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Flaggers insist they won t keep quiet about banner
Now that a choice of a state flag has been made by
Georgia voters, the issue should be closed. Right?
Wrong, say the leaders of the "flaggers," the group that insisted on a
referendum including the 1956 flag with its king-sized Confederate battle
cross.
They reject the results of last week's preferential referendum in which 75
percent of the voters approved the 2003 flag, essentially the original
national flag of the Confederate States of America, versus the other
choice, the 2001 flag.
The flaggers appeared at the state Capitol in the wake of the referendum
and denounced the whole thing as "phony and insulting," plus "meaningless
and a waste of taxpayers time and money." So said flagger Kenneth Waters.
Now, Waters warned, the
flaggers "plan to implement a 'scorched earth policy' across the political
landscape" of Georgia. He said proponents of the 1956 flag "are better
organized, better funded and more motivated than ever before."
Waters went on: "We intend to see to it that Gov. Sonny Perdue and as many
of his cronies as possible do not have the privilege of serving - another
term."
Of course, Perdue is in hot water with the flaggers because he didn't veto
the bill approved by the legislature creating the 2003 flag. It doesn't
count with this crowd that Perdue proposed a referendum including the '56
flag but was blocked by the House.
To prove their case, the flaggers cited the results: less than 20 percent
of registered voters went to the polls, which meant only 14 percent voted
for the 2003 flag and 5 percent favored the Barnes flag.
Thus, the flag was approved by 585,000 people out
of 8.6 million, said William Lathem, speaking for the Southern Heritage
PAC.
Lathem's reading of the results: "a stunning repudiation of the
politicians and chamber of commerce pundits." He said if the '56 flag had
been included, "there would have been enormous public interest."
On that point, he's right.
But then he asserted
that 80 percent of registered voters showed their displeasure over the
"rigged referendum" by refusing to participate.
Of course that's guesswork.
Guess what percentage of Georgia voters voted for the 1956 flag?
Zero.
The General Assembly adopted the flag without a referendum during the
height of opposition to court-ordered desegregation of schools set off by
the landmark Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
There's one fact certain in this matter.
If the flaggers want to honor Confederate heritage, the new flag does so
with dignity and grace. It is both historic and well designed, virtually
the first national CSA flag, yet with none of the racist baggage of the
'56 flag.
Yet the flaggers insist it should be voted on.
This is what Kenneth Waters said in his statement last week:
"We do not accept this result as final. We will keep our anger alive. We
shall be grim and unconvinced, and wear our bitterness like a medal."
Sounds downright miserable.
dmckee9613@aol.com
http://www.mdjonline.com/articles/2004/03/05/89/10136739.txt
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