Dukes of Hazzard Day

In the process of looking for fun things to do this weekend, we came across a motorcycle gathering that was built around a Dodge Charger.

Why "Dukes of Hazzard Day"?  Nobody seemed to know or care, but there was a General Lee.

A shiny chopper, with a Confederate helmet sticker.

I have it on good authority that Elizabeth Warren's great-great grandmother...

Brynhildr was there.

Lots of Veterans were there, as usual with biker events, but the 7th ID insignia is one you rarely see.

Lots of Confederate flags everywhere...

...but I hadn't seen the fuzzy-dice version before.

The Confederate flags go with the Dukes of Hazzard theme, as well as with a motorcycle rally in Georgia, but it's pretty clear that most of the very many bikers flying it did so all the time.  In some circles this is taken as being tantamount to a hate crime, but having grown up in a place where the KKK felt free to move about openly, I think I can fairly say that racism is not the intent of the symbol among most of those flying it today.  There were a number of black bikers there, including a US Navy veteran, who were obviously quite comfortable and who were plainly as welcome as anyone else.

That's good.  I have a great deal of sympathy with the "Heritage, not Hate" movement, but it has to really be true if it's to count.  I'm glad to see that, more and more, it seems to be.

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