Dear Senator Zorn: We Know Exactly What You Meant

Dear Senator Zorn, 

I am one of your constituents. I’ve always thought you were a likable guy. I voted for you twice. 

You’re in hot water for wearing a mask made of what appears to be a confederate flag patterned fabric to session yesterday. Not as much hot water as you should be because of the dynamics of your district, but you definitely made the news. 

I am thankful you apologized. I am all about grace and forgiveness. I mean major grace and forgiveness. Because I have needed so much grace and forgiveness myself. We all need so much grace and forgiveness. 

But apology doesn’t necessarily indicate enlightenment. And it should. 

Senator Zorn, I don’t think you get it. Like, you REALLY don’t get it. 

You put on a mask you admit you knew would raise eyebrows and hinted that you thought people would interpret it as a confederate flag – but chose to wear it anyway.. You chose this attire for a session full of tension – rather than seeking common ground. So there’s some duplicity in your apology/explanation. It wasn’t just an oops, thought I was representing the Great State of Kentucky. And why would you be representing Kentucky anyway? 

When questioned, you pivoted to the Confederacy needs to be taught in schools. No sir. No. You CAN NOT use this as any sort of defense. The teachers in Michigan are a solid no on this excuse. Do not insult our intelligence. 

The Confederacy is thoroughly taught in schools. It is taught in required US History courses. More importantly, it is taught in required Michigan History courses. Historians can get a little cynical about the causes of the Civil War and what exactly the motivating factors were for the Union to fight. But not when it comes to Michigan, Senator. Our Michigan youth went to fight and die in the south for one reason only: Abolition. They fought, under the Union flag, to free the slaves. Your district is filled with places significant to the Underground Railroad. The towns you represent each have memorials to our boys- some of whom were fifteen, sixteen years old. The land around the Capitol boasts monuments to the Michigan lives lost fighting. That makes it sacred ground. 

The work of the Abolitionists, the development of the Republican Party as a result, and the lives of our young men who voluntarily fought for liberty – This was the Finest Hour of our Great State of Michigan. And you disgraced it. 

You aren’t alone. On April 20th, many of your legislative colleagues were frolicking- yes frolicking – among confederate flag waving, militia member, white supremacist, law-breaking residents of Michigan while many of their own constituents lay dying from covid. It was appalling. It was disgraceful. It was disappointing. And voters are watching carefully to see who participates on April 30th. 

It is SPITTING IN THE FACE OF OUR STATE TO ALLOW THE CONFEDERATE FLAG ON THE CAPITOL PROPERTY!!! We fought hard to end the confederacy. We sacrificed lives to defeat tyranny. We united our nation. We birthed the Grand Old Party in the process – a party that currently bears no resemblance to its origins.  Michiganders should DESPISE that flag. It represents captivity and death and chains and beatings and ownership of humans by humans – and is a reminder of why we gave up our sons’ lives. 

When you were asked what the confederate flag stood for, it was obvious that you had not the slightest clue how to answer that question. Twice. You went with, “The Confederacy.” So you deliberately chose to wear the emblem of our enemy? 

I don’t buy it.

You know exactly what it stands for. It means rebellion. 

This version of the flag was used following the Civil War as a symbol of terror against Blacks, Jews, and Catholics. It was a symbol of hatred. It was a huge middle finger to the United States for demanding at least a faltering, slow, stumbling push toward all people are created equal. 

It means- you can’t tell me what to do. It means- I reject laws. It means- I have no obligation to others. It means- I am a rebel. It means- You can’t make me stay at home to save the lives of others. It carries with it connotations of 
racism so strong that even conservative former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley demanded it be removed from her state capitol grounds and that it take a place ONLY in history. Its day is over – said the proud southerner. 

And we all know exactly what it meant when you put it on yesterday. 

It was a giant eff you, Governor Whitmer. 

And that is not okay, Sir.