I was trying not to ruffle too many feathers when I said "sorta.":p

As a Southern Belle I would like to stand up and say, "Yes the war is over. We lost, and thank the Goddess for that!"

However, derelict fighters and Union officers that hadn't seen enough blood traveled westward to annihilate my father's people. Ain't that some shit?

This is just a convenient excuse for piece of shit fuckholes to beat up other people.
Flags themselves can mean a number of different things to different people. Somebody mentioned the swastika as a symbol of hate but before the nazi's it was recognized as a powerful symbol of good. Something to do with the sun and druids or some shit like that. The Confederate flag may mean slavery to some but to others its part of a local identity just like us Brits have separate English, Welsh, Scottish and N. Irish flags.

It's a pity to see that there's still so much racial tension in the US, to this day, not only surrounding this, but it would seem, a lot of other issues. I mean, I'm not saying my country is prefect in terms of racial harmony, but it sure seems like there's a lot less of this kind of shit by comparison, and trust me, we've got people from all corners of the globe living here too. Maybe it's just the sheer amount of people over there...I dunno...or maybe I just don't notice it as much, being a completely non-racist person, I guess I may sometimes tune out the kind of things I don't wish to personally involve myself in.

I'm not really aware about much US history, but my own country has had a rather violent history post white arrival, that's to say the least. However, certain people to this day, over 200 years later, feel they are owed some kind of special treatment and apologies from my people, sadly don't seem to realise that in doing this, they are only perpetuating what should be a long-dead issue, narrowing down their own oppertunities in this country, and actually adopting far more (reverse) racist attitudes than the majority of those they cry persocution against.
Not to say that these people are solely to blame, it's just unfortunate that not everybody ACTUALLY wants to get along.
I acknowledge that I speak of a different case entirely, but this is as close as I have to an individual perspective on the matter.
Basically, in any case like this...Bad shit has happened, as humans, we've commited many violent and horrible acts against eachother throughout history...we all acknowledge this. However, I think that anybody that feels the need to make their life about constantly referring to the past, their ancestry, or the wrong commited by the ancestors of others, and can actually bring themselves to use these things as ammunition to fuel hate crimes, is a fucking sad case, and needs to get with the present...Living in the past will only ever fuck with the future.

As for the teen that was murdered on account of his particular style/design of clothing...what a fucking joke. A totally backwards step there, and very sad to hear about. By the sound of it, in this day and age it's not a symbol I'd particularly display with pride, and may consider it a little tasteless, being aware of certain elements it used to represent...but I'm sure that if the person were still alive today, and questioned about it all, you'd find it was a matter of ignorance more than malice. I personally think that the killing of this person was the act of a far more racist person/people, those that obviously lie in wait for an excuse as small as this to commit violent acts are truly undeserving of the free world.

That's cuz us Americans like making a big deal out of everything.

If those black guys who beat the shit outta the kid were arrested, I don't see the problem. People hate other people, for whatever reason. If they wanna hate somebody enough to whomp him one, no matter what it's based on, that's assault and they should be arrested. If they were, problem resolved.

I know in the greater scheme of things, it aint that simple... but it should be.

Well I was born in West Virginia, and raised in Ohio. I must say there isn't any racist people in my area. (WV yeah almost everyone) I'm glad my parents didn't rasie me there. I have a bunch of black friends, I will hang out with them when they hang out with others I don't know they accept me for who I am I accept them for who they are. Here color don't mean shit to anyone, and I personally think racist people should all eat shit and die !

I agree with you 100% on this one Brother :mad:

This is an unfortunate story, but this is America too...not at all unusual in my area. The kid was a fan of southern rock, he probably had no clue what the confederate flag stood for, or why Lyndard Skynard uses it on their shirts, stickers, ect., as even when I was in school I noticed they don't teach much REAL American history in American history class. Nowadays the flag is more or less a redneck fashion statement.
The confederate flag isn't seen much in St. Louis, but we have more than enough race crimes, and hostility without it. I was even told by my victims defender when I was robbed at gunpoint I would have had a much easier time getting justice/protection if I had been black, and he had been white...but it was the other way around and it's unfortunate that race made such a difference in the way I was treated as a victim. It's also unfortunate that in certain areas here in St. Louis, and I'm sure in other places in this country, are still more or less segregated. Here mainly white people are on the southwest and west side, black people on the north and east side, and here where I am in the southeast side we have poor white people and Mexicans...sure it's a little more mixed up than that, but that's the main crunch of it. And no one really goes in other areas than where they live out of fear of what might happen to them when they wonder in the wrong neighborhood...I admit I think this way also, the one time I did go into one of these neighborhoods, I was greeted with a gun in my face.
All of this shit combined honestly makes me ashamed to be an American, and makes me wanna get the fuck outa here more and more each day. Shouldn't all this shit be behind us by now?

