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Posted on 06/14/2005 10:21:00 AM PDT by robowombat
Maryville bans Rebel flag at events 2005-06-14 by Bonny C. Millard of The Daily Times Staff
The Rebel flag will no longer be allowed at any Maryville school system events.
The Maryville Board of Education voted on first reading to ban flags, noisemakers, sirens, whistles, laser-pointers and hand-held signs Monday night during its monthly meeting.
``This would prohibit bringing in any kind of flags,'' Director of Schools Mike Dalton said.
The exemption to this policy will be equipment, approved by the principal and Dalton, used by groups such as cheerleaders and the flag team.
The no-flag policy eliminates the use of a symbol long associated with the school system but one that has caused growing concern over the years.
``It's been a sensitive issue,'' he said.
Dalton said the Rebel flag has never officially represented the school. Several years ago, it was removed from school buildings and publications.
``As long as you've got kids and families offended by what we do, we have to be concerned about it,'' Dalton said. ``It may not be popular, but it's the right thing to do.''
The school board's decision comes on the heels of a safety assessment of the school system by nationally known safety expert Johnny Purvis.
Dalton said he talked to Purvis about the use of the flag and other things that make people feel uncomfortable and asked his opinion on it.
Dalton said that Purvis indicated that with more people of diverse backgrounds moving into the area, problems shouldn't be allowed to get started. Purvis did a safety assessment on the high school and middle school about three years ago, Dalton said.
Recent incidents of racism including threats against African Americans at the county's William Blount High School and a Hispanic restaurant vandalized and painted with swastikas have surfaced in Blount County.
Dalton's brother, retired educator Ben Dalton, banned the Confederate battle flag from Heritage High School after that school had a racial incident.
Heritage High doesn't allow other schools to bring it to events. William Blount initiated a similar policy this spring in response to events at the school.
In addressing the issue, Dalton said he spoke to high school administrators and sent information about it to the school board members. He also said he has received comments and questions about when the school board going to deal with the situation.
Dalton said the school board wanted to promote an environment of good sportsmanship at athletic events. The school system doesn't want to allow people to do things that will make others uncomfortable, he said.
``We felt like it was time to take a strong position,'' Dalton said.
The event safety policy also prohibits any action ``associated with oppression, hate, or anything else that may cause other students, parents, visitors, constituents, school district employees, spectators, or any other individuals to feel uncomfortable based on race, color, creed, gender, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, religious belief/non-belief... This includes verbal, non-verbal, and physical acts.''
An earlier draft of the policy included specifics of a Confederate flag, swastikas, iron crosses, six-pointed stars, five-pointed stars and double lightning bolts. However, Dalton said the specifics were removed because it would be harder to monitor all the different symbols, such as on a shirt or an earring.
The school system can handle offensive symbols with a general policy prohibiting their display, he added.
Violators of the policy will be removed from the event unless they get rid of the offending article. Dalton said the school system will have to develop policies regarding safety for students kicked out of a game.
In other action, the Board voted to seek bids for system-owned band instruments through a lease-purchase program.
State Rep. Doug Overbey presented a resolution congratulating retired kindergarten teacher Ferrell Smith, who was recently inducted into the Tennessee Teachers Hall of Fame. Smith retired from John Sevier Elementary School and taught in the system for 31 years.
Overbey also presented a resolution to Bob Stewart honoring the memory of his father, the late J.P. Stewart, who served as school superintendent for 23 years. Stewart died in March.
The resolutions were signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen and other legislators.
Or the heritage that thought "the only good Indian was a dead Indian"? (General William Sherman)...the heritage that thought that a good use of the victorious Union Army would be to slaughter the Plains Indians to make room for the Transcontinental Railroad? Sherman, in describing the federal plan to deal with the Indians (the "final solution to the Indian problem" Sherman called it) wrote, in a December 18, 1890 letter to the New York Times, that, were it not for "civilian interference," the US Army would have "gotten rid of them all" and killed every last Indian in the U.S."
Or the heritage that believed that the U.S. in the 1860's was "swarming with dishonest Jews"? (again, the words of Union General William Sherman...who persuaded General U.S. Grant to expel all Jews from the U.S. Army in December of 1862)
Before casting aspersions on the heritage of the Southern states...remember the Black Codes in many northern states, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Lincoln's black re-colonization plan, the (nearly successful) plan to exterminate the Plains Indians...there's a lot to be ashamed of there as well, no?
Is it downhill to admire those who fought for equality over those who fought to keep people as slaves? I think it is uphill, against the gravity of fools.
I presume that he has no concern for offending those that want the flag to remain. Must be great to feel godlike.
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Dalton said. ``It may not be right, but it's the popular thing to do.''
