Some times it's just not worth it.

In another life, I fly with the Commemorative Air Force.

Our mission is 'Keep em flying!' in reference to historical war planes (warbirds). It's a laudable (and expensive, in terms of money, time, and indeed lives) mission.

You may know us as the Confederate Air Force, a name which we voted to change on January 1 2002, because it was becoming too much of a millstone around our collective necks.

We are not, and never were ashamed of the 'Confederate' name. It had its roots in the founding of the organization by a bunch of old boys who came up with it as a tounge-in-cheek thing. Just as each of us members holds and is called by the same rank... Colonel.

However, in the current political climate you have to make a decision. Since stupid and ignorant people couldn't seem to get off the quasi-political subject of 'what do you mean by 'Confederate?' ' it became difficult to talk about the roles of the B17, or F8F, or even L6 under whose wing you were standing in our history, or how the heroes who flew them made it *possible* for the politically correct to avoid being shot for being same.

It's sure hard to remember your cultural history accurately when you spend so much time and energy being personally ashamed of it!

Of course, those who would have us forget history seem to prove the old truism by immediately repeating it. Cold comfort, however.

Greg