Wait a Second . . .

If I understand this correctly, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is moving its baseball tournament games from South Carolina to North Carolina for the years 2011-13 because of the Confederate flag? Oh, no . . . that's not exactly right. It's because the NAACP doesn't like the Confederate flag. Does that make it all better?

No, I don't think so. Apparently the thought of the Confederate flag in sight at the capitol in Columbia, SC, is so offensive to the sensibilities of our black brothers and sisters--at least those in the NAACP (and admittedly lots more)--that they cannot abide the thought of a baseball tournament even taking place within the boundaries of the state because of it. Background: the state heeded protests about the flag being flown at the capitol nine years ago; they took it down and displayed it at the Confederate memorial. But since it's still in sight, the NAACP is still not satisfied. They want the flag in a museum. South Carolina said no to this, and the NAACP has led a boycott against the state ever since.

Naturally in our oh so sensitive times when avoidance of offense to just about anybody--except fat people, they're still fair game--the ACC, given its obligatory "commitment to diversity, equality and human rights," pulled the plug on the tournament in South Carolina.

This is not a silly redneck screed on behalf of the Confederate flag, brothers and sisters. This is simply a lament that we've reached the point of utter silliness with this stuff. Why don't institutions take decisive action against some things that are genuinely offensive: the fact that 48 million people don't have health care in this country, that we put mentally disabled people out on the streets, that we're spending billions upon billions for war, that we treat the vast majority of people of color in this country like dogs, etc., etc. Being offended by these things doesn't do squat. But a flag from a war that's been over for almost 150 years . . . well, stop the damn presses. Call out the guard!