Hello all,

Take a good look at your poll on this subject. Your readers may not share your position.

Let me explain to you the position of people my age and mentality. Forgive? Sure. Forget? NEVER. I am reminded every year when I see that I have paid over 50% of my income to a socialist/communist government that started 137 years ago.

That war was not about racism. That war was about economic and socialistic freedom from government. The U.S. Constitution provides for states to be free from federal oppression. Protect the constitutional freedom of people within the states? Sure. End slavery? Sure,- "...life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...". The rest was our Constitutional rights being overrun, just as they are today, everyday. Maybe we should forget about Pearl Harbor and change the U.S. flag so as not to offend the Japanese people.

Forgive? Yes. Forget? Not till my dying breath. What little freedom we do have and do enjoy as true Southern people are, in some way, a part of what those men and women worked, fought, and died in battle to defend.

I was helping a gentleman from the north with directions one day. While addressing him as "Sir," he took offense to and corrected my continued attempts at common courteously with hostile posture as if I were being condescending. Here I am taking the time to help him and addressing him with respect only to have him take offense and attack my true character.

I stepped away, stood straight, and took a stern tone of voice with this older man. I told him that true Southerners, (Yes, I spell it with a capital letter.), raise our children as Christians. We teach them to have manners. We teach them to be kind, courteous, and treat others with respect. We raise our children to be self supportive and independent, not robots for someone else. We raise our children to respect the rights of others and to encourage but not force our moral values on them. We teach them to read and understand the Constitution, and what it says, is what it means. Something that Lincoln obviously did not do. We don't need some liberal scumbag of a judge to interpret it for us. So Sir, I am sorry if I offended you by taking time out of my life to give you directions. I had known you were going to take this tone with me for addressing you as sir, I would have kindly sent you to Interstate 85, NORTH!

By the way, I do love this E-newsletter. This is one of the best things I read regularly. My family's best to Mr. Simon and all of the PV staff. Hope you guys are off to a great year.

- Bert Jones
Flowery Branch, Georgia