Warner's stance on Vietnam flag is finally confirmed

Washington Times ^ | 7/27/2003 | Washington Times

[cutiedieuvan]

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner is opposed to mandates requiring jurisdictions to honor the flag of defeated South Vietnam, a spokeswoman confirmed last week. During the 2003 General Assembly session, lawmakers, lead by Delegate Robert D. Hull, Falls Church Democrat, attempted to require Virginia to formally recognize the flag of the former South Vietnam. The measure easily passed the House of Delegates, but the U.S. State Department voiced opposition to the measure and it eventually died in a committee. Mr. Warner, a Democrat, declined to comment as the debate was going on. Later in the year, however, Mr. Warner met with trade officials from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, including Vietnamese Standing Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Dinh Bin, whom he told he was opposed to the idea. "He did tell them he does not favor government mandates about the display of flags of [a] deposed government, and he does not believe local governments should be engaged in decisions affecting foreign relations," said Ellen Qualls, press secretary to Mr. Warner. The idea of honoring the flag of the former South Vietnam is popular among the many immigrants who moved after the end of the war because they did not want to live under the rule of the victorious north. Virginia is home to nearly 40,000 Vietnamese immigrants, most of whom are native to what was South Vietnam. The flag of what was South Vietnam is yellow with three red stripes. The flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is red with a yellow star in the middle. "Every time a [Vietnamese immigrant] is faced with looking at the flag of Vietnam, it goes against everything they believe as a part of the history of their country and their culture," said Catherine Hudgins, a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors who earlier this month sponsored legislation that recognizes the flag of South Vietnam as the official flag of Vietnamese heritage for Fairfax County. The measure passed unanimously. The State Department, which has not taken a position on the Fairfax decision, was adamently opposed to the legislation put forward by Mr. Hill earlier this year and says it recognizes only one flag for Vietnam, that of the current nation. "The U.S. recognizes and has diplomatic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Its flag is on display in the C Street lobby of the State Department," said Brooke Summers, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman.

[gdc61]

gee, i wonder what would happen if all the rednecks south of the mason/dixon tryed this method with their favorite confederate standard?

[AmericanInTokyo]

"The U.S. recognizes and has diplomatic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Its flag is on display in the C Street lobby of the State Department," said Brooke Summers, a U.S. State Department spokeswoman."

I can almost visualize this "Brooke Summers" as in horn-rimmed glasses, ferragamo shoes and an attache case, with her head slightly tilted back so as to show the arrogant Foggy Bottom nostrils flaring.

And boy would I like to airdrop "Brooke" into a crowd of angry biker Vietnam Vets at a Harley rally in S. Dakota on a Saturday night after a lot of beer had been flowing, or maybe into a busy Vietnamese shopping center in Costa Mesa with a sign around her neck in Vietnamese, "Toi Cong San" .

[sheltonmac]

"He did tell them he does not favor government mandates about the display of flags of [a] deposed government..."

If the South Vietnamese ever get their old flag officially recognized, what are the chances of other flags being treated in the same manner?

[muawiyah]

How about dropping Herr Warner into the Eden Center in Northern VA?

Most of those guys were Republicans anyway, but today ALL of them are Republicans.

The NVN flag stands little chance of being flown around here no matter how much love for it the Governor professes.

[drjimmy]

And boy would I like to airdrop "Brooke" into a crowd of angry biker Vietnam Vets at a Harley rally in S. Dakota on a Saturday night after a lot of beer had been flowing, or maybe into a busy Vietnamese shopping center in Costa Mesa with a sign around her neck in Vietnamese, "Toi Cong San" .
Since she is just the spokeswoman, wouldn't it make more sense to drop her boss--the one who actually tells her what to say--into the Harley rally? Even better, why not drop the person who appointed her boss to his job, since he is the one who is ultimately responsible for the positions that the State Department takes?

[steplock]

A person is ultimately responsible for all inane utterances that emit from his/her mouth.

If she did not believe what she said - it was very simple to say sorry - I will NOT insult American Citizens nor American Veterans.

I would not have - I take responsibility for ALL my actions.

It is time we STOP patronizing these sleezy wimps - giving them excuses that "it wasn't my fault" etc.

[drjimmy]

I take responsibility for ALL my actions.
So do you hold the person who set this policy responsible for all HIS actions?

[stand watie]

warner is TOO DUMB to be our governor;he was the lesser of TWO evils.

during the campaign, people here in VA asked each other: are you voting for the carpetbagger or that damn scalawag????

warner was the scalawag.

free dixie,sw

[southern cross forever]

It's because of condescending JERKS like you that after 140 years America will never truly be united. People in the north will always have this attitude toward southerners that we are all a bunch of "rednecks" , is it any wonder that we still try to separate ourselves from you. Were fellow countrymen and i take issue with that sir or madam. As for the Confederate Flag , I can fly it anytime i choose to and could care less if the feds in D.C. officially recognize it or not .

[4CJ]

As for the Confederate Flag , I can fly it anytime i choose to and could care less if the feds in D.C. officially recognize it or not .

