The Drone Chronicles

I have had so much fun watching the flogger and floggerette frenzy over the VaFlaggers' new drone.

True to form, Simpson was the first (and so far the only) flogger to blog about it, and the comment thread at XRoads is super-duper rich!

As I said in a comment over there (that actually got posted!) they're just jealous, and a little bit affronted, as if the VaFlaggers did an end-run around heritage attackers.

Corey Meyer's comment is so typical. Sez he:

  …"they bought it for $1100+ with donations form supporters. In essence, they bought Norwood Lewis a new toy."

Uh, nope, Corey. No Virginia Flagger funds or donations were spent on the drone. (Corey, in case y'all don't know it, is inadvertently obsessed with the VaFlaggers financing -- just as if it's any of his business!)

So then we have this cringe-worthy observation specifically to Simpson from somebody named John Kim:

I think you give them far more attention than they deserve and the debates have become more personal than professional. However, I’m encouraged now that the Flaggers are leaping into the future and embracing new technology. This indicates a willingness to grow, learn, and be exposed to new ideas.

Can you believe the arrogance? Well, I couldn't let that go unanswered, so I sent a response and, wonder of wonders, Simpson let it through. Of course, his motive for so doing was ... well, you'll see:

Me:  I hear some of ‘em’s gonna start wearin’ shoes and installin’ indoor plumbing in 2015…

And Simpson's dig: More evidence of how Connie Chastain hates the South and evilizes southerners. No responsible person would advance such sectional slurs. Of course, she’ll now say she’s simply being sarcastic, but, as she knows what other people’s true motives are, I am simply returning the favor.

What I can't understand, though, is Mr. Kim's assumption that Confederate heritage folks in general, and the VaFlaggers in particular, are throwbacks. Does he truly imagine we don't have microwave ovens and drive electronic cars? That we don't have cell phones, even smart phones, and computer access? Maybe he thinks we still travel in horse-drawn carriages (for the rich) and mule-drawn wagons (for the poor) and women wear hoopskirts?

As ridiculous as Mr, Kim's statement (and his mindset) are, Jimmy Dick takes the cake, as he usually does. Here are his comments and my replies....

What good is a drone for a group that is trying to educate people about the history of the Confederacy?

They identified the uses for it, didn't you read the article? Besides, educating people about the history of the Confederacy is only one of their purposes. Honoring Confederate soldiers as a huge part of their purpose, and I can see it becoming quite useful in that endeavor. But since you're not a member of the group, why is it a concern to you at all?

Isn’t the problem for this group in the first place their lack of ability to interpret the past using facts and to transfer that knowledge (I’m being nice) to others?

Nope, that's not a problem, and nope, you're not being nice. I'm not certain you're capable of it. Like Simpson, you love the put down, you get off on denigration, you lust after hurting people. The difference is, you don't have Simpson's snot-slick finesse with the language.

How does a flying object that’s only use is to take visual images going to help them accomplish that?

(1) How do you know that's all it is useful for and (2) your mistake (well, one of many) is attempting to bind your limited vision on them and (3) because they're vision is not as limited as yours, they see many more possibilities than you. And are you aware of how useful visual images can be?

Here's some communication from the Drone Master:

"I already sent a freebie bridge inspection to the Department of Transportation showing them the bridge joints on the RE LEE Bridge. Said, "Here, this is free, if you need more done, please contact me." Probably cost them 50-60k to do that on just one side in 2 weeks. I did it in 3 min..."

See Jimmy? You just don't know how to think outside the box.

Let’s face some facts here.

No, Jimmy, these are not facts.  They're at best your unfounded opinion -- with a lot of bigotry-based fantasy mixed in.

1. Their parading in farb gear with the confederate battle flag has failed to do anything but draw ridicule and scorn upon them.

Farb gear? Most of them wear ordinary casual wear for flaggings. Even those who wear re-enactor apparel don't do it all the time. And you need to get over the childish assumption that everyone feels like you do. The ridicule and scorn are coming from people like your fellow travelers, whose opinion matters ... how?

2. Their extremely bad history interpretations of the Civil War era fail to pass the scrutiny of the general public. If anything, their attempts to pass off the lost cause as real history are alienating the very people they are trying to gain support from.

The general public doesn't scrutinize, Jimmy, and they don't know a whole lot about history -- the civil war kind and nearly any other. The people they've been trying to gain support from basically support them. Just so you understand, they're not trying to get the "support" of the VMFA. They just want the museum to put the flags back.

3. The erection of confederate battle flags along highways has had the reverse effect from the one they desire. Instead of educating people all those symbols do is embarrass the citizens in the region.

The flags have ticked off a few ultra-leftists. They have brought praise from many Southerners (and brought donations, as well)... But just out of curiosity, let's say the "region" is Fredericksburg and Richmond. The first has a population nearing 30,000 and the second, 214,000. Of those people, how many are embarassed by the flags; and how do you know? Did they tell you? No, you're just making it up, like a little kid.

4. The existence of the flaggers has been an absolute farce, yet they can’t understand that. The group appeals to a specific set of people whose grasp on reality is at times tenuous. When they do get positive attention it is usually to exploit them for political or financial purposes. The group fails to recognize that.

More utter phantasmagorical unreality. I think they understand their experience better than you do.  Only a fool would claim they know more about someone else's experience than that person. This whole fantasy you've spewed here is puts you in the category of having a tenuous grasp on reality.

Until you provide independently verifiable third-party information from reliable sources (it can't be a prejudiced flagger-hater like Simpson) proving what you've said here, I'm calling you out as bald-faced liar.

Stay tune, folks. I don't think we've seen the end of The Drone Chronicles yet....