Freedom for all, not just a select few

Sirs and Madams;

Over the past several months I have had the opportunity to travel across much of our beautiful state of Montana, from my home in Malta, Mont., to the Missoula area. On each occasion I noticed that when I pass through the quintessential American working-class village of Bonner, there is displayed on one residence a flag which formally represented a portion of the Confederate States of America. The flag on display is the flag of the Army of Northern Virginia; commonly, but mistakenly thought to be the flag of "The Confederacy."

While I wore the uniform of this country to defend the right of those persons to display such an emblem under the guise of the First Amendment of The Constitution of the United States which addresses the granting of Freedom of Speech, I am also quite aware of what that particular emblem represents. It is not freedom.

At the time that flag was created many, if not most Americans, including several of the lineage whose name I bear, searched their hearts and souls in the anguish of experiencing a nation literally tearing itself apart over the political and institutional concerns, conundrums and entanglements of that era; one of the most, if not the most significant issue being chattel slavery.

The result was that some 620,000 to 700,000 Americans died to establish that we would indeed be one nation, one people, under one federal, democratic, constitutional government, and not a gaggle of states each pursuing its own special, specific, unique or regional interests. More than 600,000 dead Americans. That’s a lot of blood. But that blood purchased the concept that all people of America are free and equal. And we paid it.

Throughout the entire course of recorded human history, bondage, servitude, and ownership of one person by another has existed. Our unique experiment in democracy known as ‘America’ was boldly established on the principle that “All men are created equal.” The ancient practice of one man’s supremacy over another because of the color of his skin, or the location of his nativity, was put on trial by the novel concept of equality, and was confirmed by our brutal Civil War. The America concept of equality, however, is so novel that it was virtually unheard of and untested until two hundred and forty years ago.

And in those 240 years we Americans have passed through some dark and difficult times. Although originally declared to be committed to “Freedom for All,” the original framers of the concept, our 'Founding Fathers' themselves (many of whom were slaveholders) struggled with the concept. And it has only been a mere 150, only since 1865, that we have even begun to practice the real principle of “Freedom For All.” And a shaky start is has been.

That there are people in today’s society who still pay homage to those dark times in our history, who still display if not celebrate the twisted logic of ‘Freedom for Me through Bondage of You’ by the public display of images of those times tells me that America has still not found its firm footing on the foundation of real freedom.

It disturbs me that apparently we are still on that slippery slope of comprehending ‘states rights’ and federal unification, and over the very definition of Freedom itself. It concerns me that there are still people, Americans, who should have some understanding of what we as a nation have struggled so long for, sacrificed so much for, and fought and died to overcome, who would still so openly display an emblem of those very institutions and philosophies of bondage, oppression, and inequity.

Does this display mean that there are still in our midst those who are willing to sink back into the dark, barbaric swamp of ignorance of our nation's history to a time when one person was justified in owning another, based on the color of one's skin? Does this mean that there is an active, growing number of belligerent racists, perhaps white supremacist minded folks for our next door neighbor? If so, are we as Montanans, are we as Americans, okay with this? How close are we to once again returning to those times darkened by so much bondage? So much inequity? So much bloodshed?

While I personally do not know one single person in Bonner, Mont., I would not be a bit surprised if many, if not most of the folks who live there come from a heritage of humble, hard-working people. That the folks of Bonner are proud descendants of people who, probably not too many generations ago, came to America in search of a dream. People who perhaps spoke with an accent, if not an entirely ‘foreign’ language altogether. They came, as did my ancestors, in search of meaning, fulfillment, happiness, and very likely freedom. And I’ll bet they found it. In Bonner, Mont.

The United States of America is a marvelous place. Let us stand for the basic principles of America where we celebrate and display Freedom for All. Not just a select few.

Respectfully;

Dr. Jim Curtis

Malta, MT