Posted on 06/14/2006 5:58:12 PM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
Confederate flags flown aboard the international space station — and seemingly signed by a NASA astronaut — showed up last week on the online auction site eBay.
The original eBay listing indicated that the 4-by-6-inch flags were brought aboard the space station by Russian cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov in 2004, and an accompanying photo showed a sample flag that seemed to bear Sharipov’s signature as well as that of Leroy Chiao, his NASA colleague on the station. Yet another photo showed several of the rebel flags floating in a space station module.
The item was pulled from the auction on Monday by the seller, Alex Panchenko of USSR-Russian Air-Space Collectibles Inc. in Los Angeles — and on Tuesday, Panchenko told MSNBC.com that he removed the items from sale because he had concluded the flag and the authentication documents were forgeries.
However, Robert Pearlman, editor and founder of CollectSpace, said he believes the flags are authentic.
“The picture taken of the flags aboard the station says a lot,” he said. “It would be difficult to fake, given the style and I couldn't see the motivation to do so.” The “onboard-the-ISS” stamp, added Pearlman, is not known to have been counterfeited anywhere."
The disappearance of the flags followed a round of criticism over the weekend from former space scientist Keith Cowing, publisher of NASA Watch, an independent Web log. He cited the Confederate flags as an example of “bad judgment on the ISS.”
“You'd think that someone on the U.S. side of the ISS program would have expressed some concern about flying a symbol on the ISS that many Americans associate with slavery,” Cowing wrote.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Those who are proud of the bravery exhibited by so many CSA soldiers should fly that flag proudly, and I say that as a man who wanted to name his son after Joshua Chamberlain.
Now, I am getting really tired of your hidden accusations that are totally unnecessary and unwelcome. I never claimed any such thing as historian. And you, my dear sir, are incredibly close to finding the, Au Revoir...
As for my characterization of you as a historian, I'm sorry I mistook your book about Lee's daughter for a history. I see now that it's a historical novel. Nevertheless, one must practice the trade of the historian to be a historical novelist, and be true to every historical detail that doesn't interfere with good storytelling.
Joshua Chamberlain was an incredible fighter and a great officer and General. I hope we have plenty such men , cut of the same clothe as he, in our Armed Forces today . And a few Jacksons and Forrests too!
So did ya name your son Joshua? A fine name....
he is frequently witty, sends well-sharpened & clever arrows my way, etc. but NOT this last week.
i have no explanation for this change.
free dixie,sw
But it only takes one or two Yankees in the right place to make me ashamed of my whole country.
Murtha, Kerry, any Kennedy, DeWine, Kucinich, etc.
sherman, the destroyer, certainly FITS that mold (as he did NOTHING to halt the ATROCITIES committed against the helpless by his troops), as does MG benjamin (THE BEAST) butler. (BOTH have a seat "near the hot part of the eternal fire", imVho.)
otoh, the vast majority of the "billy yanks" were DECENT, as LTC Josh Chamberlain was. frankly, i know of not even ONE southerner who thinks all the unionists were evil or criminals.
on the other hand, i have NOTHING but CONTEMPT for those who DENY the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of atrocities that WERE committed by the "criminal minority" of the union army.
free dixie,sw
NO PLACE then or NOW is the truthful answer.
imVho, as a member of "a minority group other than white", the MOST VICIOUS & INCIDIOUS racists in all of the continent are in "the oh,so POLITICALLY CORRECT northeast" & on "the left coast".
they smile to your face & make racist,condescending & antisemitic comments to your back. (they have only my CONTEMPT!)
free dixie,sw
i wouldn't have believed it.
free dixie,sw
hip hip HOORAY!
;^)
free dixie,sw
"about nothing" of importance,
the venerable Stars and Bars ?
I beg to differ suh....
free dixie,sw
I know ;^)
And the Klan empire in Indiana effectively died 2 years later when Grand Dragon D.C. Stephenson was convicted of the abduction, rape, and murder of Madge Oberholtzer. By 1928 Klan membership had declined from 178,000 to less than 4,000, which makes one wonder how much hold the racist aspect of the organization had if it could collapse so quickly with just the loss of its leader.
During the rebellion Indiana was a copperhead stronghold. You suppose that's one of the reasons why the Klan had such success there?
I know what you mean. Clinton, Carter, Johnson, Frist, etc.
Yes, well I'm sure you realize just how awful I feel and full of pity and self-sacrifice I am for his predicament. There is not a stitch of sympathy I hold for anyone who deliberately makes attempts to bring another down, as he has done. Not to mention the disrespectful abomination of the differences between genders. And regarding the worry, well the cry baby can just solicit tears and sympathy cards from anyone else who takes the bait...
Top ten states with largest Klan membership, in order:
Indiana
Ohio
Texas
Pennsylvania
Illinois
Oklahoma
New York
Michigan
Georgia
New Jersey
Florida
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