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Holden: Removing Confederate flag was "right decision"
St. Louis Post Dispatch ^ | 20 February 2003 | Scott Charlton

Posted on 02/21/2003 2:44:24 PM PST by Rebeleye

Gov. Bob Holden said Thursday that his administration made ``the right decision'' in suddenly pulling down Confederate battle flags that had flown for years without controversy at two Missouri historic sites.

The Democratic governor also said he sees no need to meet with representatives of Southern heritage groups pressing for a compromise to restore the flags over a Confederate cemetery and a Civil War fort.

(Excerpt) Read more at postdispatch.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: Missouri
KEYWORDS: civilwar; confederate; holden; missouri; onetermbob
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Gov. Bob Holden said Thursday that his administration made ``the right decision'' in suddenly pulling down Confederate battle flags that had flown for years without controversy at two Missouri historic sites.

The Democratic governor also said he sees no need to meet with representatives of Southern heritage groups pressing for a compromise to restore the flags over a Confederate cemetery and a Civil War fort.

Gene Dressell of Jonesburg, commander in chief of the Missouri Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans, said he was disappointed but not surprised by Holden's comments.

``A poll shows two-thirds of the people of Missouri say he is wrong on this issue. I suppose we will have to wait for a change in leadership in the Capitol, but the flags will go back up at some point,'' Dressell said.

Dressell referred to a recent St. Louis Post-Dispatch poll that found two-thirds of Missourians opposed the recent decision to pull down the flags at the Higginsville and Fort Davidson state historic sites.

Of the 603 Missourians surveyed, 45 percent said they ``strongly disagreed'' with the decision and an additional 21 percent said they ``somewhat disagreed.'' Just 30 percent said they agreed with removing the flag. The poll by Zogby International had an error margin of 4.1 percentage points.

Holden told visiting news media at the Governor's Mansion that continued display of the Confederate battle flag on state property could hurt Missouri's economic development efforts.

``I'm trying to heal society,'' Holden said. ``If we continue to fight each other we will not be successful in competing in the global economy.''

The flags came down Jan. 14 after Democratic presidential candidate Dick Gephardt of St. Louis -- Holden's former boss -- issued a statement in South Carolina that the Confederate battle flag should no longer fly ``anytime, anywhere.''

The Associated Press then reported on the Confederate flags flying without controversy at the historic sites in Gephardt's home state, noting that the state Department of Natural Resources hadn't received any complaints from any elected officials, including Gephardt.

Gephardt's spokesman said the congressman was unfamiliar with the Missouri flag displays because they were outside his St. Louis district -- but that the flags should still be removed.

Holden's spokeswoman, Mary Still, said she read the AP story and passed word about it to Steve Mahfood, director of the Department of Natural Resources. Mahfood ordered the flags down the same day.

Still said Holden was told about the decision later.

Holden said Wednesday: ``It was the right decision.''

The Confederate battle flag ``has been used as a divisive instrument in modern times to try to drive people apart, not bring them together,'' Holden said.

The governor said he believes the flag may be appropriately displayed in a museum, where it is subject to ``historical interpretation.''

Confederate heritage groups -- and a historic site supervisor from Holden's own Natural Resources Department -- have declared there is no more appropriate place to fly the flag than over graves of about 700 Confederate soldiers and wives at Higginsville or at Fort Davidson, site of a Civil War battle.

Dressell said the state's removal of the flags violates an agreement dating to early in the last century in which Missouri took over the privately-owned Higginsville Confederate home and cemetery.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans had proposed to the state that a lower flag pole be placed close to the graves. But Dressell said he has received no response from the state.

On Jan. 18, demonstrators protesting the flags' removal marched outside the Governor's Mansion. Dressell said they will return March 1 for another peaceful mansion demonstration ``to let the governor know many Missourians, including many of his fellow Democrats, disagree with this decision.''

