Neo-Confederates to Install 15-foot Battle Flag on Virginia's I-95

[n2doc]

Coming this fall to I-95 in Richmond: A 15-foot-wide Confederate battle flag.

On Saturday, Virginia Flaggers, a small organization dedicated to promoting the state's Confederate heritage, announced that it is leasing a small patch of land adjacent to the highway just outside the state capital, from which it plans to fly the stars-and-bars, "24/7, 365 days of the year."

In a post on the Flaggers' website, spokeswoman Susan Hathaway announced that the flag "will serve to welcome visitors and commuters to Richmond, and remind them of our honorable Confederate history and heritage." The group's members are going to start work on the project this week, with a formal unveiling slated for September 28; in the meantime, they have launched a fundraising campaign to bring in the $3,000 they need to put the thing up.

Prior to the I-95 project, the Virginia Flaggers had spent most of their energy protesting the decision by two museums, the Museum of the Confederacy in Appomattox and Richmond's Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, not to fly the Confederate flag outside. In an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Hathaway explained that the flag's positive message had been distorted by groups like the Ku Klux Klan. (Confederate cavalry commander Nathan Bedford Forrest, whom Hathaway is a fan of, was the Klan's first grand wizard.)

more

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/08/neo-confederates-install-15-foot-battle-flag-i-95

[onehandle]

1. Traitors. nt

[TheMastersNemesis]

2. Quite Frankly We Should Burn The Confederate Flag Anywhere We See It.

[Raffi Ella]

19. right.

We drove up to Lake Lanier on the 4th. it's about a half hours drive from Metro Atlanta. Pretty countryside up there, I always drive around and see the old barns and rolling green hills and cow pastures whenever I go up there. So we're driving around before heading back home and go through the middle of the Infamous City Cumming, Ga - you know, the City that stoned Oprah not too long ago? yeah, that one.

So, I stopped at the Dairy Queen drive thru and I look over across the street. There's an old cemetery, well kept with lots of flowers on almost every grave stone, right in the middle of town! neat, right?

So, I also see flags, lots of flags on lots of the gravestones. I suddenly realize that they are Confederate Flags waving in the breeze on that 4th of July.

These people don't get it and they don't want to get it. They have no interest in getting it. Paula Deen's attitude pretty much describes a lot of people down South, not all but a lot of them. They see nothing wrong with that attitude. And the GOP leadership loves it...

Burn those flags? You wanna start another war, start burning their precious Flags: The GOP would love that.

[HoneychildMooseMoss]

22. It was probably a Confederate cemetery

There are such cemeteries all over the South. I can't speak for Georgia, but the Confederate cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas has the first flag of the Confederacy flying over it, but there's hardly a person in Fayetteville who's a diehard Confederate sympathizer. And Fayetteville also has a Union cemetery. They are both tributes to everyone who died in local battles of that horrible conflict.

[Raffi Ella]

29. I just looked it up, Cumming City Cemetery,

it's not a Confederate Cemetery.

[HoneychildMooseMoss]

30. Interesting

As I said, I can't speak for Georgia, but I have visited many cemeteries in Arkansas and the only one with any noticeable Confederate flags I have seen was the one in Fayetteville that is actually dedicated to Confederate soldiers.

[Ilsa]

48. It's not a designated confederate cemetery, but

Old cemeteries around the south have confederate graves. Years ago I visited Georgia, SC, etc and there are old cemeteries out in the country, many are very old, and many have soldiers killed in the Civil War buried in them, along with war survivors who died decades later. Their descendants still put up their stupid flags, no matter when they died. It's a cultural thing.

[Raffi Ella]

60. I posted about the cemetery to demonstrate that exact point, it's a cultural thing.

I looked the cemetery up because I wanted to know if it was a Confederate Cemetery but either way, whether on Soldier's graves or on the side of the Highway the effect is the same. Drive around that area of N. Ga and you will see that flag on countless trucks and front porches. The post I replied to originally said we should burn them where ever we see them. You can't 'burn' the attitude behind that flag away.


It's frightening. In fact I'll take it further than that, it's terrorizing. I'm white, I can only imagine what it must feel like for blacks to come across those disgusting displays of ignorance and bigotry.

I don't know what the answer is but without a strong Democratic presence in the South this attitude has just festered.

[Ilsa]

24. Yeah, but that cemetery is also filled with dead Confederate soldiers.

It doesn't surprise me that their descendants put the stupid stars and bars on it.

[Ilsa]

26. How about random gun fire on it, especially

near the supports holding it up? Or splash it with something that eats the fabric. Trash it out. Over and over.

[Bonx]

36. Random gunfire is always a great idea

[Ilsa]

47. LOL. Gotcha! nt

[backscatter712]

50. My thoughts exactly. n/t

[Drale]

52. There is a guy down the block from me

who insists on flying that damned flag and its constantly getting stolen. The police won't even take his call anymore if its about that flag getting stolen. He was arrested for calling 911 and claiming it was a life or death emergency to get the police to come out to his house, when it was just his flag getting stolen again. He is hated in the neighborhood. His garage burned down last week and he claimed it was someone in the area that he claims has it out for him that started the fire but when they investigated, he had left a welding torch burning in his garage when he went to answer the phone and that started the fire. The moral of this story is that people who claim to love the Confederacy are some of the stupidest people in existence.

