Posted on 08/10/2012 11:39:13 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Race and politics are two topics many people try to avoid. But controversy isn't stopping one Cape Coral teenager. It's just how he's getting his point across that got our attention!
For many people, just seeing the Confederate Flag can stir up some very strong emotions. And seeing President Barack Obama's picture next to that flag is something you might not expect to see.
Now though, the juxtaposition is part of a political message is part of a 16-year-old Ryan Turner's political message.
Ryan says he has the heart of a redneck.
"It's someone who's not afraid to get down and dirty for their money - someone who's not afraid to work hard wipe the sweat off their brow," he said.
"May use a little foul language once in a while but they're not bad people," added his uncle, Tony Turner.
Ryan explained his uncle Tony has been a big part of his life – especially since his father died of cancer 10-years ago.
"If he had good health insurance it would be totally curable - prostate cancer," Ryan said.
And it's that idea - healthcare reform - that steered Ryan toward one candidate.
"Oh, definitely President Obama," he said.
He even started a 'Rednecks for Obama' Facebook page.
"We're rednecks, but we're not racists," he said.
The premise is not exactly original. We found similar groups formed the last time Obama ran for president.
Ryan says where some see a symbol of hate in the Confederate Flag, he sees history.
"It's very, very likely my family fought in the Confederate Army," Ryan said.
"When I grew up in Plant City, Florida, they were still fighting the Civil War," Tony added.
It shouldn't be surprising to hear Ryan and his Uncle Tony to talk about southern heritage. After all, they live in Lee County, Florida - place named after confederate general Robert E. Lee.
When Lee County democrats opened up their new headquarters on Saturday, Ryan brought his own decoration - America's first black president conjoined with the Confederacy.
Moments later party leaders asked Ryan to take it down.
"If somebody is offended by it, I can understand it because they're only seeing one half of the flag," Tony said.
James Muwakkil, President of Lee County's NAACP, says he doesn't mind the Confederate Flag next to President Obama.
"Not if the intention is positive," he said. "For us to be here in the Deep South, and to see whites embracing an African-American man - we love it."
"The reason for the group is to prove not all southerners are racist," Ryan explained.
Lee County democratic leaders canceled our interview for Thursday.
We reached out to the Obama campaign to find out if they endorse Rednecks for Obama. They welcome the support, but did not want to comment on whether they support the use of the Confederate Flag next to the president.
And therein lies the problem. It's not an issue of race, it's an issue of forced white guilt. We've done nothing to Obama, and he's taken a free ride through life on the backs of white men and women. This isn't a matter of race.
“It’s very, very likely my family fought in the Confederate Army,” Ryan said.”
Dear Ryan, You are destroying your family legacy by supporting a President that wants, and has taken great steps towards getting the Federal Government to completely eliminate States’ rights.
But then, Obama IS TRYING TO DIVIDE AMERICA, so Stars and Bars is an appropriate illustration.....
Yes, Obama & his sophisticated fellow leftists think southern whites are that stupid.
This sort of thing might give “rednecks” a bad name.
One branch on that family tree.
Oh. Another "Government healthcare couldda saved my _______" story.
Someone needs to explain to little Ryan what a useful idiot is.
With health insurance all illnesses are totally curable...
FAIL
Ryan doesn’t seem to understand that IPAB would have made the call as to whether his dad got treatment. This would be based on his health (and voting) history.
If you don't know, you are not a Red Neck.
They are laughing at Obama, not with him. If you really think about it, it makes sense. If you hate blacks and other minorities, Obama is the man for you. No matter how bad it may get in America, hard working people with a work ethic will make it through to the other side. Obama is going through America like Katrina went through New Orleans. The hard working people like the ones on the Gulf Coast were back at work, cleaning up the place and rebuilding the morning after. The dreges in New Orleans were sitting on the interstate WAITING for the government to take care of them.
When the SHTF from hurricane OBAMA, it is the lazy @zz crud that will suffer the most. And it is their own fault. Sweet justice to a Redneck. And you get to look good doing it!!
He’s 16, he wants to believe. He doesn’t have enough life experience to see the fraud for what it is.
Muwakkil is a name that spread around the Nation of Islam community in Philadelphia in the 80s among people formerly named Johnson, etc.
(Ping to #15!!...OBTW, we had the EXACT same post time!!)
Well, here's the fourth:
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