1 posted on 02/21/2003 2:44:24 PM PST by Rebeleye
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To: Rebeleye
This is insane PC garbage. What next? Are they gonna go after the Civil War reenactors who fly the Confederate flag? Outrageous. I can see some debate (and a vote) on whether or not the Confederate emblem should go on a modern state flag, but to ban the flag flying over a Confederate war monument or a cemetery full of soldiers who died for and under that flag--this is just plain stupid.
2 posted on 02/21/2003 3:13:12 PM PST by demnomo
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To: Rebeleye
Gov. Bob Holden said Thursday that his administration decided that there is no history! "History begins today, and we are burning all history books and issuing new ones by the end of this fiscal and school year! We expect that all citizens willfully forget all they know about the past, and we will update them on future events as we see fit".

FMCDH

3 posted on 02/21/2003 3:13:30 PM PST by nothingnew (the pendulum always swings back and the socialists are now in the pit)
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To: demnomo
I don't believe it because both President Bush and PM Blair must realize by now just how corrupt, cowardly and morally bankrupt France, Germany, Belgium and the UN are regarding Iraq.
4 posted on 02/21/2003 3:19:58 PM PST by demnomo
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To: demnomo; All
Ooops! Forgive me, folks. I posted on the wrong thread.
5 posted on 02/21/2003 3:22:00 PM PST by demnomo
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To: demnomo
Huh?...you on the right thread?...Must be FRiday...hehheh heh.

FMCDH

6 posted on 02/21/2003 3:22:43 PM PST by nothingnew (the pendulum always swings back and the socialists are now in the pit)
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To: demnomo
A BIG FRiday forgiveness... It just made me laugh, is all. Something I find myself doing more and more...

FMCDH

7 posted on 02/21/2003 3:24:29 PM PST by nothingnew (the pendulum always swings back and the socialists are now in the pit)
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To: nothingnew
Yup, it's Friday. I was answering a few too many posts on "My Comments" and messed up. One at a time... :)
8 posted on 02/21/2003 3:26:30 PM PST by demnomo
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To: demnomo
It's OK...the truth is the truth on any thread. :)
9 posted on 02/21/2003 3:40:40 PM PST by cubreporter
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To: Rebeleye
Gephardt's spokesman said the congressman was unfamiliar with the Missouri flag displays because they were outside his St. Louis district -- but that the flags should still be removed.
Gephard's buttboy said the congresscritter was unfamiliar with Missouri because he doesn't live there and he thought he was elected king. Therefore he can dictate laws to that state even though he isn't sure where it is...but that doesn't matter beacuse only the flag of his design is legal and history is what he says it is...and besides the governor used to work for him... and you subjects had better be quiet, or else...

WTF?

10 posted on 02/21/2003 3:47:21 PM PST by jcparks
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To: nothingnew
History begins today....."

"Surrender mean that the history of this heroic stuggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their verion of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision." --Gen. Patrick Cleburne, CSA

11 posted on 02/21/2003 3:49:22 PM PST by PistolPaknMama (kaboom!)
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To: Rebeleye
There is no right decision that can save Holdens political career.
His version of the "right decision" removes fact from History. It distorts the truths of the real reasons for the Confederacy. It seeks to hide fact which in turn distorts the truth. The truth is too hard for some to handle.

Nothing is mentioned about fighting for states rights, Freedom from excessive Federal taxation. Freedom to make decisions for the local people first. Only the left's racist card is mentioned as a reason to remove history.

To disagree must make one a racist. Call me whatever. I am a novice Historian. So I guess presenting the whole factual truth about history makes me a novice racist Historian. I can only think of one name to call those who misinform history but play the race card when challenged. That name is illegitimate American. My oh my. Some people are too sensitive. The truth hurts so much some choose to lie as if it makes it all better. btttttt
12 posted on 02/21/2003 5:00:33 PM PST by o_zarkman44
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To: demnomo
lol did the same thing myself just a few minutes ago
13 posted on 02/21/2003 5:01:45 PM PST by Damagro
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To: jcparks
Jim Talent has taken essentially the same stance as Gephardt on the CFB. Do you have any choice adjectives for him?
14 posted on 02/24/2003 10:01:18 AM PST by mac_truck (Nullum saeculum magnis ingeniis clausum est.)
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