From: zursch@whizkid.wpd.sgi.com (Jeffrey B. Zurschmeide)
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa
Subject: Re: What the FAQ?
Date: 28 Aug 92 16:54:03 GMT
Reply-To: zursch@whizkid.wpd.sgi.com (Jeffrey B. Zurschmeide)
Organization: SGI TechPubs

In article <1992Aug28.122257.1791@cco.caltech.edu>, Jones Maxime Murphy writes:
>I did *not*. The ideals of the USA were not nearly as explicitly racist as 
>those of the CSA. The USA at least was ashamed enough of it's racism to keep it
>somewhat under the table. The CSA had no such reservations.

Is the covert racism of the USA any less contemptible than the overt racism of
the CSA? Slavery existed in the English colonies from roughly 1600 (perhaps 
from earlier in the Caribbean) to 1776, and from 1776 to 1865 in the USA, and
from 1860-1865 in the CSA. By that measure, England is more guilty than 
the USA and the USA is more guilty than the CSA for supporting slavery. 
We must also not forget that slavery was legal and practiced in Maryland, Kentucky,
West Virginia, and Union parts of Missouri until the 13th amendment was passed.

I  also challenge the notion that the USA was ashamed of its racism. Illinois, for 
one example, passed black codes to prohibit freedmen from settling there.

Jones, I think you'll agree with me when I say that there is enough guilt to go around 
to all three nations who had slaves working under their flags.   

>And, once again, I say "FAQ that shit, but near the end". There's a lot more
>core information about the white Civil War than flag colours. Or else we could
>start the FAQ out with R.E. Lee's favourite underwear brands, or something as 
>important as that.

I can get behind the idea of the first entry of the FAQ being a general statement 
about the nature of this war, and the fact that it ended legally sanctioned slavery 
in North America. The next entry could be about the people who died, on all sides,
in this war. In FAQ, I would go so far as to suggest that we appoint several different
people to write short entries for the first question, because of our varying perspectives.
I nominate Jones to write one entry from his African-American perspective. Will
someone volunteer to write an entry from the CSA perspective? (If no one else will,
I'll give it a try.)  And an entry from a Unionist perspective would complete the set. 
(Unless we want to really run with it and get a Native American perspective, a
northern abolitionist perspective, a southern loyalist perspective, etc etc etc.) 

>You are so blind. Your last sentence is an adamant refusal to accept something
>that would be obvious to a 10-year old. The white members of the CSA were
>fighting to remain aristocrats, and you simply cannot come to terms with that.

This is true. Why is it (do we suppose) that the KKK/Aryan Nation/misc.hate.group
type of people always come from the lowest socio-economic/least-educated class
of whites?  Because no one likes to be at the bottom of the pile. If, no matter how
poor or ill-educated or despised you are, you can claim arbitrary superiority based
on race, you're still ahead....at least in your own mind. I have no doubt that this
motivated many in the armies of the CSA.  I also believe that there was more to it
than that. 
 
>You think a minor and limited conflict between whites is far more important than
>a massive and bloody campaign against AFricans. What more can I say? I rest
>my case.

Not more important, just not the charter of this group. Change the name to:
alt.a.bunch.of.white.guys.discussing.historical.trivia.of.1861.to.1865 
if you like. It's at least as accurate a title as AWCUSA. 
 
>Why is it that the *White* Civil War qualifies as "American", as opposed to a 
>far greater war which is a much larger component of American history?

Well, we argued about the title of this group a fair piece before we created it. 
various contenders were "alt.war.between.the.states" "alt.war.civil" 
"alt.war.of.northern.aggression" and so on. Certainly, though, this war
qualifies as "American" - it certainly wasn't a land war in asia...The war
you speak of is an American war, too. There have been plenty of wars to
go around. 

>>Now, my second nomination for the FAQ is a description of how to enter into a
>>KILL file the name of an author who ignores the charter.

>KILL away, white man. The truth lives on.

Perhaps we can make a step towards stopping the killing here. 

JZ
Newsgroups: alt.war.civil.usa