[Enthusiast]

53. I agree with that story.

The moral part. Was he the guy with the famous moran sign?

[Recursion]

3. $10 says it won't have fringe, making it the Naval Jack

I have yet to see a correct Confederate flag except at reenactments and, oddly enough, Six Flags.

[Bandit]

21. Does it really matter?

There is not a single Confederate flag that does not represent Treason against the USA. I would bet your $10.00 that everyone that wants to fly it also considers themselves Patriotic americans but are they really?

[Recursion]

31. It's how I can tell it's not about "heritage"

Flags and heraldry are a hobby of mine, which is why I notice it. But if it really were about heritage or history the people flying out would car too.

[Sotf]

56. ... to you at least.

[HoneychildMooseMoss]

32. What is a "correct" Confederate flag?

There are actually several flags that were used in the Confederacy. This is the one that flies over the Confederate cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas:

[Recursion]

33. That is the civil flag of the CSA government

The famous stars and bars is a mashup of the battle colors of the army of Northern Virginia and the Naval Jack. These were flown in pretty limited circumstances during the civil war. Even the Bonnie Blue would have been more recognized at the time.

[Go Vols]

46. I drive by this one a few times a week.

It is the flag of the Army of Tennessee at a Confederate cemetery.

[MadrasT]

39. As another "correct flag" nut, I have to share this story

I was in Gettysburg a few weeks ago and had lunch at the Blue & Gray Bar & Grill (which is right in the middle of the town). They had two categories of burgers - one group named after Union generals and the other group named after Confederate generals. (We won't get into how wrong it seems to me that General Reynolds, who died at the battle, now has a freaking *burger* named after him in a local tavern. Because it is *so* wrong. But I digress.)

So I ordered a burger from the "union" list and it was delivered to me with a 34 star American flag plonked in the middle of it.



(not my picture)

This immediately prompted two questions from me: 1) If you order a "Confederate" burger, does it come with a Confederate flag, and 2) If it does... IS IT THE CORRECT FLAG???

I was relieved to learn that 1) it does, and 2) it is:



^^^ 2nd flag of the Confederacy, May 1, 1863 – March 4, 1865 ^^^

(also not my picture)

[Recursion]

41. that is awesome (nt)

[hobbit709]

4. Treason and rebellion is now "our honorable Confederate history and heritage."?

[brewens]

5. I saw a couple douche bags with one on a pole in the back of a pickup.

Their mistake was they were both wearing my high school alma mater football jerseys. It was game day and I knew those were a couple of our players. That prompted a call the their athletic director. He said he had an idea who it might be or would easily find out and put a stop to that! I'm in north central Idaho. I'm sure it was a couple kids who didn't have a clue. I never heard anything about any suspensions or read anything in the paper about it. I imagine it got them a good ass chewing and maybe some extra laps next practice.

[DevonRex]

43. Weird, when I started reading this I was positive you'd say

you were in Colorado. We saw a truck with 3 boys in it on a Friday night with a huge Confederate flag on a short thick pole mounted in the back of a pickup truck. They were sort of joyriding through the parking lot in a shopping center. Not what's done in this area, let me tell you. People here have never seen guys like this unless they've been in MS.

Sure enough, Arkansas tags. I'm from MS originally so I recognized the type and the activity. Something I've seen there on a Friday night. Guys riding around, being obnoxious, making a beer stop. Complete with confederate flag.

[brewens]

51. Civil War historian/writer Shelby Foote said one time on C-Span2, "Yahoos

that drive around with the Confederate flag on their pickup truck, should never have been born to see it fly." Or something real close to that. I think he was on there doing a spot for his book, "Shiloh". It wasn't too long before he passed away.

I've gone on their web site and searched for that but never found it, just so I could post that little clip at a few places. I should try again. It's gotta be stashed there somewhere.

[NoPasaran]

6. This reminds me

I need to order this t shirt

Suck it, butternuts!

[n2doc]

7. awesome shirt n/t

[theHandpuppet]

8. Fudged a bit with some of the border states

But I think I'll order one anyway.

[geek tragedy]

9. Flying the flag of Treason and Slavery, white supremacist inbred idiots. nt

[theHandpuppet]

10. Now here's a flag to fly

Here's a pic of the battle flag of the 22nd Regiment of the USCT, my favorite:
http://jubiloemancipationcentury.wordpress.com/2011/05/03/usct-regimental-flag-22nd-united-states-colored-infantry/

[NoPasaran]

44. A great flag!

Greatest part of it is that Sic Semper Tyrannis is on the Virginia state flag.

[theHandpuppet]

61. The battle flags of the USCT regiments...

...are among the most beautiful of all Civil War flags. (And yes, I love the irony of the image on that particular flag.)

