When Dylann Roof shot up a predominantly black church in South Carolina, he probably never realised the full political impact of his actions. Looking at pictures of him, its doubtful he could button his own fly, let alone consider far-reaching consequences of deep cultural impact.

But he shot a bunch of lovely (by even his own admission) church-going people, because he was an ignorant moron and the son of several generations of ignorant, white supremacist (if only Americans did irony, they’d look at Dylann’s picture, along with ‘supreme’ anything, and finally understand the concept) morons before him. And in his Facebook photos he was always shown holding a Confederate flag. Because that flat symbolises so many things.

First and foremost, it IS the Southern States. No-one in Boston ever flew that flag. But like all symbols it then acquires baggage. And ‘the South’ bit implies cowboy boots and hats, it implies Country music, it implies beer and bourbon (never Scotch), it implies Ford and Chevy pickups, never Toyota or Land Rover, and it implies a good-ole-boy, shit-kickin’, baccy-chewin, rip-roarin’… White men.

I think it safe to say that no black family has ever flown a confederate flag anywhere. Because the original reason for forming the Confederate States was to fight the Union over slavery. The Northerners wanted it abolished whilst the Southerners liked it just the way it was, thought it was just faaaaarn and dandy.

And whatever protestations people make about how the flag is just about southern-ness and apple pie, it is first and foremost the sign of not just some benign form of quiet racism, but an out-there statement of supremacy, subjugation and domination. That was where it began, you cannot divest it of its origins just by flying it over a hot dog stand.

The car above is the General Lee. If you weren’t a Dukes of Hazzard fan. And I hope you weren’t because it was a tragically awful series. And the car was the star. As it should be, the acting was pretty much non-existent and the plots pathetic. Whereas this Dodge Charger R/T was a truly amazing machine.

The first one they used (there were loads, obviously, cos cars don’t last if you jump them across rivers and crash them into buildings) was bought for hundreds of thousands of dollars. And after the church shooting, the owner made the decision to take the confederate flag off the roof. Me, I’d have painted it all black anyway, but what do I know?

Then on Friday, South Carolina, the first state to remove itself from the Union before the Civil war, for the first time since then, removed the Confederate flag from its municipal buildings. Its taken them 150 years and a bunch of dead people to realise that the flag of Pro-slavery was somehow racist and nasty, even offensive to black people.

They’re replacing it with a swastika…

Only joking. Good for them. Now they just have to convince the ‘good people’ of South Carolina that its a good thing to do. They don’t seem convinced. Especially the ones in white robes with pointed hats.

Happy Saturday

A xxxx