Civil War Continues

Although the Civil War has been over for many years numerous people in the south are still proud of the confederates and what they fought for. In at least one town the war is apparently still going on. The first civil war related death in over one hundred and thirty years has just occurred. a lot of people in the south don’t like change and remain faithful to the confederates. The rednecks and the African Americans don’t get along; both sides fight, argue, and die often times because the confederate flags are placed throughout the city, they are placed in businesses, cars, and even as a part of a school’s mascot. Now some one has paid the price.
Michael Westerman did not agree with the beliefs of the KKK, or with those loyal to the confederate yet he was the one that took the blow. He did like joking and playing around which annoyed some people. How ever he was not a member or a part of an organized group. When someone is angry they sometimes take it out on the next person the see that reminds them of what they are angry at. In this case it was Michael. He was shot through the heart and killed while driving with his wife. They were going out for the first night in weeks just after their twins had been born. He stopped for gas at a little gas station and when they left a few cars followed him down the road. A few miles down and across the border into Tennessee one of the kids claimed he had a gun, he did. The gun shot numerous times and hit Michael but somehow left his wife untouched. They then tried to box them in with the cars but Michael’s wife was able to grab the wheel and make a run for it. The war was unofficially revived. This event caused both sides to take more violent and drastic actions.
More people join both side because they both advertise and recruit in public places, it’s not some secret underground organization. They have a KKK recruitment van on the street. People hand out fliers that preach their ideas and beliefs. Both sides yell insults; taunt each other, and wave flag symbols or emblems. When a person is called names, put down, and antagonized because of race they eventually get sick of sitting there and taking it. They began to fight back and make groups of there. This is exactly what happened in some of these southern states, states like the one on the border where Michael Westerman and his murderers live.
It seems the Civil War is still going on. People are still racist and too proud of their past. African Americans either sit in silence or lash out in violence rather then taking it to court. Those that support the confederate and its flag refuse to see others perspectives. Southern rednecks like the confederate flag but they abuse the use of it. Instead of the flag representing, in a non-confrontational manner, memories or pride of the past, many rednecks wave it around at other races while yelling insults. Although Michael’s wife denied it according to Freddy, the murderer, one of the main reasons Michael was shot was because Freddy and the other kids he was with said they saw a hand reach out shake the flag and yell “nigger”. Although they were initially provoked to fight Michael upon seeing a confederate flag on his car they considered backing down. However upon seeing this they were once again incited to violence.
Those apposing the confederate flag say it represents racism and should be removed from buildings, schools, and other government buildings. The confederate followers say it’s just a flag. The southern rednecks complain it’s like taking away their rights. They say they now have less rights than the minorities. In courts they have been deciding whether the confederate flag can hang on a state capitol building. Even with the rednecks protest, the flag was taken down from the state capitol building. The flag should be taken down if people use the flag in a manner that promotes racism. However if it used only as a remembrance and a source of pride it possibly could have saved a life and stayed in the public eye.
Nevertheless the war is still going because one thing happens to one side and the other wants to hit back harder. It escalates until something real terrible happens. This is why the “war” in the south has been going on for so many years.