Can’t We All Just Get Along?
It seems that the state of Mississippi is getting an enormous amount of pressure to change the state flag from people who are not Mississippians. Even though a few celebrities (past and present Mississippians) recently jumped on the PC bandwagon and signed a petition to have the state flag changed, now some politicians are getting into the act as well.
Assistant Democratic Leader James Clyburn, who is from South Carolina and is black, predicts that Mississippi will remove the Confederate battle flag from its emblem. “There’s nothing historical about that (Confederate) flag but defiance,” he said. “I really believe that the state of Mississippi is going to change its flag.”
Clyburn and members of the Congressional Black Caucus plan to discuss the flag issue at their annual conference in Washington D.C. on September 16. They also intend to push the issue of having Mississippi’s state flag removed from the House side of the U.S. Capitol. It seems like they are going out of their way to force Mississippi to change the flag, even though state residents don’t want this. What’s next, Mr. Clyburn? Texas’ flag looks like the Stars and Bars. Are you going after that one next? What about Alabama’s state flag? It looks very similar to the Confederate battle flag. Will that be your next target?
The controversy surrounding the flag comes from the fact that the state flag includes the Confederate battle flag as part of its design. It is the only Southern state left to feature the Confederate battle flag, and so it has recently come under attack. Mississippians have overwhelmingly voted to keep the flag, and Governor Bryant has stated that he will not hold a special session to discuss the matter. He has not responded to groups such as South Forward, who insists on moving forward, even though they keep dredging up the past. The governor has remained silent on the fact that political pressure is mounting.
The flag has already been removed from the courthouse in Orange County, California, where all other state flags of the U.S. are on display. Representative Bennie Thompson, D-Miss, and Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have proposed resolutions removing any items from the U.S. House that feature the Confederate battle flag, including the Mississippi state flag.
“You’ve got to understand Mississippi,” said Clyburn. “There’s a victim mentality. The more Mississippi is singled out and ridiculed nationally, as it is, the more you get a lot of white Mississippians who get their dander up.”
If that isn’t a racist statement, Mr. Clyburn, I don’t know what is. The flag represents heritage to most Mississippians, regardless of their color, and they are proud of it. This forced issue is reminiscent of Marxism. Whatever happened to freedom of expression and free speech?
J.D.R. Hawkins 