Southern symbols have been under assault. From South Carolina, to Mississippi, from Georgia to Virginia, symbols that represent the South and its heritage have been under assault from various groups. Many Northerners who don't understand the meaning of the symbols, as well as Civil Rights leaders who think they are racist. South Carolina and Georgia succumbed to the blackmail of certain groups, but Mississippi didn't.
South Carolina used to fly the Confederate Battle Flag (sometimes mistakening called the "Stars and Bars") on its State Capitol Building. The people of the State of South Carolina in poll after poll favored the continued flying of the flag over the State Capitol. The NAACP didn't care about the will of the people of the State of South Carolina, they were going to get that flag taken off the Capitol. They called for an economic boycott of the State. They didn't care that Black people would be hurt more economically than White people as Black people are prevelant workers in the hospitality industry. All that mattered was that this symbol was removed. They ignored the fact that its removal wouldn't educate one Black child. It wouldn't feed one Black mouth. It wouldn't end racism. Why doesn't the NAACP address real issues that affect real people? No, they go after symbols that many people hold dear as symbolic of their heritage and in honor of those who died defending what they believed in.
Here in Georgia, we used to feature the Confederate Battle Flag on our State Flag. We have since 1956. Prior to 1956, we had the design of the political flag of the Confederacy (the true "Stars and Bars") on our State flag. Our State flag was changed by the Democrats after the made a new rule that only State flags would be permitted on the floor of the National Democratic Convention. This was, of course, a response to the new media of television. Prior to that new rule, many Southerners brought Battle Flags to the floor of the Convention. Following the promulgation of this rule in 1955, several States actively considered changing their flag to incorporate the Battle Flag. Georgia actually made the change. Common myth in this State says it was changed as a result of Brown v. Board. This is patently untrue. It was actually in response to the promulgation of this new rule by the DNC.
Fast forward to 2001. The majority of Georgians in poll after poll favored the Georgia flag by a 2 to 1 margin. After their victory in South Carolina, the NAACP was ready to make Georgia their next target. Georgia, with the capital of the New South, Atlanta, has a much larger convention industry the the beautiful State of South Carolina. Not only did the spineless Democrats cave in, they did it in a way that disenfranchised the people of the State of Georgia. King Governor Barnes and his legislative cronies led by Emperor House Speaker Tom Murphy forced a new flag down the throats of the people of the State of Georgia. The morning after a ceremonial session in our former State capital of Milledgeville, the Democrats sprung their trap. They tried to get a bill passed through the Georgia House before Republicans had a chance to read it. The Republicans actually had to force the Democrats to follow a rule requiring that a bill be on the desks of all the Representatives before debate can begin. The Democrats didn't even want the Republicans to see the bill, much less have the chance to check back with their constituents, or to give constituents a chance to call their reps in complaint. They rushed it through. No warning. One morning, the flag was off the table, by early afternoon, the State House passed legislation for a new flag. Now, in July, we know that not only the method of the change was ugly, but it has now been rated as the most asthetically ugly flag in North America. That is all Leftist Democrats know, ugly.
Mississippi was a different story. After their victory in Georgia, the NAACP began looking at Mississippi. The State Legislature there did the right thing, let the people decide. I thought all these Democrats believed in Democracy?!? Let the people decide. Well, the people DID decide. They decided by a nearly 2:1 margin to keep the Confederate Battle Flag as represented in the upper left corner of its State flag. The NAACP announced that it would consider a boycott of the Magnolia State. Just today it was reported that the NAACP would NOT boycott Mississippi. They said that they couldn't ignore the will of the people of the State of Mississippi. In South Carolina and Georgia, they didn't want the people to decide. Here in Georgia, anytime myself or others advocated a Statewide referendum on the flag question, the Democrats (who don't really believe in democracy) said no, no, no, no. Mississippi called their bluff and the NAACP folded.
The object lesson here is that those of us who stand up for the traditions that made America great and the South great should fight on. We are in the majority in the South. We are not racists. We believe that the traditions of this region of the country should be respected. People like Jesse Jackson can't be allowed to hold the South hostage to their rediculous demands. Thankfully, Mississippi showed the way. The rest of us should learn from their example.