TAMPA — Next year, a giant Confederate flag may tower above the tree line near the junction of Interstate 75 and Interstate 4. The Sons of Confederate Veterans wants drivers in the Tampa area to see the massive flag — 30 feet high and 50 feet long — atop a 139-foot pole, the highest the Federal Aviation Authority would allow. It would be lit at night. With the pole already in the ground and building permits in hand, the group is on its way to having what it calls the “world’s largest” Confederate flag in place by mid 2009. The group just needs about $30,000 more, said Douglas Dawson, a division commander. Several nearby business owners don’t mind. It’s history, they say, and it’s on private property.
The county has wrestled with sensitive Confederate issues in the past. In 1994, the Confederate flag was removed from the county seal. Last year, county commissioners recognized Confederate commander Robert E. Lee on the same day they honored a black civic leader. Commissioners later apologized and haven’t since recognized Lee. Flags Across Florida started about eight years ago, after the Confederate flag was removed from the Capitol in Tallahassee. So far the group has two major flags erected: one in Suwannee County along Interstate 75 and one in Havana along U.S. 27.
Adams insists the flag isn’t about racism or slavery. “It’s about honoring our ancestors and about celebrating our heritage,” he said. “It’s a historical thing to us.”
Damn, where’s the Homeowners Association when you need them?
Like most 21st Century right-wingers, this crew is filled with liars and cowards. Have a beer with one and he’ll gladly brag about the “good old days” when Blacks “knew their place”.
The chuckle is that kreeps who want their votes will nod their heads and mumble about “respect, blah, blah” like it’s more meaningful than garden variety bigotry.
All I can ever do is smirk when I see these debates. There was an official flag of the Confederate States of America, and this one is not it. I remember when Georgia was going through this whole thing flag flap and eventually changed their flag’s design from incorporating this battle flag to one that is very nearly a copy of the Stars and Bars. People prove time after time that they are either dumb, ignorant or both.
Didn’t you guys just finish whining about people who were complaining that a certain piece of cloth reminded them of genocidal racism?
So…they hate America and the American flag? Yet these fine ‘value voters’ are the first to bitch if one of our candidates for President isn’t wearing an American flag pin?
Since these are terrorists who fought to destroy the United States of America, maybe we should treat the south as the radical terrorists they are…no more courts, just military tribunals for them. No country jails, just go straight to Gitmo.
Walk into any room, give blue teeshirts to half the crowd and gray teeshirts to the other half and an hour later there will be a fight between the two.
Human beings are stoopid that way. We love to be divided and fight.
I never got a good answer in South Carolina bars as to why poor white trash thought it honorable to fight and die so that rich white cotton growers could keep blacks and poor white trash in slavery/poverty. Any good old boys have an answer now?
jack(0ff)Flanders….
actually it was the war of northern agression.
As long as they are doing it on private property whats the problem? You are do not have the right not to be offended in this country.
I may have an issue with the government flying a flag of a defeated country on its own land, but if an individual does it, its none of the governments business frankly.
In short grant them the permits, then ignore them.
It’s a shame the Confederate flag with time evolved to be tarnished as a symbol of racism.
Back when the Dukes of Hazzard was on TV, the Confederate flag just represented nostalgia and pride of the South.
What a shame …
They better make it of flame proof material. I’d shoot a flaming arrow at it.
two thoughts.
like Sea Lawyer said, these people never use the stars and bars or any of the other three flags that the confederacy used.
second thought. you never see some one trying this kind of stunt with a british flag. no one feels the need to “honor those ancestors and celebrate that heritage”. i wonder why?
#8–HMeyers==why do poor white trash think it was honorable to fight and die so that rich white cotton growers could keep blacks and poor white trash in slavery/poverty?
-or- What specifically is this proud nostalgia you refer to?
6-northern aggression? It’s obvious you failed American history. The civil war was all about slavery. The south had no way to compete with the industrialized north if they didn’t have their free labor, so they fought long and hard to keep said free labor.
It’s apparent from your ‘northern aggression’ statement that you are a southerner who somehow feels wronged. Get over it! It was a long, long time ago. Move on to something of worth.
As far as this flag crap goes, no, they aren’t flying it out of respect for their ancestors, they aren’t flying it out of respect for the south’s history, they are flying to present to the world how bigoted and racist they truly are. If it was about honoring the past, they wouldn’t need the tallest allowable pole or such a massive flag.
I really hope on the first day of it flying it gets torched. Seriously. I’d love to see their racist and bigoted history go up in flames on day one.
