At a meeting last week, I listened as many voiced their views on this subject. I realized that the flag symbolized something that I had never considered to several of the men. Alienation...not the type that first comes to mind, but another.

One man whom I consider a friend; a man who has never in the years that I have known him, shown disrespect or racial bias to anyone, expressed this to us.

"I am white, middle-aged and I feel lost as hell. I feel like I am expected to feel guilty for being me. I have owned no slaves, oppressed no man. Yet, I am being oppressed."

"I treat all equally, red, green , black, white. Sure, the blacks were abused, but I didn't abuse them. But, what am I seeing? We have BET on TV; what would happen if we produced WET? There's the NAACP, where is the NAAWP?"

"We have Miss Black America, even though we have had a Black Miss America. What if we started a Miss White America?"

"A few years ago, we saw Malcom X tee shirts everywhere. What if we wore Delay Beckwith t-shirts?"

"We can be offended, but we can't offend. And now, my flag is under fire. Where will it end? Shall we reverse it all and submit ourselves to be slaves to the Blacks? Will that even it all out?"

"I'll fight for anyone to gain them equality, but, I'll grant no one the right to superiority."

I understand his frustration. His voice is as important as Jesse Jackson's, Pat Buchannan's, or anyone else'.

At this point, I see no end to the racial disharmonies. I have no answers, nor have I met anyone who does.

The flag is not the issue. It is the present focal point of a deep rooted sickness in humanity. That is the issue

khandu