Also check out the battle flag of the 24th USCT:
http://jubiloemancipationcentury.wordpress.com/2011/01/03/battle-flag-of-the-24th-regiment-usct-us-colored-troops/
Here are some images of more USCT flags -- I wish the images were in color:
http://randomthoughtsonhistory.blogspot.com/2011/12/usct-flag-images.html

This is nice article on the USCT troops of Pennsylvania, with photos of their battle flags. Note -- this link is to a pdf
http://www.campcurtin.org/pdfs/2010_3.pdfould pro

The Black Camisards of Louisiana had a great flag but the link to the site isn't working.

Edited to add: that link to the article on PA's USCT troops doesn't work from here (I must have done something wrong) but folks can google it if they're interested.

[demwing]

11. Here's an idea

someone should stage a mass confederate flag burning.

Maybe in Atlanta...

[kestrel91316]

15. I think that's a wonderful idea! We should go wherever

teabaggers and their ilk rally, around the nation, and burn confederate flags by the dozens in protest.

[demwing]

16. It's just a reflection of our patriotism

right?

[bluedigger]

20. It's a good idea, but how do we acquire them without profitting racists?

The last thing I want is for them to sell more flags of treason.

[kestrel91316]

34. Buy them from the Chinese?? ROFLMAO

[Lars39]

12. Just made for paintballs...

[DinahMoeHum]

35. Or a toilet. . .

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

13. Welcome to Richmond, y'all!

the yankees will have a good laugh and keep on driving.

[kestrel91316]

14. "Honorable Confederate heritage?" Now there's an oxymoron.

[Lex]

17. This should go well.

Not.

[William769]

18. The real name of this organization, The republican party. nt

[marions ghost]

23. Let them do it...

--let them go ahead and embarrass the state that selected light-fingered Governor Ultrasound and Teabagger Associates. It will be bad for business.

This is the flag that should be flying over Virginia's state capital, WI, NC, FL & the other Tealiban hijacked states:

[livingwagenow]

25. Confederate Flag = UnAmerican. Unpatriotic. nt

[FSogol]

27. Aren't there enough confederate flags on all the meth labs down I-95?

Do we really need another one?

[Common Sense Party]

28. Fine. Someone else should erect a 30-foot high statue of Abraham Lincoln close to it,

and Lincoln can be flipping the Confederate flag the bird.

[madrchsod]

37. why not a japanese war flag?

or a third reich battle flag?




on my county's courthouse wall there are bronze plaques that has the names of those who fought in the civil war.there`s no notation if they died but i did notice a lot of families had every male fight in the war.

after all these years there`s enough people in this country who think the south was unjustly attacked because they could keep people as slaves.

[theHandpuppet]

38. Don't laugh

The last time I attended a county fair in NW Virginia, the first booth you encountered upon arriving sold Confederate and Nazi flags. I made a complaint about it but it got nowhere. Of course, this is the same place where, within the first week we arrived, the KKK left a love note on our doorstep in the middle of the night.

[telclaven]

40. I had a friend who had a Nazi flag hanging in his house

I was shocked the first time I saw it.

Then he explained it was an actual Nazi flag, taken in battle by his grandfather. He kept it as a genuine war trophy and in remembrance of his grandfather.

Context made it different.

[theHandpuppet]

42. The heritage argument only holds water

Last edited Thu Aug 8, 2013, 07:59 AM - Edit history (1)

If you ignore the heritage of millions of black Southerners or tens of thousands of Southern Unionists. Statues of Confederate heroes line the streets of Richmond, but where are the statues to the sons of Virginia who remained loyal? Where are the statues dedicated to the millions of slaves who actually built the South?
There were many southerners who never supported the Confederacy and sacrificed their lives opposing it (look up the "Nueces Massacre" of Texas if you want an example). And lest some in Virginia forget, a good portion of her citizenry broke away to forge the state of West Virginia in 1863. A distant cousin of mine, a Virginian at the time, was actually thrown into a Confederate prison for daring to say publicly that it was idiotic for the South to secede because the Yanks would surely march down and whoop their ass. They should have listened to him.

"Heritage" huh? Bullcrap.

[JoePhilly]

45. Ensuring that intelligent people driving along I-95 won't stop at any exit

within 30 minutes on either side of it.

No sane person wants to be anywhere near these whack jobs, and that's the only folks who will stop anywhere near this thing.

Dopes.

[AlinPA]

49. Those flags are all over PA, on pickups, T-shirts, hats, etc. PA has gone teabagger.

[Enthusiast]

54. It ain't much better in Ohio.

We have a large portion of dumbshits.

[B Calm]

58. I see them here in Indiana and I say look at that dumb ass!

[Enthusiast]

59. They have little understanding of history.

And they celebrate their ignorance.

[Warren DeMontague]

55. I-95? You mean part of The -Federal- Interstate System?

Yeah, guess what. You guys lost.

[B Calm]

57. It's still a LOSER FLAG!

The flag used by the losers of the civil war.

[arely staircase]

62. and why not be proud

of the disgraced banner of a defeated slaveocracy?