Posted on 04/30/2006 7:41:33 PM PDT by Crackingham
Sen. George Allen, who has tried to reach out to minority voters in recent years, wore a Confederate flag pin on his shirt collar in a high-school yearbook photo, a national magazine reported yesterday. As a high school student in Palos Verdes, Calif., Allen was seen riding in or driving a Ford Mustang with either a Confederate flag license plate or Confederate flag imagery on the car, The New Republic quoted witnesses as saying.
The Virginia Republican, seeking re-election now and weighing a presidential bid in 2008, was to depart today to co-host a civil-rights history tour for members of Congress to Southside Virginia. The topic is to be progress toward racial reconciliation. Allen staff confirmed that the pin in his yearbook picture depicted a Confederate flag. An Allen aide told the magazine the senator didn't remember a Confederate flag on his Mustang but that it was possible.
As a high school student in California, "I generally bucked authority and the rebel flag was just a way to express that attitude," Allen said in a written statement to the magazine. "Life is a learning experience and I have learned quite a bit in the ensuing 36 years."
He went on to discuss his belief in equal opportunity, his learning from participating in a civil-rights history tour to Alabama several years ago and his proposed Senate legislation to aid minority colleges.
Harris Miller, one of two Democrats seeking the nomination to run against Allen, said yesterday that he found Allen's explanation "pretty disingenuous" considering that while he held state office, he had "a troubling record on minority issues."
Miller cited Allen's issuance while governor of a "highly divisive" Confederate history and heritage month proclamation and his vote, while a member of the House of Delegates, against a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.
"We need leaders who will celebrate all that we have in common rather than things that divide us," Miller said.
"The things his sister said might be untrue or exaggerated...but if they are true, Allen is a sociopath who does not belong in any public office. Unfortunately, those are just the types of people who are drawn to seek political office, and DC already has an overabundance of them."
It's old news. And it's largely fiction.
Well, his sister did write a book. That's about the extent of the facts associated with that story.
Technically you are correct, but since I didn't move south to change things to "the way they do them where I come from" neither your spelling nor mine fit me.
You talk in circles like a gall durn carpet baggin' durty yankee!
The things his sister said might be untrue or exaggerated...
It's old news. And it's largely fiction.
Well, his sister did write a book. That's about the extent of the facts associated with that story.
But he isn't, and it isn't.
If the Republicans don't deal with it, the Democrats will...and at a selectively inconvenient time.
You mean other than knowing George Allen for the last 20 years?
As for how much of the book is fact and how much is exaggerated, I really don't know. And to be honest, don't care that much.
The book is about Jennifer Allen's relationship (or non-relationship) with their father. From the excerpts I've read, it's not flattering to anyone in the family. But it's much along the lines of the books Patti Davis and Carrie Fisher wrote about their parents.
My personal opinion is that it's a bit of sibling rivalry. Jennifer never fit in with the football scenario. Her brothers did.
But, I've known George Allen as an adult. God help us all if we're judged for our behavior as teenagers 30 and 40 years ago.
IIRC, the RATS did try to bring this up in 2000 when the book came out. The book, the flag and other stuff will be on the forefront just like the National Guard and dancing naked on a bar was for W.
But, when there needs to be a response, Allen will respond. And I'm not afraid of his answer.
In your 138 you wrote, 'I have to point out that the cross of St. Andrew is always a White cross on a blue field'. I replied that the Scottish use of the St. Andrew's cross 'was white on BLACK in 1385, in 1503 it was changed to red, and then in 1542 was changed to the blue of today.' It is not always white on blue as you stated.
When people today speak of the St.Andrew's cross used on the scottish flag what do they think of the one that flew from 1542 until now or the two others no one has seen used for over 400 years?
As I previously wrote in my reply, 'Southerners chose to use the St. Andrews CROSS (what he was crucified on), not the flag of Scotland.' A fact testified to by Mr. Cannon:
There can be no doubt that the Confederate Battle Flag or Southern Cross was intended to be a banner signifying the Christian heritage of the Southern people. The saltire or diagonal cross is the signal feature of that symbolism and is connected with the Christianity of ages past and of the martyrdom of the Apostle Andrew.
