Cool Flag, Lousy Roots

Well, shit. I just learned that the white and red cross in the Maryland flag was actually adopted by Confederate sympathizers in the state during the Civil War (I still, after 20 years, have to remind myself that I’m south of the Mason-Dixon Line) and legislation was passed banning its display on grounds of treason. 15 years after the war, during a 150-year celebration of the state’s founding, it was combined into a design with the heraldic banner of Lord Calvert, which had been adopted by the Union Army of Maryland. So I’ve been flying a flag with Confederate roots for years outside the house.