From the Porch: Defending the South

This is the first column in a new series. I will try to give you regular columns from my characters about what life has been like in Idealia since I wrote the final word of The Buddy Wayne Chronicles. - D.H.

In the two years since the book's story wrapped up, a few things have happened to me. One of them was an interview with Matt Frei of BBC World News.

It was nice to invite someone from the outside world to take a glimpse at the paradise to come, and I enjoyed talking to my millions of fans around the globe. During the interview, I also gave Matt a tour of my property and even let him drive my 1930s vintage car, the same one that I won the Heritage Cup in.

But all the outside world could talk about was a statement that was commonly reported as, "I believe that the Confederate flag is the symbol of heaven." I did not say those exact words: what I actually did was point out a flag with the cross of St. George outside the family house and told him, "This does not stand for what you think it does. It stands for the influence of our religious and cultural heritage [in the Southern United States] and how it is a symbol of our lives here in Heaven."

Those who know about Idealia know that we love barbeque, porch sitting, storytelling, riding horses, racing cars, (American) football, hunting, fishing, and working on the land. We also live our lives by faith, family, and moral values. Nowhere else on Earth is this more true than in the South. Because we believe that only the grace of God saves us and sends us to Heaven, it is only appropriate that we eventually land here.

Besides, as I explained to Matt, the flag now associated with the Confederacy, which has the Cross of St. George, was never the official flag of the nation. For most of its history, it was the "Stars and Bars," which had many similarities to the American flag. (See this page for more on the subject.) The cross flag was a "battle flag" used by some units of the CSA army during the Civil War. Later, it was chosen with the American flag to represent reunions of old soldiers from that war.

Somehow, this got twisted to represent the worst elements of the antebellum American South, including slavery. But the fact remains that, here in Idealia, the flag hangs from most of our houses, whether we are white, black, or from another background. The reason is simple: the flag represents us and unifies us, just as the American flag does in the USA or another national flag does elsewhere.

I will always stand by and defend the use of the cross of St. George, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it. As I have always said, "Take me as I am or don't take me at all."


Next time, I will defend my actions as it relates to my belle, Brittany Spears.