Sen. Edwards: "The Confederate flag is an offensive symbol to people all across the country."

Charlotte Observer ^ | 7 February 2003 | Mark Johnson

[Rebeleye]

Matthews challenged Edwards for criticizing South Carolina's flying the Confederate flag but saying New York City's ban on smoking in restaurants is for them to decide. "Why is one a local issue and the other not?" Matthews asked.

Edwards shot back that "the Confederate flag is an offensive symbol to people all across the country."

[PistolPaknMama]

In the Old South, Edwards would be branded as a Yankee sympathizer or Carpetbagger, and dealt with accordingly...

It ain't over! :-)

[kabar]

Good-bye re-election to the Senate from North Carolina once his presidential ambitions fall flat. He has just committed political suicide. I suspect there will be a lot of backing and filling once the primaries are over from the now senior Senator from Nortth Carolina. Too funny for words.

[Temple Drake]

Words are only offensive when used by white people. They become "free speech" when used by anyone else.

[Thorondir]

It doesn't offend me here in Arizona either. In fact, the more these race-baiting commielibs attack it, the more I like the flag.

[johnb838]

Exactly -- the dims are whistling dixie while the world burns. I'm surprised this has gotten even twenty replies. Bigger fish to fry now.

[LO_IQ]

Edwards shot back that "the Confederate flag is an offensive symbol to people all across the country."

Does anyone remember seeing the pictures of black protestors standing next to huge Confederate flags when they were supporting Reno's raid on Elian's house in Miami, Florida?

I wonder if any Freeper can find some of those pictures and post them here.

The Confederate flag is selectively offensive.

[nobdysfool]

I stand corrected, although I'm sure there were some who actually saw it as a protest of Civil Rights...but you're right, it was raised to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the War of Northern Aggression, or as some still refer to it, The Recent Unpleasantness. As I have told several in your fair state, I may have been born a Yankee, but my sympathies have always been with the South. I mean every word of that, and no, I'm not a racist. Actually, I would love to move to South Carolina, as I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. I worked there for 2 months on a computer project, and I was blessed by the politeness, kindness, and genuine welcome I received.

[valkyrieanne]

Doesn't offend me one bit.

[JonH]

The junior senator from North Carolina is offensive. The confederate battle flag is part of our history and I am not offended by it.

[Verginius Rufus]

Since Edwards was born in the South, he can't be a carpetbagger, but he could be called a scalawag (the term for Southern whites who sided with the Yankees during Reconstruction), but with a difference--many of the scalawags were people of principle who just happened to disagree with the majority of the white Southerners on secession and on Reconstruction policies. It would be unjust to the historic scalawags to lump Edwards in with them.

[WhiskeyPapa]

[takenoprisoner]

And let us not forget Ted Kennedy, another symbol most offensive to Americans all across the country. How do we ban him?

[3catsanadog]

Well, gee whiz, Mr. Edwards. I don't find it offensive at all. And I'm a dam Yankee.

[3catsanadog]

NAACP would have to change their name to National Association for the Advancement of African Americans = NAAAA. How would they ever say that! It would sound like a horse neighing!

[FreedomCalls]

I have a box of colored pencils I use for sketching. I guess I'll have to call them "pencils of color" now.

[The_Media_never_lie]

It's only offensive to biggots.

It's certainly not offensive to pandering politicians, it means votes!

[spartan68]

Sen. Edwards: "The Confederate flag is an offensive symbol to people all across the country."

Oh Really Sen. Edwards, guess we know how little you care about and what you really think about those who fought and died for that flag.

In honor of those who fought and died, the flag should forever fly over their graves, their monuments, and in those states that made up the CSA!
Anything less is to show dishonor to the soldiers/sailors of the CSA.

[Paulus Invictus]

I'm shocked and embarrassed! The Confederate flag waves here in Dixie and no one is offended except visiting liberals. We even haved a big statue of a Rebel officer helping a Rebel wounded soldier get on his horse. Should we take the statue and the flag down now that Edwards has cleared up the fact that they may be "offensive symbols to people all across the country?"

[FreedomCalls]

Should we take the statue and the flag down now that Edwards has cleared up the fact that they may be "offensive symbols to people all across the country?"

I think that Sen Edwards is an offensive symbol to me. We should remove him from the Senate and send him back home. So there!

[PistolPaknMama]

I stand corrected, although I'm sure there were some who actually saw it as a protest of Civil Rights...

I guess since the two events coincided, one could pick their version of the story. There is another thread called "The Enduring Burden of my Southern Heritage" (or similar to that) where several FReepers from South Carolina posted about how life was growing up in the south. We were taught to respect our elders (black or white), we had black friends we grew up with, and the black kids that suddenly appeared in our school in the early 70's were "strange" but quickly integrated, at least in my school.

That's not to say there wasn't some political agenda going on at the time, I was too young for politics. But I do remember during that period of dressing up in antebellum dresses and attending every reenactment in the state, for my father was a reenactor. The 100th anniversary of the war was a big deal here, much more than the rift caused by civil rights. At least in my kneck of the woods.

And we welcome copperheads...come on down! :-)