well, I'm willing to reserve my comments on traitors in reference to the soldiers given the information that is coming up. That is, regardless of what I may think about it personally, I see some valid points from you all that make me at least not want to persue that line of discussion for fear of not really getting anywhere.
Shanifaye, I do get the comparison between the civil war and the revolutionary.
Even if I do privately consider the civil war participants as treasonists or criminals or whatever, my moral and political objection to them is based on the fact that they (and the descendents of that movement who continue to speak of the greatness of it) opposed my government.
The revolutionary war participants were on my side. I don't feel or have any allegiance to the British government. I don't particularly care whether our actions were treasonous or criminal--that's not the distinction I'm drawing (that one was and one movement was not, that is).
So that may be seen as hypocritical. But what I'm saying is not that I see one in a certain way and another in a different way. I'm saying that I agree with one and not the other. I support one and not the other. But I do so because I have an affinity to my government. And I think the ideals and actions of the confederacy was opposed to many of our nation's ideals on a few levels (not all).
This is a bit convoluted but I'll try to sum it up like this:
You don't need to try and convince me that our revolutionary actions were illegal or even treasonous. I actually agree.
Which is why I wouldn't go to England and fly my US flag. And if I did, I wouldn't be at all surprised if Britons took offense to it.
I do enough violence to the language
thank you for the cool disussion...
