Editor:
Marcy’s right about the inadvisability of changing old place names to suit new sensibilities. But what started her off was the current anti-Confederacy fad. (“Names,” July 30.) I tend to see it as hate speech versus free speech. I favor free speech, but then I’m not the target of the hate speech. On the other hand, if I knew that a sizable minority of my fellow humans hated me just because of the way I look, I’d appreciate it if they’d wear a badge, or a funny hat, or some other sign that I should stay alert around them. Hey, I’ve got it! How about a flag?
Jamie Flower, Arcata
This article appears in The $50 Million Henhouse.
I’m sad to see the comments about the flag that so many men and women celebrate as part of their heritage. Southern folks do not see the confederate flag as a reminder of hatred for others but as a memory of a generation where honor and refusal to submit to the governments tyrannical rule was hard fought by all who believed in the right of free speech the right to have liberty and to prosper.