Posted on 05/12/2003 6:33:34 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
The Confederate Battle Flag has fared about as well in America's contemporary political battlefields as it did on the battlefields of Virginia in the 1860s, with a mixed bag of wins and losses. The NAACP and other liberal organizations scored victories in the past decade by having the controversial banner removed from state capitol buildings in Alabama and South Carolina. The forces of heritage bowdlerization then turned their focus to Georgia and Mississippi, states that incorporate the most recognizable symbol of the late Confederacy into their own flags.
Mississippi, a state with a large black population, held a public vote on the matter to either keep the current flag or adopt a new state flag that substituted the battle emblem with a blue field with 20 white stars, signifying the order of the state's entrance into the Union. By a two to one margin, the Mississippi electorate decided to keep the century old flag flying. Needless to say, the p.c. militia was dealt a stunning blow.
Georgia would be a totally different story in the battle flag battle since the Magnolia State was not as susceptible to the same economic pressure that could be applied to their more affluent sister southern state. In 2001, then Georgia Governor Roy Barnes (D) signed a bill that created a new state flag which reduced the Confederate symbol from its former 2/3's proportion to a tiny rectangle on a banner that looked more like a quilt than a flag. Many would argue that Barnes' decision in this matter is the primary reason why he is cited as "then governor" instead of "current governor", as the controversy became a major issue in his unsuccessful re-election campaign.
The man who defeated Barnes, Republican Sonny Perdue, ran on a platform that pledged to follow Mississippi's direction in handling the subject by placing the "flag question" before the voters. Since his inauguration, Perdue has deviated from his promise by setting a public vote that would pit Barnes' artistic abomination against a brand new "compromise" flag that is basically the first flag of the CSA, also known as the "stars and bars", with the state seal within the circle of stars.
Perdue has found himself in a similar position as his predecessor was in regarding the Georgia flag. The Left is not pleased with any reference to the Confederacy in the state flag, no matter how obscure or miniscule it may be, and the NAACP has renewed their threat to follow through with an economic boycott of Georgia. On the Right, proponents of the 1956 flag feel betrayed by Perdue's signing legislation that killed a referendum on the abolished banner, ending any hope that it would ever be restored as the state flag.
From an aesthetic point of view, the "Perdue flag" is a drastic improvement over the "Barnes flag". The three red, white and red bars with a blue union in the upper left-hand corner is far more attractive than the blue banner with the intricate "Seal of Georgia" in gold and pictures of five flags that flew over Georgia located beneath it. Upon viewing it for the first time, I felt sorry for the first graders who were assigned to draw and color the Georgia flag.
From a historical standpoint, the new flag bears a strong resemblance to the pre-1956 state flags and, as mentioned previously, is nearly identical to the Confederacy's maiden banner. I can understand why anyone who is an ardent foe of anything Confederate would be less than pleased with this second attempt to make everyone happy. It won't, so Governor Perdue might as well be prepared to deal with a second northern invasion, this time by placard waving protestors.
Governor Perdue would be wise to salvage his position and protect his constituents by taking the NAACP and others to task, as a boycott against his state would hurt black and white alike. Tourism brings Georgia billions of dollars a year and blacks that work in the service industry, the same wage earners the NAACP portends to represent, could lose their jobs or have their standard of living reduced by squeezing major corporations and organizations into canceling conventions and events.
The greatest pressure Perdue has received was not from liberal professional demonstrators, but from the White House. President Bush's underlings have impressed upon the governor that they would like to avoid having the president saddled with a "Confederate flag referendum" the same year he is running for re-election. Ironically, had Al Gore won the White House, Perdue would have likely pushed for his original referendum pledge. Perdue would have had far less strain on him since the Republican governor would not have felt politically obligated to satisfy the wishes of a Democratic administration.
Even though the new flag swaps one symbol of the Confederacy with another, it all boils down to the fact that Governor Perdue failed to live up to his word to give the voters a chance to bring back the old flag, something those who supported his candidacy largely because of his pre-inauguration posture are not likely to let slide. The 1956 flag, former Governor Roy Barnes, and his silly consensus tapestry could have some company in the retirement home as Perdue might find himself politically "furled" via referendum when he seeks re-election in 2006.
Live by the poll and you'll die by the poll. Democracy is the rule of fools by fools. The number of fools increases with every passing generation.
Nice to see national leaders are willing to throw issues important at the state level under the bus to get some votes. That's exactly how the Founders intended to have this nation of seperate and sovereign states run....
Perdue should offer the flag that he promised in 2004, and not the one he came up with. If the RNC doesn't like it, tough
You know, it's kinda funny. The boycott against SC, actually caused tourism to go up, about 11%. Maybe Georgia could use a little boost.
I know the Stars and Bars refers to the First National Flag of the CSA, the Stars and Bars was used as the official flag of the Confederacy from March 1861 to May of 1863.
The seven stars represent the original Confederate States.
South Carolina (December 20, 1860)
Mississippi(January 9, 1861)
Florida (January 10,1861)
Alabama (January 11, 1861)
Georgia (January 19, 1861)
Louisiana (January 26, 1861)
and Texas (February 1, 1861)
The Battle Flag was flying over the SC State Capitol. BUT, a boycott is still a boycott.
Well now,,it has Six Flags, Road Atlanta and a few other good things. :)
BS. The NAACP has been boycotting South Carolina for years. With the exception of a few liberal wackos, (like the current crop of democrat presidential wannabees), no one cares.
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.