Don’t let others decide what your flag should be. Decide for yourselves.
A 2-1 margin for keeping the old one!
Don’t let the hate mongers steal your heritage. Way to stand by your guns!
Yeah, guns!
Asmodean…Just a figure of speech.
Sorry, it just popped out at me as the most important word of your statement.
After all, when your heritage is primarily that of a slave-holding state that beggared its own children of education for nearly 100 years so that it would not have to educate the grandchildren and great grandchildren of slaves, it is important to keep that heritage in our consciousness.
“Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery…” – A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union
It’s obvious your idea of heritage is not mine. Should we change the American flag because they used slavery? Because they denied women equality? Because only male, white land owners could vote? The Mississippi of today is not the Mississippi of yesterday.
Mebuckner…Just what does that have to do with todays flag?
The Mississippi of today is not the Mississippi of yesterday. The United States of today is not the United States of yesterday. But the Confederate States of today is the Confederate States of yesterday. The Confederacy was founded upon slavery and white supremacy, and (fortunately, IMO) never got a chance to develop into anything else but a state founded upon slavery and white supremacy.
Which is all that accursed flag will ever stand for. And the people who support it.
Dammit, Reeder. Some of us other Southerners had about convinced these Yankees that we was over the War a’ Northern aggression, and was willin’ to make peace. Jest as they’s fixin’ to let thar guard down here y’go defendin’ our battle emblems an’ get ‘em all riled up agin.
Shoot. Guess we’ll have to wait another hunnert an’ forty-five years 'fore we kin ketch ‘em asleepin’.
[sub]Note to the irony deficient: the above post may have contained one or more elements of humor, and should in no way be construed as an endorsement of misguided allegiance to “heritage” or other congenital idiocies.[/sub]
Dang, xenophon41
Another freakin’ gun reference! 
BTW; The U.S. flag doesn’t represent all those things. The rebel flag does represent slavery.
Peace,
mangeorge
True. It also represents segregationism and treason.
I grew up in the North and went to College in the South and learned that in spite of slavery there is a lot of justifiable pride associated with a southern heritage. Some of this has taken the Confederate flag as it’s symbol.
This is unfortunate, as the Confederate flag regained prominence in the South during the civil rights movement specifically as a symbol for continued segregation and white supremacy.
I have no problem with the Confederate flag as a symbol of southern pride, or as a remembrance of brave men who fought because their country called them to do their duty.
Unfortunately, that’s not what it’s been used for these days.
Well said, Scylla!
There are those for whom the flag is a primary symbol of something truly offensive. There are others for whom it represents something else entirely - a more generic regional pride.
Many within the first group insist that those in the second are intolerant, racist, insensitive, or at best “confused” about what their symbols really mean.
Since some groups have adopted the flag to represent causes that are racist and intolerant, to an extent I believe these people have a point. For this reason, I would have voted (had I lived in MI) to remove the rebel battle flag from the state flag - it pisses a lot of people off, so it should depart the official symbol of the state.
I’m in the second group. I don’t appreciate being told that I should see only the ugly aspects of the southern US in that flag. But it bugs people, and I can understand why. With a sad sigh, I conclude that Mississippi screwed up.
But I’m not going to find and burn the miniature rebel flag that’s buried in my closet somewhere.
I don’t think Michiganders got to vote on it either.
Mississippi = MS
Minnesota = MN
Missouri = MO
Too many “Mi…” states to keep from getting confused.
Quite right you are. Thanks.
Well, the South definitely needs some kind of symbol, what could they use?
The actual flag of the Confederacy (not the battle flag) is kinda dull looking, not well known, and a symbol of a long-dead nation with backwards policies.
The battle flag is eye-catching, was a symbol used by those who fought for the South, whether or not they agreed with the Confederacy’s policies, and is pretty well-known. It HAS been used by racist groups, but during my life most people I knew who used it thought of it as a symbol of Southern pride or generic rebellion. It has publicly been used in a non-racist context quite a bit too, a couple of examples off the top of my head are as a banner for school teams and on the car in ‘The Dukes of Hazzard’.
I LIKE the Confederate battle flag. I wish people would stop associating it with racism and slavery, I think most people who fly it don’t think of it that way. I don’t think a few bastards should be able to ruin it for the rest of us - hell, racist groups also often fly the U.S. flag. Nothing is to stop me from marching down the road carrying the U.S. flag and advocating the eating of newborn babies, that shouldn’t matter. But maybe the South needs a new symbol.
Any suggestions? What’s something associated with the South that doesn’t have anything to do with slavery or racism? All I can think of right now are foods. 8^(
Well, Charlotte is headquarters for the nation’s largest bank. Maybe a dollar bill…?
Noope, sorry. We already decided it must be barbecue related. Maybe a butcher’s chart (pig, rampant) on a red and white checkerboard field with hot sauce, baked beans, Brunswick stew and coleslaw at the four corners…