Maybe if the people who were affected were long dead, but the thing is they aren't long dead. There is a lot of people still alive who effected by the goverments policy, and they don't want a apology off you, they want it off the goverment. And i think they should get one, It was a policy that makes anything the u.s goverment did to the blacks there as harmless. They wanted to wipe those people off the face of the earth. Which they did in tasmania a whole race gone. I know people in their 50's who tell me of the time, of how they weren't allowed in town after dark were paid lower wages, or weren't even allowed to buy thier own home. One man told me how he had a permit to live in town, but had to go beg for permission so he could go see his family who lived on the out skirts of town.
Australias policies back in the late sixties early seventies would put any law in south africa to shame. there are worse stories, kids being taken from parents for no reason etc. and i mean thousands of kids. so if you think Australia isn't a racist country or anything bad thing were only done to people who are long dead, then you're a bigger idiot than i first thought.

Are you joking? Frankly, considering that us white folk (eg- our govt.) COULD just be COMPLETE assholes, not give them ANY land as they have been given (I'm not saying that couldn't have been more)...not to mention the buttload more financial benefits and educational schemes, work placement...etc they're offered as an ongoing "apology", for which they do little more than be of a certain race to receive...I think the govt has done all it's about to. Does that make up for atrocities commited by our ancestors to theirs, no, not by a long shot...however, you clearly misunderstood the situation I was referring to in my post...to make it clear, I was referring to not only indigenous australians, but tension between all races living here, appearing to be smaller by comparison, which I believe they are.
However, since we're on the topic, the parts of my statement pertaining to the people of which you speak - I was talking about the assholes that with as many things made available to them to give them a good start (better than white peeps of exactly the same financial profile), yet sit around with hateful attitudes which they endorse in their own children (hence the attitudes still existing today), jobless and loving it, while taxes pay them to do so. Gimme Gimme Gimme.
It's a fucking disgrace, and unfortunately, these people will go nowhere in life, and DO in fact perpetuate their side of the continuing tension between the remaining indigenous australians, and anglos in this country...and so on, and so on.
There ARE many indigenous Australians that HAVE made something of themselves, risen above all the bullshit, and are actually happy, successful people - and guess what? If you bring up the topic of Australian history in conversation with these guys/gals...do you think they come up with the same "well, all whites are cunts, end of story" bullshit that the aforementioned bludgers do? No. They're mature, non-racist people who have realised that crying about the past will only keep them there, and have adapted to the culture which has (albeit forceably) thrust itself upoon them. How do I know this? Two personal friends of mine, students, like me. Not to mention their family. Nothing more offered to them than others, starting from the same situation as all their people. The difference? They took advantage of what WAS offered to them, and theyre in the process of actually doing something with their lives. I respect this tremendously.
Holding onto hate has never given benefit to any of their people.

Yes, in the past...just as they were forced to ride down the back of public buses, and refused entry into certain establishments.
Does this happen any more? Certainly not any place near me...but then, you DO live in Tasmania, things may be a little different there.

I said the issues were long dead. which they largely are.
I never said there wasn't racial tension here, or racism for that matter...my first statement, the one you've actually quoted me on, clearly indicated that I though otherwise. However, I was speaking in comparison to the USA, where from what I've heard, racial issues are FAR more tense, and prevalent. As I also said, this could have been from the sheer capacity of people within the USA...so next time, read my fucking post correctly, and try to get it through your thick head before mouthing off in an attempt to bait me into an argument yet again, as always, as big an idiot as I KNOW you are, you fucking nitwit jerk.

Yes speaking of bludgers. I do recall you saying you was on the dole. And in this country Dole + stuedent = bludging cunt. And most of those people are children of people who were taken away from their parents given no education but basic reading and writing skills. And if they were lucky to get a job. it was at half the wages of what whites got, They saw their parents/grandparents work themselves to death for fuck all. Even if they managed to save enough to buy land they weren't allowed to. Shit these poor fucks weren't even allowed to vote until the late sixties.
They weren't even considered citizens. so if not being allowed to ride at the front of the bus was their only gripe, i'll probably agree with you. So if they are pissed at whites i don't blame them. especially stupid white fucks who receive the dole and a free education, who then have the hide to complain cause others aren't out working paying taxes. Moron, if you think this isn't a racist country you need to crawl out of your mothers basement more often, and have a look around. then maybe for once you might know what you're on about. stupid bludging racist gimp. O wait you're not racist some of your "friends" are black.