Ole Miss Disgrace
By Doug Hagin (06/23/03)
The most special time of the year is fast approaching for serious sports fans. September is coming and with it college football. No sport has the same passions and traditions as college ball. Nothing even really comes close.
Every year college fans can always look forward to some grand traditions. But sadly some of those traditions have come under attack by the political correctors of the world, and this year some of them will cease to exist.
In Oxford, Mississippi, the University of Mississippi, affectionately known as Ole Miss, will no longer allow it’s band to play “Dixie” or allow it’s mascot, Colonel Rebel, to parade on the sideline of it’s football games. This is a sad day indeed.
The school’s gutless officials are claiming they are scrapping the mascot because they desire to have a more “intimidating” looking mascot. And Pete Boone, the school’s athletic director, has stated that the school has absolutely no plans to drop the nickname “Rebels”. Of course not, not until someone finds offense in that name.
In reality we all know why the school is dropping the colonel, and “Dixie” as well. They are cowering before the advance of the far left’s war on everything traditional. For years Ole Miss has been blasted by these intolerant bigots demanding the traditions of the school, like “Dixie” and the waving of the Confederate flag be halted. And every year the school has lost a little more spine and caved in a little more. And of course these submissions have only brought more scorn and more demands from the politically correct nuts.
Make no mistake the demand to drop the name Rebels will come next. The politically correct bigots despise Southern heritage and will not be sated until all vestiges of it are erased from all public displays. And to be sure Ole Miss has always been proud of its history and heritage, until recently that is.
A few years ago the school began discouraging it’s fans from waving the dreaded Confederate flag at home games. Soon the discouragement became an official ban. Then the playing of “Dixie” came under fire as well, and now it has been banned. Now the mascot has been removed, next the nickname will go.
So much history, heritage and tradition lost forever sacrificed on the altar of political correctness. And what is most disturbing about this particular event is the schools reason for adopting the Rebel moniker in the first place.
At the battle of Gettysburg, in 1863, an entire Mississippi company was wiped out. That company was comprised of University of Mississippi students. Thus the name Rebels was adopted to pay homage to these brave souls. Every time the Ole Miss Rebels took the field, and “Dixie “ was played and those flags waved it was a tribute to those soldiers. Now, with their recent cowardly actions the university has basically declared the memories of these brave boys indecent and offensive. How dare they!
How dare they treat the memories of those gallant young men, who died fighting in defense of their State, with such utter disdain! How dare they surrender such a precious symbol of Southern heritage without even a fight!
The boys from that school who marched off and died on those fields in Pennsylvania did not do so because they wanted to. If left alone, as the south begged to be, they would have lived peaceful lives and been quite content. But they were denied that choice, duty called and they answered, as brave men have done in the South and all over America for generations.
The spirit, which called them to take up arms, was no different than the spirit which guided our soldiers in the Revolutionary War. They saw their liberty being taken and they responded as patriots always do. They fought to defend it, and their devotion to duty cost them their lives.
And make no mistake; it was a price they paid willingly.
They knew there was only two choices in 1861. Fight or lose their liberty. They, like heroes always do chose to fight instead of cede their liberty. And now their ancestors have been given a similar choice and have failed miserably.
Instead of standing up to the left wing attacks on their school’s history today’s “Rebels” have opted for appeasement and surrender. Instead of standing on principles they have chosen to abandon their history.
Rather than facing the fire of the enemy they have furled their banners and run like cowards. The soldiers who gave this school its name gave their very lives when challenged. Their heirs have failed to even try to honor their memories. These cowards are not worthy to be called southerners or Americans.
They have instead spit on the graves of true heroes. Shame!
(Printer friendly version) Email: Doug Hagin
