The latest aerial flagging occurred May 17, when planes towed banners over the state GOP convention in Macon. It was in protest of Gov. Sonny Perdue's signing of legislation to choose a flag that omits the 1956 version.
Posted on 05/28/2003 6:24:02 AM PDT by stainlessbanner
One of the most intriguing mysteries of Georgia politics began on a dark evening in January, when a little red car turned off a road in rural Pike County and eased up the driveway of Mitch and Bonnie Mordas.
The visitor was ushered into a basement office. Preparations were examined and approved. The driver of the red car handed over several thousand dollars in cash, payment in advance.
The customer left with a receipt made out to "Cash."
A week or so later, on the day of Gov. Sonny Perdue's inauguration, three planes owned by the Mordases circled downtown Atlanta for 11 hours, towing 33-foot banners that featured the 1956 state flag with its Confederate battle emblem. "Let Us Vote, You Promised," one banner read.
The aerial "flagging" of Perdue has since been duplicated twice more, the latest one May 17 over the state Republican convention in Macon.
The identity of the person, or persons, who has put up at least $10,000 to embarrass the governor has become a matter of intense speculation in Georgia politics.
Mitch Mordas pleads ignorance. "I don't know who they are, and it's better that I don't know," he said. "But every time, it's been the same M.O." First, an anonymous phone call dictating the messages to be flown by the tow planes, followed by cash at the doorstep.
State officials say the airborne flaggings probably don't fall under campaign finance laws, meaning there's likely nothing illegal afoot.
Confederate heritage activists scoff at the notion their organizations could afford the $275 per flying hour.
Republicans insist the expense and sophisticated targeting point to a dirty-tricks operation sponsored by Democrats eager to keep Perdue feeling heat on the flag. "I'm waiting for Toto to pull down the curtain and reveal Oz," said Scott Rials, executive director of the state GOP.
Democrats counter that, given the results of last November's elections, they don't have the money to waste on such stunts. They point the finger at the Rebel flag enthusiasts, or "flaggers," who contributed to Gov. Roy Barnes' re-election defeat by dogging him at public appearances for his role in hauling down the 1956 state flag dominated by the Confederate battle emblem.
Perdue has inherited the treatment, after having signed a bill that sets a referendum on the state flag, as the Republican candidate promised, but which omits the Rebel emblem as a choice.
But the aerial flagging is a new wrinkle. And the messages in the sky have become more strident.
Grateful for business
Mitch and Bonnie Mordas operate Barbara's Banners from their 40 acres that features a 2,500-foot grassy landing strip near Zebulon, about 45 miles south of Atlanta. The Mordas air force consists of three two-seater, 180-horsepower Super Cubs, flown with the help of free-lance pilots.
Their business hasn't yet recovered from being grounded after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which explains why the Mordases clam up when questioning about the flaggings gets too detailed.
They won't, for instance, say whether the cash payment for their services is delivered by a man or a woman, though they will say it's the same person each time.
"This has been a godsend for us," Mitch Mordas said. "We don't want it to stop."
The Mordases don't deny pangs of conscience. "It bothers me that I'm hurting Sonny's feelings," said Bonnie Mordas. "I'm such a straight Republican."
A spokeswoman for the governor declined to comment on the aerial protests.
For sleuths trying to ferret out the mystery flaggers, the pool of facts is shallow:
• The targets of the banners have been the Perdue inauguration, an April 17 meeting of the Republican Governors Association at Lake Oconee, east of Atlanta, and the state GOP convention May 17 in Macon. A flagging ordered up for the St. Patrick's Day parade in Savannah was rained out.
• On their last flyover, pilots were instructed to take pictures and e-mail the images to political reporters and to The Georgia Reporter, a Democratic-leaning Web site. "It sounds like something a political operative would do," said the GOP's Rials.
He and others point to the Republican Governors Association meeting at Lake Oconee. That was an obscure event more likely to attract the attention of a savvy Democrat than a supporter of the Rebel flag, Rials said.
But Democrats insist it's not them. They argue they're no more likely to want a revival of the tortured flag issue than does Perdue.
"We're not going to spend that kind of money on something like that," said Jeff DiSantis, executive director of the state Democratic Party. "We're ready to move on."
Barnes camp denials
Some Republicans suspect the remnants of the defeated Barnes campaign. The denials from the ex-governor's camp come individually and as a group.
"No, I can't put out that kind of money. And I wouldn't," said Bobby Kahn, former top aide to Barnes. "Part of my reputation is that I'm also cheap."
At the end of 2002, the Barnes campaign had about $40,000 left. More than $20,000 has since gone to pay taxes, and the rest will be accounted for in paperwork to be filed next month, Kahn said.
Certain members of the flagging community claim to be clueless as well. "If you're looking for deep pockets, it ain't us; we're not a monied organization," said Charles Lunsford, president of Heritage Preservation Association, a group devoted to protecting Confederate symbolism.
He acknowledges a case in South Carolina, during the 1990s battle over the Confederate flag, when $50,000 in radio spots were purchased by an anonymous businessman. But he said he's seen no such sugar daddy in Georgia.
Lunsford suspects "a well-connected political insider -- probably Democratic."
But when Jack Bridwell Jr. of Moultrie is presented with that hypothesis, he is curiously silent.
"That may not be the case," said Bridwell, commander of the Georgia division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He said he's been told things that he can't repeat. "It's kind of like a journalist being asked to reveal his sources," he said.
Does he know who's behind the aerial flaggings?
"I'm not going to say," Bridwell answered.
But he did say he approves.
The latest aerial flagging occurred May 17, when planes towed banners over the state GOP convention in Macon. It was in protest of Gov. Sonny Perdue's signing of legislation to choose a flag that omits the 1956 version.
Well you see Bonnie, it's quickly coming down to the fact that it's very easy to be a conservative (fiscal and social) and not a Republican while it's harder to be a conservative and remain a Republican. That should help your conscience a bit. And whatever you do, keep flying the banners!!! Perdue promised and he is going back on his promise
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