# Georgia Flag Debate **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 30, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359 "2001-01-30T03:42:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alzarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@Alzarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alzarian)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/21 "2001-01-30T16:48:42Z")
C’mon! Why not? Big peach on the flag! Seriously, it’s always rather amazed me that with all of the hullabaloo about SC flying the confederate battle flag on the courthouse grounds, the actual flag of SC is a rather innocuous picture of a White Palmetto Tree on a Blue Background. Wonder why SC didn’t get caught up in the flag changing fervor of the 1950’s… ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/22 "2001-01-30T17:03:03Z")
I agree with everything that **Five** , **Strainger** , and **spoke-** said, including the points of having “discovered” NBF rather late in life. I have a t-shirt (courtesy of the now-defunct St Simons Brewing) whose logo I think would be a really neat flag. It comemmorates the Battle of Bloody Marsh that occurred in St Simons when the Brits ambushed the marauding Spaniards, who were heading north from St Augustine. It’s a simple logo, but it has a really eye-catching colors–red on yellow. (The beer that it was touting was called “Bloody Marsh Red.”) The NAACP had no discernible effects on SC tourism. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/23 "2001-01-30T17:11:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Alzarian \* > **C’mon! Why not? Big peach on the flag!** I hate the peach symbol. Hate it. Always have. Why in the world is the peach supposed to be the symbol for Georgia, for pity’s sake? We’re not even the leading peach-producing state. (That honor goes to South Carolina, I believe. Or maybe California, these days.) I’m really surprised the legislature didn’t propose a peach design. Lord knows the powers that be in Georgia usually leap at every opportunity to associate the state with that particular fruit. Witness the peach licence plates, the peach quarter, the peaches on road signs, the Peachtree Streets, _etc._, _ad nauseum_. Yech. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/24 "2001-01-30T17:24:48Z")
Hey, Ga. State Legislature, besides the flag chronology, also get rid of the 13 stars encircling the seal. If you’re going to remove the Confederate symbols, then remove them entirely. Quit being so luke warm and namby-pamby about it. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/25 "2001-01-30T17:35:42Z")
Uh, **Strainger**? Those stars represent the original 13 colonies, of which (if you will recall your history) Georgia was one. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/26 "2001-01-30T17:54:08Z")
D’oh! Um, oh yeah. Mea culpa. Never mind, they can stay. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/27 "2001-01-30T18:25:02Z")
How about a big old Vidalia onion, **spoke-**? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/28 "2001-01-30T19:23:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Necros \* > \*\*How about a big old Vidalia onion, **spoke-**? 🙂 \*\* Now THAT’s more like it! Seriously, though, it bugs me that the Georgia government sometimes seems to operate like an overgrown Chamber of Commerce. I’m surprised they didn’t plaster the Coca-Cola emblem on the flag. ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/29 "2001-01-30T20:11:46Z")
Well said, **spoke-**. I’m glad more Georgians and other Southerners have contributed to this thread ( **mouthbreather** , you’re not invited). It wouldn’t have surprised me if someone had proposed a red flag with the white Coke flourish (" **~**") across the bottom. Or a peach (a peach looks like someone’s ass), or a bunch of peanuts, or a view of the back of Stone Mountain (the back, of course, because showing the carving would have opened a whole 'nother can of worms). I can’t really think of a single symbol or image that would sum up the state. That’s probably a good thing; it illustrates our rich, multifarious history and geography. Consider that: Providence Canyon, Dungeness, Peachtree Center, Howard Finster, The Appalachian Trail, St. Simons Island, Columbus, Chateau Elan, the nuclear power plant at Baxley, Sky Valley, Savannah, the McDonald’s in Madison, Emory University, Berry College, Tom Murphy, Cynthia McKinney, the Okefenokee Swamp, Kings Bay Naval Base, Helen, alligators, Augusta, Sparta, Spanish moss, Dallas, kudzu, Houston, the Cherokee Rose, Cleveland, Ted Turner, Ray Charles, Athens and Rome… …are all people, features, fauna or flora of the same state. It gives me a warm feeling inside, even if it thwarts my efforts to think of a good flag. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/30 "2001-01-30T20:16:59Z")
A big ole Claxton fruitcake! ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/31 "2001-01-30T20:50:56Z")
The Big Chicken! Who’s with me? ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/32 "2001-01-30T20:53:35Z")
Hell, I like peaches. Millions of peaches. Peaches for me.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/33 "2001-01-30T21:12:48Z")
Looks like the new flag [passed](http://www.accessatlanta.com/news/forum/flag.html?//A1A) the Georgia legislature. I hope they just use this flag as a stepping stone to adopt something a little more aesthetically appealing a few years down the road. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/34 "2001-01-30T21:18:02Z")
