Recently South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham and South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley called for removal of the confederate flag from the state capital.

While I applaud their willingness to (finally) speak up, I have to question why it has taken so long.

We need to remove it and move on. But some people in the south need to look in the mirror and ask themselves why these latest nine people had to die before they acted. Racists have been using the confederate flag as a symbol of hatred and bigotry for 150 years. It has been offensive the entire time.

While they may argue that it symbolizes respect, integrity, and duty, there was nothing respectful about the civil war. There was no integrity in rising up against the US Government.

It is amazing how so many of the same people that “respect” the confederate flag get so upset about someone burning a US flag or doing something to “disrespect” the United States of America. Seceding from the United States of America was the ultimate disrespect. That they did it to preserve the ability to “own” other human beings, which they viewed as inferior, makes the flag the ultimate symbol of disrespect. It is disrespectful to the United States of America and it SHOULD be disrespectful and offensive to anyone that thinks slavery was wrong.

It is also amazing that back in October of 2014, Nikki Haley was still fully defending the use of the confederate flag! And Lindsey Graham was defending the flag just a few days earlier.

Progress is good. Not having progress until nine innocent people die is not good!