Now this, is a Confederate flag!
http://tinyurl.com/3eh2ck
#6 (and others);
http://www.fuckthesouth.com/
Pavlov had a dog who would drool on command. Kinda like the very well trained dolts who wet themselves tossing accusations of racism and bigotry at the mere sight of the confederate battle flag. Perhaps you twits should align yourselves with the American version of the Taliban and smash all confederate memorial statues and burn all the confederate battle flags, that will make you feel much better, I promise.
Seems as tho the only people wetting themselves are a small group of professional well funded tax exempt race hucksters and many more guilty white liberals who would rather be accused of being a faggot than a bigot.
I fly the stars and bars in my ‘hood and it is 75% black Americans. I haven’t heard a single black complain that I should take it down. But then blacks seem to have a better understanding that black slaves were imported on ships flying the stars and stripes, NOT the confederate battle flag.
#15–Woody==why do poor white trash think it was honorable to fight and die so that rich white cotton growers could keep blacks and poor white trash in slavery/poverty?
>>#6 (and others);
>>http://www.fuckthesouth.com/
Yee-haw! Now THAT is a link worth clicking!!
And for anyone whose reading skills weren’t up to clicking the link, there’s no indication of which “Confederate flag” they intend to fly. And if you look even further into the “Sons of Confederate Veterans” who are seeking to fly the flag, you’ll discover that in recent years they have become associated with white supremacy, “neo-Confederatism”, etc.
So anyone who thinks that this attempt to fly a giant Confederate flag on the highest flagpole allowed by the FAA is doing anything other than poking a stick into the eye of the “coons” and “jiggaboos” is just dumber than dirt.
#17 – TLTR
I have severe ADHD. 🙂
Here is an exserpt from the guy so iconoclastically branded on a “flag of heritage.”
If that ain’t country
by David Allen Coe
there were thirteen kids and a bunch of dogs
a house full of chickens and a yard full of hogs
i spent the summertime cutting’ up logs for the winter
trying’ like the devil to find the lord
working’ like a nigger for my room and board
coal-burin’ stove, no natural gas
if that ain’t country, i’ll kiss your ass
Of course the people putting up the flag are not racist. These people are just “Southerners.” If the south would’ve won? It was a privileged class who owned slaves, but everyone fed off their status against their position of equality. So yes, Southern heritage is bathed in racism. Flags are really used for two roles here in terrestrial civilization: 1.) to symbolize a position of authority 2.} to acknowledge the sacrifice that was given to obtain such a position the flag symbolized to the relativity of the herd.
>>If the south would’ve won
Too bad they don’t know how to use conjugated verbs correctly. Or is that lingo something like “Ebonics”?
#20–Mustard–I don’t see any conjugating going on. “Would’ve” is a most proper contraction of “would have.”
>>Mustard–I don’t see any conjugating going on.
>>“Would’ve” is a most proper contraction of
>>“would have.”
Bobster, I guess you spent too much time taking logic classes, and to few learning the “readin'” and “writin'” part of the three R’s
In the instant case, the subjunctive mood is called for initially (“If the south HAD won; contrary to fact) and the conditional in the second clause (“we would’ve had it made”).
I guess that doesn’t sound trailer-trashy enough though; hence the use of TrailerBonics.
Got that?
Would have, could have, should have. Every time I see that flag I immediately think, “That’s the flag representing the LOSING side of the war.” Not something to be particularly proud of. I have a friend from that part of the country and he keeps telling me the South will rise again and I keep asking him, “When?” I’m still waiting to see what y’all will do once risen. Won’t make a difference though, you still LOST!
Never did understand why the South keeps fighting the Civil War all over again. Give it up–you lost. Slavery is gone, and everybody’s equal under the law.
@Bobbo “why do poor white trash think it was honorable to fight and die so that rich white cotton growers could keep blacks and poor white trash in slavery/poverty?”
I think there is a big cultural difference between Northerners and Southerners and people in the South don’t care too much for the culture of people in the North.
This is evident in the electoral map, in religious preferences, prayer in school and so forth. Or in SEC football or NASCAR.
I notice the picture was changed. Was the previous picture a picture of the guys flag?
>>Was the previous picture a picture of the
>>guys flag?
Naw, it was a picture of David Allen Coe on a bullshit flag.
The KKK-affiliated folks who want to raise the rebel flag apparently plan to use the real one that was used in their valiant effort to defend slavery.
Yup, the south lost.
FUCKING LOSER FLAG AND FUCKING LOSERS THAT FLY IT !!!
>>people in the South don’t care too much
>>for the culture of people in the North.
As Natefrog so eloquently posted:
http://www.fuckthesouth.com/
Born on a mountain, raised in a cave – truckin’ and fuckin’ is all I crave.