the latest gadgets, bells and whistles when it come to social media/internet some of whom I consider friends, some I know of in passing and I have not seen one single comment on the sites that I visit or those who I have personally spoken to (which admittedly is not the entire population in North Walton) saying that flag should be removed.
I may need to expand my viewing pleasures to accommodate a larger audience.
