Taking It to the Heart of the Beast

I love this art exhibit by John Sims now on display in Tallahassee. He sees the Confederate flag as "visual terrorism" and displays it as such. People in Florida are infuriated.

I'm not going to judge this as art. I don't have that ability. But I can judge its political statement. And I like it. The Confederate flag is a symbol of terror, slavery, and treason. Showing it as such needs to happen all over the nation. The display of the Confederate flag should be considered a treasonous act and punished as such.

Of course the Sons of the Confederate Veterans are pissed. They see the flag as part of their heritage. That is, they are proud that their ancestors owned people based on the color of their skin, killed and raped them at will, and stole their labor for hundreds of years. The commander of the local there, Robert Hurst, calls the display, "offensive, objectionable and tasteless." I would use those same terms to describe any display of the Confederate flag as a symbol of pride. And I would be right.

What I find infuriating is the Florida statute making it illegal to "deface, defile or contemptuously abuse" the Confederate flag. Am I the only person who wants to go to Mississippi, South Carolina, or Florida and start burning Confederate flags on the courthouse steps? That flag should be burned and defiled in all ways.

More at No More Mister Nice Blog. Including the language of the Florida law.