Joel Mathis

There's been a lot of talk about the apparent racism and historical ignorance of Virgina Gov. Bob McDonnell's proclamation of "Confederate History Month." But racism aside, I think Ta-Nehisi Coates makes a good point that we don't think about very often. Speaking of Republicans who approve of McDonnell's actions, he says : If you honor a flag raised explicitly to destroy this country then this is the movement for you. Well, yeah. Defenders of the Confederate flag and other efforts to honor the Old South always say they're not interested in slavery or racism but heritage . Let's leave aside how the racism and slavery are inextricably bound up in that heritage; we'll ignore them entirely. (Although Republicans who chafe under the burden of racism accusations might stop and consider, for a moment, how actions like McDonnell's look to African Americans.) Even putting its best foot forward, the reason the Confederacy existed was to tear asun