The South, in all its bigoted glory

By Michael J.W. Stickings

A couple of days ago, New York's Daily Intelligencer blog posted a couple of items that together provide a pretty good picture of the South: 

Flying Confederate Flag Along Highway Will 'Tell People That Everyone Is Welcome' in Virginia

"This will tell people that everyone is welcome," says Susan Hathaway, the founder of the pro-Confederate-flag group Virginia Flaggers, who plans to display a giant ten-by-fifteen-foot flag along the I-95 highway in Virginia. "Why do we have to be a place where Southerners who are proud of our heritage are not welcome?" Susan is a real character.

And: 

Georgia Republicans Like Paula Deen Much More Than They Like Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr., a man who played such an integral role in the fight for racial equality that his birthday was declared a national holiday, has a 59 percent approval rating among Georgia Republicans. Paula Deen, a lady who was fired for trying to treat black people like actual nineteenth-century slaves, has a 73 percent approval rating. #thesouth

In related news, Mississippi is still burning.