Actually, I've done more reading about Bristol than I let on. Bristol was one of the main centers of the slave trade. There weren't any slaves in Rhode Island, but the business of shipping them from Africa to the South was centered right here in Bristol (so Bristol benefitted DIRECTLY from the slave trade, not indirectly). And yes, I think all the patriotism stuff was a veneer over the truth. Besides, in general ostentatious displays of patriotism are usually phony and always suspect. Samuel Johnson said that "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel" -- in actuality, it is the FIRST refuge, and that can be seen in the behavior of Republicans who show little interest in solving our national problems. Generally speaking, it is conservatives who hold the flag the highest, but they are the last ones to show any concern about the inequities in our society, which are still glaringly evident.
Please explain the inappropriate content below.
