Remember what they were

You are visiting Germany, passing by state buildings, courthouses, and post offices. And you can imagine you see Nazi flags prominently displayed on the buildings and flagpoles. And statues of Adolf Hitler, Adolf Eichmann, and Hermann Goring, which were erected to glorify their contributions to the eradication of Jews, gays and lesbians, Gypsies, the mentally challenged and other groups deemed “undesirable.”

And you recall that this war was fought to preserve three priceless possessions: freedom, liberty and justice for all.

How can the display of the Confederate flag and the glorification of those who led the Civil War in order to preserve white supremacy over minorities be considered cherished symbols of the United States?

Our nation stands as a beacon of freedom for the rights and privileges of men, women and children the world over. It is time to remember what the true meaning is for these Confederate artifacts. They should NOT be glorified but remembered for the causes they were serving: the perpetuation of slavery and intolerance and injustice toward those who were held to be inferior to the Southern establishment.

Let the Confederate flag and Confederate leaders be remembered in the history books for the role they played in the oppression of the human spirit.

Al Simon Glendale