By the way, does anyone else find it ironic that _Republican_ legislators were the ones trying to keep the Confederate banner in place? The “Party of Lincoln” indeed! ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/35 "2001-01-30T21:22:06Z")
The NY Times says the Georgia Senate passed the new flag today (with some grousing, but passed it nonetheless). It seems certain the governor will sign the bill into law, since he’s the one leading the charge to change the flag. Well done, Georgians! It’s just too bad your new flag is so darn ugly. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2001, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/36 "2001-01-30T23:45:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Five \* > \*\*Well said, **spoke-**. I’m glad more Georgians and other Southerners have contributed to this thread ( **mouthbreather** , you’re not invited). \*\* Whether or not I’m invited into this thread, I am very disappointed in the fact that [my design](http://davidalexander.net/misc/redneck/redneck.html)for the flag was not approved for consideration. Seriously, if some people find it offensive, then I have no problem with it being changed. The new design is pretty ugly, but I doubt that I’ll ever think about it again once this is out of the news. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5a626/32.png) [@Captain\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/37 "2001-01-31T08:11:53Z")
My question is, where does it end? The Texas flag flew as a battle standard in several variations over several Confederate units, I believe that the Florida flag contains elements of its Confederate heritage. How many other southern state flags have elements of the Confederacy in them, just not as easily recognizable as the Stars and Bars? After whichever groups get rid of the obvious symbols of the Confederacy, what will they go after next? I would actually be curious to meet the person brave enough to stand in front of the capitol in Austin and declare that the Texas flag is a symbol of slavery and the Confederacy and must be removed. I have a feeling he would learn the true meaning of “Don’t mess with Texas” 🙂 Yes, this post is a bit tounge in cheek, but with the current trends, could it become a reality? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/38 "2001-01-31T09:56:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RickJay \* > Lots of very old royalist jerkoffs opposed the change to the Maple Leaf, and thank God we lost, since we now have a decent flag. I’ll forgive you, because you probably weren’t even around when Pearson’s flag became official. Those _very old royalist jerkoffs_ were in large part the veterans in two world wars who risked their lives and watch their buddies die under the Red Ensign. That flag also represented a fledgling country proud of its role and history in the commomwealth. The flag then meant much more to them than does the maple leaf to modern Canadians. The old flag never touched the ground, and was never used for apparel. It never flew beyond sundown. Having said that, I too like the Maple Leaf much better. ---
**Author:** ![Danielinthewolvesden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Danielinthewolvesden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danielinthewolvesden)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/39 "2001-01-31T10:07:16Z")
But Captain Smashy- is not the current Texas flag the same as has flown since Texas was a state? That is different than Georgia, Georgia ignored some 200 years of history to "revere’ some 5 years. They tossed out their old, pre-war flag (what did that look like, anyone- and why not just go back to it?)- to re-introduce a flag with a VERY short history in Georgia. Geogia had a important history in the Revolution- why not remember those heroes? Strainger & five-still want some stuff on NBF? You can check out my post when we were discussing Ashcroft, or i can re-post. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359/40 "2001-01-31T15:20:05Z")
**Danielinthewolvesden** , I’m still having a hard time with your strange fixation on Nathan Bedford Forrest. Like **Five** , **Strainger** and **Mjollnir** , I never heard a word about Nathan Bedford Forest while I was growing up in the South. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were considered the icons of the Confederacy. (Hence their place in the carving on Stone Mountain.) Personally, I never even heard of Forrest until the Ken Burns Civil War documentary came out. Furthermore -not to be an apologist for Forrest (he was clearly a bigot)- you may be overstating his importance as “founder” of the KKK. If I’m not mistaken, he disavowed that group when it began to turn into a violent terrorist organization, and took steps to disband it. The KKK then petered out and died. The KKK was _re_-founded much later (without Forrest’s participation). It is this later incarnation of the group which is responsible for the acts of racism and terrorism we associate with the Klan today. Where are you seeing the alleged present-day glorification of Forrest? I’m not seeing it in Georgia. Are you seeing it in California? Wouldn’t surprise me if some skinhead yahoos out there are co-opting his image, or that of the Confederate flag. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/georgia-flag-debate/52359.md?page=3)