I understand why they changed this. This must have conflicted with the ultimate plan to make the jews wear them.
Hehhehheh.
T.C.A. 39-16-403. Official oppression.
(a) A public servant acting under color of office or employment commits an offense who:
(1) Intentionally subjects another to mistreatment or to arrest, detention, stop, frisk, halt, search, seizure, dispossession, assessment or lien when the public servant knows the conduct is unlawful; or
(2) Intentionally denies or impedes another in the exercise or enjoyment of any right, privilege, power or immunity, when the public servant knows the conduct is unlawful.
(b) For purposes of this section, a public servant acts under color of office or employment if the public servant acts, or purports to act, in an official capacity or takes advantage of such actual or purported capacity.
(c) An offense under this section is a Class E felony.
(d) Charges for official oppression may be brought only by indictment, presentment or criminal information; provided, that nothing herein shall deny a person from pursuing other criminal charges by affidavit of complaint.
[Acts 1989, ch. 591, § 1; 1990, ch. 980, § 11.]
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United States Code, TITLE 18, U.S. Criminal Code, Section 242:
Deprivation of rights under color of law
Whoever, under color of any law, statute, ordinance, regulation, or custom, willfully subjects any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District to the deprivation of any rights, privileges, or immunities secured or protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or to different punishments, pains, or penalties, on account of such person being an alien, or by reason of his color, or race, than are prescribed for the punishment of citizens, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both;
and if bodily injury results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include the use, attempted use, or threatened use of a dangerous weapon, explosives, or fire, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.
I agree with that...there was not much to admire of the Confederacy's position on slavery...although there were many who fought for the Confederacy for other reasons (Robert E. Lee being the most prominent of those Confederates very much opposed to the institution of slavery)...and many who fought for the Union for reasons other than to free the slaves (for the first half of the war...that was virtually every Union leader, Union soldier and Lincoln himself)...but if the Civil War was fought for any reason other than to free the slaves...and 600,000 Americans died, the Shenendoah Valley and much of the South itself destroyed and the principle of a limited federal government acting as an agent of the sovereign states forever destroyed...why is Lincoln's face on Mount Rushmore? And if we celebrate Lincoln...and the reasons for fighting were mixed on both sides...why begrudge the southern states' right to also celebrate their heritage?
"I don't think that flying the Confederate Battle flag is a worthy and commendable thing"
The above do. Care to make an excuse for them or tell them that they can't fly their flag?
Yankees practiced their own version of slavery back then, and in fact, did you know that General Robert E. Lee released all of his slaves before General Grant did?
No, oh victim of left-wing controlled government schools...
The South would be EXACTLY the kind of prosperous, strong, God-fearing, conservative country the Founding Fathers established. One that strictly follows the Constitution, understands we are founded on, and guided by Christian principles, and one that is compassionate and helpful to the rest of the world - while still putting the ultimate well-being of our citizens FIRST.
We would have done just fine without arrogant, condescending, know-it-all, atheistic yankee bastards trying to tell us what the hell to do.
That's your misguided, ignorant (not your fault, since it's unfortunately what they teach in government schools today)opinion.
You are flat wrong.
Consider these points (which I've posted before)...
The tyranny of the hand-wringing minority is at it again. Emotion trying to trump facts, which are:
1. Of 228 years of slavery in the U.S. (it STILL exists in Africa,and other places, and is like much of the violent crime in the U.S. - black-on-black) ONLY 4 years of it involved the Confederacy (and thus, happened under the Confederate battle flag).
2. General Lee freed his slaves early on, General Grant did not.
3. No slaves were brought to the U.S. under a Confederate flag ship. Most were brought by foreigners (the Dutch, etc.) or Yankees.
4. The Confederate battle flag is based on the St. Andrews Cross - a Christian flag.
Those are just a FEW of the facts that suggest that this "controversial" issue is being overblown by the MSM, some liberal blacks (only 12%-14% of the population, by the way) who seek more power and prestige through incessant rabble-rousing, and other assorted hand-wringers.
The Confederacy and it's symbols are part of our history and Southern heritage. Is it all good? No. But is everything that has been done by our country under the Stars and Stripes good and noble? No.
Given that fact, Old Glory is probably offensive to SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE. Is that reason enough to dump our great national flag? HELL NO, and the same goes for the Confederate battle flag.
As an aside, I guess point #4 above is enough reason for the ANTI-AMERICAN bastards at the ACLU to get involved, huh?
Excellent comments and so true!
had our ancestors won their war for INDEPENDENCE, the CSA would be at least the the 4th most powerful nation in the world & the one with the most LIBERTY.
obviously you are another drinker of the damnyankee kool aide, served to the NAIVE & 1/2-educated victims of the "public screwl sistim".
free dixie,sw
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