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Confederate Flag Causes A Flap

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 22, 2008

Readers at TBO.com responded strongly to news that the local chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans put up a 30-by-60-foot Confederate flag at the Interstate 75 bridge over U.S. 92. The flag was raised Oct. 12 and is even larger than the one raised there last summer, sparking widespread controversy and national attention. The flag is the centerpiece of a 1.9-acre memorial park. To see a picture of the flag, read related stories or add your views, go to Brandon.tbo.com, keyword "Confederate Flag." Below is a sampling of reader views.

There has been no proof or even suggestion that the Sons of Confederate Veterans are doing this for any reason other than as a war memorial. By all accounts, they have made no hateful or divisive comments. They do not support hate groups and have followed the letter of the law. We cannot hide from history, it will always find us.

Posted by Smmarkfan

That version of the Confederate flag did not become popular until the 1950s. It is a symbol of segregation and hate. Granted, they have a right to fly it, but don't pretend that it's not about racism and ignorance.

Posted by Idiotwind

The Confederate flag did not start out as a racist symbol, but that's what it ended up as. It is not our fault that the flag was portrayed and used during racist activities, much like the swastika didn't start out as a racist symbol. However, that is what happened. The Confederate flag should not be flown for everyone to see and should not try to portray our great southern heritage any longer. Hiding behind the "southern heritage" ideal is ridiculous and just further propagates hate and dissention. For the record, I am a southern born and bred white female.

Posted by 143Pookie

It is a shame that that flag is associated with the sins of the past. It is probably by design one of the most beautiful flags around. It rivals Old Glory. And I am Yankee.

Posted by Birdman680

Why are we flying a flag other than our country's current flag? The fact is that this is not our flag anymore! And while I agree that it is part of our heritage and should be displayed but not flown in such a significant manner as to deter any attention from our current flag, I do feel that this is exactly what flying such an enormous flag is doing. I already thought it was too big, and now they have made it even bigger. We should be flying Old Glory at this very prominent spot. Although I believe a smaller Confederate flag visible to those at the memorial park only is certainly appropriate to fly as a display.

Posted by Lblorraine

Of all the things I see in the media, billboards, etc., this doesn't bother me in the least. If you'd rather not see a Confederate flag, consider moving to an area of the country where they aren't as likely to be displayed. Another alternative is to watch traffic rather than look for flags that may be distracting you. With all the issues our country faces, why is this even in the news?

Posted by Mythoughts7

For the record, I wholeheartedly support the right to fly the flag, but I also wholeheartedly agree with those who chose to condemn the flying of this flag as I have chosen to do. This is an important issue to me. As the son of a Klansman, I am determined to fight the insidious disease of racial hatred in any way that I can. The flying of this flag is one of those issues that allows people to separate themselves into two groups: human beings and less-than-human beings.

Posted by Reptaddict

It takes courage and guts to look people in the eyes and say that this is our heritage. The flag is not a symbol of anything but the Southern states. We didn't make it to say, "Hey, look, I'm a racist." ... I'm Southern and proud of it, and no one is going to make me say different.

Posted by Perry266

The Confederate flag is an antagonistic symbol of hatred, racism and ignorance. You lost the war; get over it!

Posted by Cjtwigs

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