Bump. Deo vindice!

[angkor]

Eden Center, Falls Church, VA

Eden is the largest Vietnamese shopping mall east of the Mississippi,
and is a cultural center for the DC area's 40,000 Vietnamese
residents. Among the older patrons are thousands of stories
of loss, bravery, incredible courage, and gratitude for their new home in America.

[gdc61]

testy ole goober ain't ya! i consider myself a redneck as well, (raised in very rural S.W. Pa.)or i wouldn't have specified south of the M/D. most americans have gottin over that incident with you pro-slavery seperatists. most of ya'll good ole boys are democrats though. and yes you can have your little rebel flags, bumberstickers and license plates, most americans don't care. my point was the silly sensativity people have over dead issues. whats wrong with OUR flag.... 13 bars and 50 stars... not good enough for you ?

[southern cross forever]

First of all gdc61, only about 10% of those in the Confederacy were slave owners , the rest were fighting off foreign invaders that were burning their homes and killing their families. And it was all those Southern states that helped get G.W in the Whitehouse, plus I'm as right wing as you can get, so don't be makin' no "RAT" acusations 'round here now. :-) Also our sensitivity is justified and far from silly,we will forever be defiant of our conquerors,even though we have to live amongst Yankees and fight beside you as brothers, we will forever have the hope of our freedom,and an Independent Southland. DIO VINDICE! Oh yea! About OUR flag, did you ever stop to think, Those 50 stars are held together by FORCE of arms not the CONCENT of the people.
Which goes against the most basic of human rights ,that of self-determination . P.S what the heck is a "bumbersticker"?
LOL;-)

[CJ Wolf]

Leave him alone, some people can't handle the fact that they lost the war. They will forever cling to the flag of the loser rebellion. He is just anti-USA.

[gdc61]

i could almost hear guys named Bubba and Cooter and Bo humming dixie in the background as i read your post.;0) My wife is from Beufort"Sath Kakalacki" (S.C.)and that 10% were the elite politians and rich landowners , all slaveholders who worked up the "common folk" against the "evil" yankee whose tryin to give the black man equal rights. ...freedom from what? any government inacted by pres. j. davis would have been an autocratic socialist state. immediatly following the end of the war after the slaves were freed the southern state and local governments inacted GUN laws and regulations that made it almost impossible for a black man to own a gun. or a poor white man for that matter, supposedly for fear that the ex-slaves would seek revenge.......there were other causes for the war like import/export taxes.
p.s. what is "CONCENT" hehehehe....... besides the north couldn't let the south go because then us yankees wouldn't have a place to go on vacation.

[southern cross forever]

So the holy Northern army was going to give blacks equal rights? Whatever. sorry pal, That wasn't a war aim in the beginning, Besides Lincoln wanted to ship them out of the country,hows that for equal rights. Autocratic socialist state? good one. That must have really hurt when you pulled that out of your arse;-) Gun laws were enacted because it was an OCCUPATION! The yankees did that,Hello Mcfly! Hello!
Touche on the spelling point;-)my bad. hehehe!

And of course Yankees love coming to the South who wouldn't?,Nicer scenery, better weather, prettier babes,
sorry the North sucks so bad,oh well.

[B-Chan]

Here in our Tarrant County city the red and yellow flag of the legitimate government of Viet Nam can be seen everywhere, flying proudly next to Old Glory (which is always flown from a slightly higher flagpole). I'd hate to think of what would happen if somebody were to publicly fly the rag of the communist revoutionaries who overthrew the government of Vietnam and enslave that proud country to this day.

The Vietnamese and Americans of Vietnamese ancestry are good neighbors. Our city has a large and thriving Little Saigon, which generates jobs and creates revenue, and the Vietnamese population of our city has taken over many abandoned areas and revived them, turning them from pockets of blight into clean and well-kept housing and shopping districts.

Someday, the red-and-yellow will fly over Saigon (and Hanoi!) again. Until that time, I'm proud that the Vietnamese and their American descendants are living here in our town.

[gdc61]

as was said before there were several things that caused the war , i never said slavery was the first or only reason for the souths attempted sessation(its the best one to use in a debate with a southerner;) ) we could rehash the whole conflict from the unprevoked bombing of fort sumter if you like, although my favorite battle is of course gettysburg......whats the point? I just was making the comparison of the Vietnamese and confederate flag issue similarity. then came your southern-fryed two confederate cents worth of dribble. sorry if i'm too blunt. its my redneckedyankee character. occupation comes with defeat, and check your history on the gun laws , you'll be surprised...... on the chicks , to each his own.(i like em all!) i didn't know oklahoma had scenery.(wheat/sky) or was even a state during the civil war for that matter. and even if most okies were for the south, its not "IN" the south , its in the midwest. where you have lots of tornadoes so i'll take Pa. weather anyday, sun in the summer snow in the winter just like its supposed to be.

[rockfish59]

Now I'd like to see all the Americanized Vietnamese start hanging South Vietnam flags from every damn place they can find and then have a North Vietnam day of flag burning!

Only good commie is a dead commie!