Rebel Hell

A group of Georgia lawmakers propose changing the State flag to another version of the Confederate flag. The new hate flag "would resemble the first national flag of the Confederacy -- three red and white bars, with a blue field in the top left corner. The state seal would be in the blue corner, and the words 'In God We Trust' would be written to the right."

In other words, the proposal is to adopt a Confederate flag -- not a Georgia flag -- other than the Confederate battle flag. Georgia voters would approve or reject the "first national flag" in a March 2004 referendum. If that flag was rejected, voters would choose between the Confederate battle flag version and the pre-1956 State flag. What voters won't be allowed to choose is the flag that replaced the racist battle flag.

So the grand "compromise," approved by Gov. Sonny Perdue, is essentially to give voters a choice of two symbols -- either the symbol of a racist nation's army or the symbol of racist nation's central government.

Can't Georgia find anything to celebrate about itself other than its own racist past -- and present?