You then went on to claim that 'The southern cross is a corruption of religious symbols, inverted to do the devil's work.. Again from Mr. Cannon:
The salient design feature of the Battle Flag is its diagonal cross or saltire. This has for many centuries been a preeminent Christian symbol. ... Early in the history of the Christian church the Greek letter “X” or “Chi” became a symbol for Christ and Christianity. ... The important thing about the St. Andrews flag to the Scots was that it was an identification of themselves as a Christian people.So in response to your claim that the Confederate flag was 'a corruption of religious symbols, inverted to do the devil's work', the evidence is just the opposite. The Southern people were Christian, so of course the Confederate flag employs a cross. I wonder if that is the reason that so many liberals despise the southern flag.The British national or union flag contains the English St. Georges Cross with the diagonal St. Andrews Cross of Scotland, and the red diagonal St. Patricks Cross representing Northern Ireland. All the Scandinavian countries including Finland use a cross in their flags. The Swiss and Greek flags also contain crosses. This was meant to identify themselves as Christian nations.
The Southern Cross or Confederate Battle Flag with its white trimmed blue diagonal on a red field is a descendent of the Scottish St. Andrews Cross. As we shall see it was meant to be a preeminently Christian self-identification of the Southern people.
There can be no doubt that the Confederate Battle Flag or Southern Cross was intended to be a banner signifying the Christian heritage of the Southern people. The saltire or diagonal cross is the signal feature of that symbolism and is connected with the Christianity of ages past and of the martyrdom of the Apostle Andrew. The red field signifies courage. The blue of the saltire signifies truth. In Scotland it had come to have a special association with the truths of the Reformation. The white bordering of the cross signified the purity of their cause. One of the heraldic meanings of the saltire is strength, connected to the meaning of Andrew. A letter written by William Porcher Miles to Samuel Barrett of Georgia during the summer of 1861 clearly indicates the reasoning and intent of its principal designer and sponsor:
“The flag should be a token of humble acknowledgement of God and be a public testimony to the world that our trust is in the Lord our God.”This meaning was widely understood by Confederate soldiers and the Southern people. That is why they frequently referred to it as “our Southern Cross.”
free dixie,sw
free dixie,sw
Did Miles actually design it? My understanding is that he was the head of a flag committee that was hip deep in designs submitted by the southern public.
Allen's shown up in New Hampshire at least once. He's testing the waters.
I'm aware of his travels.
But ~this year~ he's running for the U.S. Senate.
Very convincing answer. Thank you. I do not know much about Allen, but have always had a good impression of him when I see him interviewed (as to his personal demeanor and his policy views). In fact, prior to reading The New Republic article, I was thinking he might be a good choice as a Presidential candidate for 2008, if he chose to run. Sounds like the TNR article was a "hit piece"; the Left must be afraid of him. I will keep an open mind.
That's it exactly. He's not perfect, but they're making up stuff to attack him for.
Couple more comments. I noticed you have a list of Allen articles on your profile here on Free Republic. I'm going to look at those. You (and, ironically, the TNR article) have raised my interest in Allen. I voted for Bush twice, but this second term, he has greatly disappointed me. He seems like what I call an "elitist", despite his Southern accent and "Bushisms". Elitist is exactly what I DON'T want in a President, and maybe Allen will fit the bill. Though, contrary to many, I do like Newt too.
Do read through those articles (I'm rather behind in updating the list).
Allen is very pro 2nd Amendment.
During his term as governor Virginia became a "shall issue" concealed carry state, meaning that the state has to issue you a concealed carry permit, unless you are specifically legally prohibited from posessing a weapon. No justification is required to any local authority either.
Also, while governor Project Exile became law in Richmond, targetting criminals and not law abiding citizens. Put simply, if you are caught with handgun and are legally prohibited from posessing one, you will do a MINIMUM of 5 yrs in a federal pennitentiary. The program was so successful in reducing Richmond's murder rate (at that time one of the highest in the country), that it became law statewide under Jim Gilmore.
What a lot of short sighted progunners mistate about George Allen's stand on the Clinton "Assault Weapons" ban is that Allen was for it.
While running for his first term in the US Senate, George Allen stated that he would be for renewal of the ban if it could be proved that it had a positive impact on violent crime. When Senator Feinstein of CA attached a "poison pill" amendment to the "Gun lawsuit immunity" legislation before the Senate, George Allen voted against it citing that he had taken the opportunity to study the effects of the ban and was convinced that it had zero effect on violent crime.
In fact in a conversation that I had with him before the vote, I pointed out some by products of the ban that he had not considered.
- That it had created a "Black Market" in parts and guns grandfathered by the ban and--
- That it created a mindset in hitherto law abiding gunowners to think of ways of circumventing the law, just to be able to exercise our 2nd amendment rights What some folks here and elsewhere consider an "anti-gun" vote against the lawsuit immunity bill was in fact a pro-gun vote that allowed a draconian gun ban to sunset.
Bottom line is that George Allen is very strong on the 2nd amendment. You can be rest assured that if you vote for him, he will not come after your guns.
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