OPINION
6A
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2017
Founded in 1873
DAVID F. PERO, Publisher & Editor
JEREMY FELDMAN, Circulation Manager
DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager
JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager
CARL EARL, Systems Manager
OUR VIEW
Finding some comfort in the
chaos after Charlottesville
Carlos Anaya/The Daily Astorian
A Regatta parade float by Sons of Beaches featured U.S. and mili-
tary flags, along with a Confederate flag decal on the trailer.
Astoria Regatta
not the place for
divisive symbol
I
n what has become the highlight event of the region’s oldest
festival, this year’s Grand Land Parade in the 123rd Astoria
Regatta may be remembered more for what shouldn’t have
been in it rather than what was. It’s unfortunate, because the
festival otherwise showcased the spirit and volunteerism of the
coast at its best and the organizers and volunteers deserve credit
for their dedicated efforts.
While the high-profile parade featured its normal dignitar-
ies, bands, clowns and floats, and the accompanying smiles from
the vast majority of the attendees, a float built by the Sons of
Beaches, an off-road enthusiast group that participates in com-
munity charity events and parades, contained upsetting bumper-
sticker sized decals with Confederate logos and was followed by
a truck with a Confederate flag. It sparked outrage by some who
saw it and further disapproval online.
The all-volunteer, nonprofit Astoria Regatta Association
issued an apology Monday, saying it was an unfortunate inci-
dent and that the association regrets “the impression caused
that Regatta in any way supports or condones the display of the
Confederate flag. … Please do not let our oversight reflect nega-
tively on Astoria, or the many, many volunteers who give thou-
sands of hours to create a positive community event each year.”
The float’s main visual was a large replica of U.S. Marines
heroically hoisting the American flag on Iwo Jima in World War
II and the bumper stickers were affixed to the trailer carrying it
and were easy to miss.
The Sons of Beaches group’s leader, Jay Pitman, said the
float included several other battle flags from throughout U.S.
history meant to honor war veterans, and that the trailer with
Confederate decals had been used in prior parades. “We don’t
fly our flags with disrespect,” he said. “We fly it with respect to
all our veterans. We do not allow any personal political issues or
personal agendas. We are non-biased, non racist. We are about
Americanism and supporting local law enforcement and first
responders.” He said the group is considering removing the flag
from future parade events.
It should do just that.
The flag, first flown by the Confederate army during war
against the United States, mocks what our country stands for. It
is a sad part of our nation’s history, as are Ku Klux Klan hoods,
the Dawes Act and signs declaring “Whites Only.” None of
which should be celebrated, and a family-friendly festival is cer-
tainly not the place for displaying a divisive symbol from the
Civil War.
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Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
Dozens of people showed up in Astoria Sunday evening to hold a candlelight vigil to remember the victims
of violence in Charlottesville, Va.
By ERICK BENGEL
The Daily Astorian
I
still don’t know how to
process, much less fully
articulate, my feelings about
Charlottesville.
What do you
say when you’re
confronted with
an evil you can’t
dismiss as an
isolated incident
or the act of a
deranged loner, but is the product
of a hive mind running on pure,
unreasoning hatred and self-righ-
teous stupidity?
Last weekend, a large group
of white men wielding tiki
torches and identifying as white
nationalists, some chanting “Jews
will not replace us!,” gathered in
Charlottesville, Virginia, to protest
the planned removal of a statue
of Confederate general Robert E.
Lee, a symbol of a society built
on the enslavement and abuse of
millions of human beings.
Clashes with counter-protesters
turned violent. Then, on Saturday
afternoon, a Hitler admirer drove
his car into another vehicle, killing
a young woman and injuring sev-
eral other counter-protesters. Two
Virginia state troopers also died
in a helicopter that crashed while
monitoring the riot.
On Sunday night, a vigil orga-
nized by Indivisible North Coast
Oregon took place at Eighth and
Commercial streets. Roughly 100
people turned out, sang loving pro-
test songs and observed a moment
of silence for the fallen.
Notably, the speakers named
the source of the problem. White
nationalism. White supremacy. The
euphemistically labeled “alt-right.”
Colin Murphey/The Daily Astorian
People gathered Sunday evening in Astoria to sing songs and hold a
candlelight vigil in honor of the victims of violence in Charlottesville,
Va., over the weekend.
This starkly contrasted with
President Donald Trump’s mealy-
mouthed speech the day before
that condemned “hatred, bigotry
and violence, on many sides” —
let that stunning false equivalence
sink in — but didn’t call out the
noxious ideology that fueled
“Unite the Right.” (This from
the guy who harped on President
Barack Obama’s refusal to associ-
ate ISIS with Islam.)
Trump’s inability to condemn
white nationalism specifically for
two days — an elision that neo-
Nazi groups gleefully interpreted
as a tacit endorsement — and only
because he finally buckled under
pressure, offered yet another win-
dow into the moral cowardice of
the man. Which is more pathetic:
marching in a white supremacist
rally, or being unable to condemn
the marchers because you need
their votes and feel compelled to
reward their support?
Trump may pretend not to
understand what really took place
in Charlottesville — and what his
own racist demagoguery, from
birtherism onward, contributed to
it — but cities across the U.S. held
vigils similar to Astoria’s. And
they, too, understood what hap-
pened and named the problem.
Sometimes, even when your
voice cracks and all you can
muster is a feeble “This is wrong”
because stronger and more
eloquent words escape you, it’s
important to say it anyway.
And, if you look around, you’ll
find people who are struggling
to process their feelings as well,
but who can still recognize evil
and can name it when they see it.
There’s some comfort to be found
in that.
What do you say when you’re confronted
with an evil you can’t dismiss as an isolated
incident or the act of a deranged loner, but is
the product of a hive mind running on pure,
unreasoning hatred and self-righteous stupidity?