Atticus is under attack

It has been one of the favorite names on baby-naming websites.

“Atticus has been on my favorites list because of the qualities he had in the book,” one mom said.

But now there are moms who regret naming their kids Atticus and it’s because of the publication of “Go Set A Watchman,” which was basically the first draft of “To Kill A Mockingbird.”

In this version, an older Atticus Finch &#8212 hero though he may have been &#8212 questions desegregation and even attends a Klan meeting.

It’s affecting liberals the way the Confederate Battle flag debate affected conservatives. Suddenly a cherished symbol is turned on its head. But is it worth getting upset about?

“We can find some more things to be upset about,” said Mary Badham.

And she should know because she is the actress who, at age 10, played Scout in the movie. She also grew up in Birmingham in the 50s and told Yahoo’s Katie Couric she’s not at all surprised that Atticus Finch was more complicated than we thought.

“Anybody who didn’t conform – it would hurt their personal life. If you were white, you were expected to toe the line,” Badham said.

I think the real problem is thinking that there is such a thing as a perfect hero.

I remember as a kid asking Mom why she named me David.

She said because he was a King in the Bible who learned from his mistakes. Only later did I find out that among those “mistakes” was having a guy killed so he could steal his wife. So I figure if I can live with the name Dave, you can live with the name Atticus.