Talk:Neo-Confederates/Archive 2

message: Willmcw - I don't know exactly what your angle is in editing this article, but I'm still detecting it in your constant tweaks of the sections on the use of the term. A couple issues: First off, the subheaders were there for a reason and should not be tossed out. They contextualize and correspond with the article on political slurs, which mentions that particular use of neo-confederate for disparagement. They also differentiate the different types of critics of neoconfederates rather than lumping them all together as if they were of equal credibility. It should be plainly obvious that Sebesta and the SPLC are in different leagues, the latter despite its own controversies being a more responsible and credible source. Sebesta also intentionally disparages groups and political figures with the term as a slur that (to put it mildly) he seems very loose about using, whereas the SPLC - at least in theory - is referring to it as a movement with defined characteristics. Differentiating the two also bolsters the credibility of the SPLC in light of somebody like Sebesta and distinguishes the two so that the fringe guy doesn't "poison the well," so to speak, of the watchdog group.
Second, your edits keep removing plainly evident facts and undisputed descriptive terms that, for whatever reason, you believe to reflect unfavorably on something (i'm beginning to think your own POV in the matter). Nobody disputes that Pacifica Radio and Salon are media outlets that write and broadcast from a liberal perspective - they are both open about it themselves! Nor has Sebesta gained much of a media audience outside of these and a few other liberal outlets (the SPLC, by comparison, has). It is also plainly evident from the material in the article that the term's use is controversial, so there should be at least something of an overview sentence stating that much! Nor is it a big secret that Sebesta extends his allegations of neo-confederate-ism well beyond persons who are formally associated with an openly pro-southern political position or movement. I don't recall Bush, or Roy Barnes, Ron Kirk, or Lindsay Graham ever advocating secession, nullification theory, or anything even remotely resembling the reconstitution of the CSA, yet Sebesta has labelled them all as neo-confederate sympathizers! I guess my question is why you keep editing out and attempting to hide the obvious. If it quacks like a duck, call it a duck. Hedging around the pertinent political biases of media organizations, figures, and sources that are being cited is deceptive - especially when it is done in a one-sided way (you have made every effort for example to point out that Benson etc. are affiliated with various southern nationalist causes and biases, and that is fine by me. But it's a double standard to do that and to simultaneously delete, hide, or downplay the causes and biases of the other side). Also - quotation marks referring to Sebesta. The phrase "expert" on the "neo-confederate movement" is what those sources identified him as on the air and in print. Removing them suggests that he has some sort of expertise or special credential to comment, and he doesn't. His claimed expertise is NOT universally recognized, and a great many people like the UDC consider him a paranoid kook for that matter! The most neutral way to address it, then, is to refer to him in quotes the way that he is referred to by the media outlets that use him.Rangerdude 07:14, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: Subheaders etc.

message: The second sentence has a clause that I don't understand the reason for:
:Neo-confederate groups are pro-South pro-states' rights (particularly nullification), and in favor of renewed southern secession.
Why "(particularly nullification)"? On what basis are you including that as a "particular" aspect of the neo-confederate movement?
:Nullification theory is a particular and more extreme form of "states rights" beliefs, which technically includes such benign policies as federal block grants and state jurisdiction control of federal program entitlements. There's very little if anything "neo-confederate" about supporting block grants. Nullification, however, has a material connection to the CSA.Rangerdude 17:34, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
thread_title: particular issues