When I was a kid my brother Jim and I would play Battle Cry, a civil war board game by Milton Bradley. I found a site that has information and great pics of the game, http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2428 . I would invariably take the side of the Confederacy because ... I harbored a secret admiration for the South. If I remember correctly, I usually kicked my brother's Yankee ass, and that was very satisfying (not because I beat my brother but because I had rewritten history for the men in gray).

I usually keep my admiration a secret because most people might jump to the wrong conclusions. If I say I like the Confederate flag they might assume I am a racist who approves of slavery. Of course that is not true. I'll tell you who the bigots are--the snooty northerners who assume that a southern accent and conservative values implies stupidity. Boy are they off base. All the southerners I've met are good people--fun, freedom-loving, civil, charming, and showing a wonderfully strong sense of honor. No where in this country is honor more important than the south.

For a number of years we drove from Pennyslvania to Florida for spring break, and I loved passing through Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia on our way there. Lovely part of the country, and great people.

So, for at least today, I'm not hiding my admiration under a basket. The South shall rise again!