Someone on Facebook made a joke last week that it looked like a war broke out between the Confederates and a Skittles factory. It was funny because it was true.

Half of Facebook, it seemed, were upset about the continued existence of the Confederate flag ― but happy that the Supreme Court acknowledged gay marriage. The other half were upset about the continued existence of homosexuals but happy that the state of South Carolina acknowledged their white rights. I'm not sure why it seemed to break down in that manner, but it did.

I don't support an outright ban on the Confederate flag, but I don't think it should be flown on state capitol buildings. And I don't think it should be part of any state flags — I'm looking at you, Mississippi. I also don't want to spend any time with people that fly it off their pick'em'up trucks or in front of their homes. And I sure wouldn't do business with anyone flying one at their business. People have a right to be jerks. But it doesn't require me to deal with them.

In my opinion, the argument that the Confederate flag is part of our history and should be respected is hogwash. There are many parts of our history that we should be smart enough to be ashamed of and not celebrate. And there's a great deal of debate how significant a part of our history that flag was. I wasn't there so I don't know. But what I do know is that for millions of people, that flag stands for racism. It means the bearer thereof is racist. I doubt that's the case 100 percent of the time, but I'd rather not wear or display something that's widely interpreted as racist.

To catch up: The Confederate flag should not be on any state property. But if private citizens want to wave it, they should feel free as long as they know they message their conveying and then also understand that a large percentage of America will want nothing to do with them.

But let's not play a game of revisionist history, OK? Sometimes too far is just too damn far. And some people went too far.

The Dukes of Hazzard? Really, TV Land? You pulled the Dukes of Hazzard because there's a Confederate flag on the General Lee? That's just too far. The Dukes of Hazzard was one of a handful of shows I grew up being forced to watch that I didn't hate.

Sure, it took place in Georgia, the epicenter of racism. But the show itself wasn't racist. In fact, it held some pretty good morals. We need more shows like it today. And yes, the Confederate flag's prominence in the show is unfortunate 30 years later. But it's not reason enough to pull the show. You went too far, TV Land.

Speaking of going too far, the other side of this so-called debate goes too far, too. I've seen some insane examples of the lunatic fringe on the gay-rights side of things, too. Images depicting Jesus as a homosexual, for example. A proposal to replace the American flag with a cross-breed of the gay pride flag. And those examples have turned a lot of would-be supporters off from the gay rights movement.

Again, those who spread such images have a right to do so. The First Amendment allows them that. But as is often the case when people claim First Amendment rights, I'd suggest they look four amendments down and find their "right to be silent."

But on the eve of our 239th birthday, I would suggest that's one of the great things about our nation: We have a right to be absolute jerks. And we also have a right not to deal those we find to be jerks. It would seem that people are fully exercising those rights today.

Now enough with the lecture. Let's get out there and enjoy the weekend.

+Scott Leffler proudly displayed the a rainbow flag on his Facebook profile picture for about 24 hours before getting bored with it. Then he watched Dukes of Hazzard and sang along to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Follow him on Twitter @scottleffler. 

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How much control does the media have over, well, everything? In the wake of this whole debate about the Confederate flag (a flag that has been around for 150 years but is now getting debated) eBay, Sears, and Walmart are banning the sales of all merchandise with that flag on them. Why? Because it is the hot thing to do right now, according to the media.

The proof that these companies and the media have no souls is in the fact that, up until this week, eBay, Sears, and Walmart had allowed the sales of Confederate flag materials. If these organizations really cared, they would have banned the sale of these products years ago. But now that the media spotlight is blazing brightly on the evils of the Confederate flag, these corporations jump on board and make the change.

The media tells retailers to jump and retailers ask how high. The media tells politicians that the public believes that the sky is green and there are suddenly politicians praising the gorgeous weather and the bright, green sky above. Retailers care about public opinion because it means more revenue and politicians care about public opinion because it means more votes. But does either of them really care about the public?

This is where voter fraud can become a big problem for the public. If the parties can figure out how to win elections without actually relying on the popular vote (which they are already figuring out), then not even public opinion will matter to politicians anymore. Hell, the Electoral College took the ability to elect our next president out of the people’s hands centuries ago and it hasn’t been changed since. Why? Because politicians like the idea of achieving ultimate power without having to get the blessing of the people.

Next up is the media’s ability to glorify murder and murders just to get ratings. Honestly, what does the “manifesto” of some racist piece of garbage have to do with anything? What insightful bit of information can someone like that offer that is really worth reading? But yet, the media is plastering his picture all over the place and allowing people to link to his “manifesto.” Why? Because Americans have this terminally sick fascination with people who kill.

If you think I am lying, then just go to Facebook and see how many pictures of this idiot are being posted along with links to his useless ramblings. Then compare that to the pictures and names of the victims. I see people trying desperately to get pictures of the victims to go viral, but it just isn’t happening. Why? Because Americans are sick. That is why.

It took the president’s involvement in the funeral for the media to suddenly focus a little on the victims. But that only lasted for a few minutes as news of the DNA of the two escaped convicts being found in some cabin somewhere broke. Now CNN is dedicating hours of its time to repeating the same information about the same DNA over and over again. I even saw a real estate agent from that area of New York State being interviewed on CNN for some reason. Meanwhile, the South Carolina victims continue to be forgotten.

Call me whatever names you want, but I am willing to bet that the South Carolina piece of trash got a trophy for just being there when he was a kid and feels absolutely no consequences for the things he does. He is from that entitled generation that is burning down and looting stores for fun and protesting everything short of the baseball scores from the night before. When an entire generation feels like there are no repercussions for what they do, then this is what you get. And it is only going to get worse.

For now, you guys can watch this idiot’s picture being plastered all over the media and read his idiotic ramblings. I am not watching or reading any of it. Has anyone noticed the smirk on his face as the cameras focus in on him while he is being transferred from one building to the next? He is getting exactly what he wants and the media is doing it again. If any wacko wants to get on television and get their meaningless ideas read by millions, then all they need to do is kill a group of people and have a manifesto online. It is becoming formulaic and it is something that CNN and the rest of the media whores should be held accountable for.

But the politicians won’t hold the media accountable for creating and glorifying murderers. Why? Because Americans love reading about murderers and the politicians will do whatever the media tells them. As long as that cycle remains unbroken, the people who actually care about anything of substance are all in big trouble.

+George N Root III  is a Lockport resident and grumpy old man. Follow him on Twitter @georgenroot3 or send him a message at georgenroot3@gmail.com.

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