Here in Arizona, we have the beauty of the Grand Canyon, the distinction of being the last contiguous territory to become a state, and more sunshine than we can ever need.

We also have a lot of venomous reptiles. Some are running for office and choosing to ignore the reality of history.

Kari Lake, failed gubernatorial candidate turned GOP Senate Candidate. and Steven Slaton, a GOP candidate for LD7 District in the Arizona Legislature, held a joint appearance at a MAGA and Trump-themed store in Show Low, Arizona, owned by Slaton.

For those of you outside the state, Lake was a former newscaster who still claims nefarious forces stole the 2020 election from both Trump and her. She’s had an equally dismal record of challenging the election in court, winning zero cases, and getting her lawyers sanctioned for fraudulent and frivolous claims lacking any foundation.

Slaton claims he was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and flew combat missions. He was not. Military records show he was a helicopter mechanic deployed to Korea. When asked about military records disproving his claim to being in Vietnam, long after US Combat forces had left the country, he claimed he was a victim of identity theft, and his DD-214 had been altered.

As offensive as claiming to be a combat veteran when one saw no combat is and as despicable as claiming the 2020 election was stolen despite overwhelming evidence it was not, these two have exceeded that in other ways.

During the appearance in the store, Lake spoke while standing in front of the Confederate Flag. That’s right, a candidate for the United States Senate stood in front of the flag that represents the treasonous behavior of a group of states that seceded from the Union over the cause of slavery.

This echoes the Florida Department of Education’s rewrite of the history of slavery to include the line,

“slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit,” (https://joebroadmeadowblog.com/2024/06/09/where-have-we-come-as-a-nation/)

Both Lake and Slaton would whitewash the history of the confederacy. It’s an historical heritage they claim. So were people who served as guards at Auschwitz but you don’t see too many writing poetic memoirs of their time leading their German Shephard’s around and shooting escaping prisoners or making speeches in front of iron gates bearing the words Arbeit Macht Frei.

Actually, they, the Republican Party, and every Republican member of Congress did something worse, they ignored it.

It is historical, but certainly not the kind of heritage any rational human would embrace.

In simplest terms, to preserve the barbaric, inhuman, and horrifying practice of enslaving humans, thousands of Americans donned the uniform of an enemy nation and waged war against their fellow Americans.

Many may use ancillary causes to camouflage the reality of the Civil War. Still, the truth is it was a war started to protect slavery, and the Confederate Flag represents that horror.

If someone wants to sell Confederate Flags, that is their right—a right guaranteed by the same Constitution the South tried to destroy—and no one should try to stop them.

If someone wants to fly the Confederate Flag, the same applies.

But it doesn’t change the reality of history when you claim the flag merely reflects Southern heritage. It does not. It is a tragic emblem of the darkest parts of American history.

I wonder how those who see nothing wrong with Lake’s choice of backdrop would feel if it was a Nazi flag? Or Russian? Or Chinese? Or, heaven forbid, Mexican?

I wonder how Slaton would feel if his opponent held a campaign rally in front of a Viet Cong flag? He probably wouldn’t recognize it, having never actually seen one.

The idea that there are candidates for office with no qualms about standing in front of the flag of an enemy that fought against the United States is concerning.  

It speaks volumes about the quality of those running for office.

Do you choose to display a Confederate flag? That is your right, paid for with the blood of those who stood firm against those who would shackle their fellow man. That speaks volumes about your character.