Posted on 12/01/2008 11:13:21 AM PST by fella
Motel's choice of flag upsetting to some
by Kyle Mooty Madison County Record Editor
The owners of a Huntsville motel insist their decision to replace the United States flag with a Confederate flag following Barack Obama's victory last week in the Presidential election had nothing to do with race.
In a written statement to The Record, the owners of the Faubus Motel did say that the reason for the change in flags was politically driven.
The motel is not associated with its former owner, Alta Faubus, who sold the motel in the 1980's. It has been owned by James and Linda Vandiver since 1996.
Ellen Kreth and Fara Faubus, Alta Faubus' grandchildren and owners of The Madison County Record, stated that they have no association with the Faubus Motel and do not agree with the Vandivers' political views or the flying of the Confederate flag at the motel.
A Fayetteville television station reported the motel's choice of flags following Obama's victory. The station inserted interviews from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of State Colin Powell into the story, talking about the historical significance of Obama being elected.
Some neighbors of the motel have complained to The Record and to the TV station of what the flag symbolizes.
James Vandiver said he had flown the flag before and that he had not heard any negative comments, then said he would only respond to questions in a written statement. The Vandivers issued the following statement to The Record on Tuesday morning:
"On election night, we lowered Old Glory from our flag pole because we are no longer the land of the free and the home of the brave (except for our military)," the letter stated. "The sound principals for which Old Glory stood have been abandoned. We raised the rebel flag of the Old South in protest. Since political correctness forces people into a limited frame of reference, we wish to say this loud and clear, this was not about race. We resent having a Marxist in the White House no matter color he is. If Mr. Obama had tried to enter the White House as an ordinary citizen, he would not qualify for a security clearance because of his past associations. We decided if Obama can refuse to properly salute the flag and his buddy, Bill Ayers, could stand on the American flag in a trash-filled alley, then we could take Old Glory down in honor and respect.
"We are angry with a biased, agenda-driven media. We are angry that for the past eight years President Bush and the Republican Party have been blamed by the Democrats and their cohorts in the media for the incomplete and irresponsible way that the group A.C.O.R.N. let down potential voters in the state of Florida in 2000. A.C.O.R.N. has used our tax dollars to carry out, contrary to the law, a partisan "get out the vote" effort of scandalous proportions. The other arm of this nefarious organization bullies and harasses banks and lending institutions to make the risky loans that have jeopardized our nation's financial security. We are outraged that the Democrats, who portray themselves as the great defenders of the night to vote, did not feel compelled to ensure the rights of our military to be guaranteed their full privileges during the election.
"Old Glory is still displayed on our American owned and operated sign. So far, the response from our clientele has been supportive and positive."
Huntsville Mayor Larry Bates had not heard of the motel's choice in flags until Monday.
"I don't have any comment other than to each his own," Bates said. "I wouldn't tell Jim not to do it. It's strictly up to him. It's on his property. The city won't be flying (a Confederate flag)." The motel, located next to Pizza Hut, has a standing sign in front of its offices that reads "American Owned and Operated."
Jessie Bryant, an African-American from Fayetteville who is ending a 14-year run as a member of the Washington County Quorum Court, grew up through the segregation era. Bryant, born in 1926, was asked about her reaction to the Confederate flag being flown at the Huntsville motel.
"It's just his way of expressing his dislike for what happened. If that's his way of protesting what happened, he has the right," Bryant said. "He has the privilege of changing the flag. It's his way of expressing how he feels. It's obviously a dilemma with him. He feels a little bit of his heritage has been taken away, which is not true at all. In America, he still has the same privileges of anybody else. There is nothing we can say or do about it."
Bryant's son, Arkansas State Trooper Louis Bryant, was killed by Wayne Snell during a traffic stop in 1984 on U.S. Highway 71 between De Queen and Texarkana. That stretch of highway is now known as the Trooper Louis Bryant Highway.
I’m guessing the continuation of slavery, for one.
And your evidence for this is? Federal taxes were the same throughout the country- how was the South paying more in taxes?
the south went to open trade routes out west and not pay tax’s to the north on those trades.
Are you referring to the Western US? If so, what kind of taxes would the South have to pay on trade within the US? And what was the South trading out West? The South's economy was based on exporting agricultural goods, with a heavy emphasis on cotton, to overseas markets. There was nobody out West to buy their products and no infrastructure to ship the products out there, anyway.
Slaves == $$$$$$$
Most of the South’s wealth was in land and slaves.
Only a few white men were disfranchised during Reconstruction. Most of these being Confederate government officials and high army officers. Most of them for short periods. They weren’t disenfranchised for being white, they lost their right to vote because they betrayed their oath to the United States.
Before you fall into a morass of self-pity, you might go take a look at how some other great civil wars turned out for the losers.
English Civil War - losers had all property confiscated and often were executed. Estimated 10% of population of England died, 30% of Scotland, 40% of Ireland. In the earlier Wars of the Roses entire clans of aristocrats were wiped out, which admittedly was usually no great loss to anyone else.
Spanish Civil War - somewhere around 200,000 of the losers executed after the fighting ended.
Taiping Rebellion (around the same time as WBTS)- total death toll around 30M, about half of those in reprisals after the real fighting ended.
Russian Civil War - led to the victory of Lenin and Stalin, eventual death toll somewhere around 30M to 50M. Captured losers were generally shot on the spot.
Numerous Roman civil wars - if losers weren’t massacred, they were sold into slavery.
In fact, of all great civil wars down thru history, the defeated South was treated by far the most gently. That is a historical fact.
Almost no land or other property confiscated. Even General Lee’s family eventually got title to Arlington back.
Only one man executed for war crimes.
Is it at all possible that Jeff Davis' conscription in 1862 (I believe it was) that caused some of this? A few governors in the CSA were dead set against any kind of conscription if I'm not mistaken.
er many many people had their land taken away, infact I know of a guy who had ancestors out in lee county GA who had their land taken away
as for so what about land taken away
yea the indians did too didn’t they ?
If you know England then there is still resentment about the civil war there
Got to spain and there is still the basque and Madrid at each other
just because a treaty was signed does not mean the loser has to forget their dead nor their struggle and nor their views.
yankees can look at the war with o get over it but if the south had gone tom places up north like MA, VT,RI,NY and did the crap like sherman did then the story would be different
There is a book called civil war archive , it is quite telling in those letters.
the south were treated quite good, well yes compared to stalin and his gulags.
Here are the facts, the south was being taxed and I never said more did I? and they saw their money go up north.
carpetbaggers came down south after the war and took land, plantations , houses etc go to Richmond etc and look at the archives.
The war was never over slavery and only the people who know of no history actually thinks that.
The south lost for a number of reason and it was not the loss of will to fight.
no more men of fighting age where the north had shiploads every day from Europe.
the north had the navy and blocked the ports
the north had the money and the industry.
Just before Gettysburg the north was taking big defeats and the war was becoming a burden to most people even the NY times published about it back then.
Now that is a very interesting read.
Technology
over 60,000 blacks fought for the confederacy, the 6 nations of native Americans fought for it too, less than 5% of southerners like slavery and states like TN was thinking of getting rid of it
in the end this topic is about a motel flying the flag, and so what they have a right, they have a right to do what ever with the flag and I find it strange that when the stars and stripes is burnt liberals say big deal just a cloth and yet show the battle flag a flag and a war they know nothing about they get their knickers in a twist.
agriculture out to the west as we had loads
who said the south was taxed more?
I said the south was being taxed and they saw the money going up north
that is the reason why the war started and why the south got pissed off
only the uneducated northern liberals think it was over slavery but mention to them the 60,000 blacks who fought and the 6 nations of native Americans and they choke, er what they did , er no way I want to see evidence
course they only have to come to my town to see their graves and talk to their families.
shame that many have bought into the PC NY , MA liberal view of history when it concerns this
many think because the KKK used the flag is is racist and yet the KKK flew the stars and stripes first
Then they say well it stands for slavery and yet the war was never over slavery even to the north and Lincoln made that quite clear
The following States had slavery, including NORTHERN SATTES: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia (including West Virginia which hadn’t separated from Virginia at that time). (The District of Columbia also had slavery prior to the Civil War.)
indeed they did, if one wants to go further back they would find now liberal states like MA even had slavery and it was a black man in VA who got slavery though the courts legalized.
only less than two years ago MA got rid of a law which banned native Americans from entering the city of Boston.
I forget Lincolns speech word for word but it goes something like this.
I will not go to war to free slaves I have no intention nor do I think I have a lawful right.
My only concern to to bring the union together again and then I think he goes on to say about stopping the rebellion.
course neither side expected it go as long as it did and even after Gettysburg the south put up a brave fight for two more years
this was just before he gave the order to invade the south.
I’ve just got back from Cherokee NC, beautiful place and I talked to a number of descendants from the war, I knew the indians did a great service for the south but they told me stories how they trapped the north in the woods etc and how they would terrify the union soldiers by their screams from the woods.
just remembered that slavery was legalized in VA in 1654 because a black man got slavery legal.
there were other black slave owners and of course this is not taught in schools either and God forbid if the NAACP or liberal actually learn some truth
Wow... 100 posts and N-S has not come in and spouted his leftest dribble. Amazing.
Thanks...I thought it was the Naval jack....myself, I think I’ll fly the Bonnie Blue flag and see how long it takes for the idiots to figure out what it is.
The Confederate conscription was widely resented, especially because its provision exempting large slaveholders lent validity to the charge that the Confederate cause was a rich man’s war and poor man’s fight. And most of the true believers had volunteered early so the authorities were targeting the lukewarm at the time the faith of the believers was starting to waver.
Reconstruction was badly handled to be sure, but I think southerners also need to remember the mayhem caused by Confederate home front petty tyranny. In many places in the South, the Union army actually were liberators who delivered a majority, both black and white, from a grim existence.
You have every right to hold that opinion, but absolutely no right to make that decision for the property owner in question. This is still a fairly free country.
I would bet that every one of you said many times without thinking, “ I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States....”
Of course you were too young to know what that pledge means. And you are having much more fun being silly Yahoos.
Do you think you have the right to suppress my opinion?
You have it wrong. Faubus surrounded the school with troops to prevent blacks from entering. It was "Central High School" not Little Rock High. You may be recalling when Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway at the University to block blacks from entering. He called it an act of protest for states' rights.
Secessionism. Six states asserted that they had the right to withdraw from the United States and establish a separate political confederation. The Union said they could not do that. The war settled that issue.
Get lost.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.