Petition to Ban Confederate Flag from Walton County Courthouse

[mputnal]

What a chicken s*** compromise. They took one racist symbol and replaced it with a lesser known version. There are two Walton counties. North and South. I've been saying to all along. Today the BCC proved it.

Which other symbols of getting your a** kicked are y'all in favor?

If you are referring to the War Between the States there were over 2 million union soldiers and less than 850,000 confederate soldiers yet the war lasted many years. Up until the Battle of Gettysburg the Confederacy was winning the war. In that battle General Lee made some monumental mistakes. He was weary and sick and his most trusted advisor (Stonewall Jackson) had been killed. If he had listened to General Longstreet things may have been very different. Whatever you want to symbolize go for it but to Southern Heritage the Confederate flag symbolizes bravery, courage and honor for those who fought for the Confederacy. Many of the Confederate Soldiers had no shoes and very little supplies. The Confederate Soldier had to fight harder with less than the much better equipped Union Soldier with an almost 3-1 disadvantage in numbers. Is that the a**kicking that you are referring to?

 

[mputnal]

What about erecting a civil rights monument next to war monument?

Why not put it in the museum along with the Confederate Battle Flag. I would be all for that.

 

[Teresa]

They have a voice here if they are registered to VOTE!! And trust me, this coming election we may see some new Commissioners over this issue right here.

And that my friend, is what the process is all about!

There is a bright side.

 

[Misty]

There is a bright side.

Absolutely.

 

[mputnal]

I agree the BCC listened to the people. And voted accordingly. They did not listen to our local African Americans who took the time to humbly and courageously tell their stories. There aren't enough of them to make a difference in Walton County. They have no voice here. I commend them and I hear them. I continue to be inspired.

If you don't think racism is at the heart of this issue, then I don't know what else is. Heritage and pride as an argument is bull crap. You can fly your flag anytime you wish. You can build museums. Why it has to fly over everyone is beyond me. Regardless of which confederate flag you may prefer.

That's my opinion. No one needs to like it.


I'm not surprised at today's vote.

I don't care for your opinion but I will respect it. Your opinion will continue to inspire and motivate people like me to defend our heritage. One day my generation will be gone and maybe then ya'll can truly desecrate the Confederate Flag. Just not today.

 

[Teresa]

http://www.tampabay.com/news/politi...ace-one-confederate-flag-with-another/2239019

Bucking a national trend, a defiant Walton County voted Tuesday after an emotional hearing to replace one Confederate flag with another one at its courthouse in the Florida Panhandle.

Under intense pressure from a deeply divided citizenry, county commissioners agreed to remove the controversial flag with the X-shaped Southern Cross design that has flown at the courthouse in DeFuniak Springs since 1964, the year President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act.

As that flag heads to a local museum, it will be replaced by the first version of the Confederate flag known as the stars and bars, with 13 stars arranged in a circle next to horizontal red and white bars.

"The soil of Walton County has been enriched with the blood and sweat of the people who came before every one of us, some who fought and died in the war between the states," said Commissioner Sara Comander, who suggested the switch. "I want to honor all of those who came before us, but I also want to be cognizant of those that the present flag seems to offend."

Applause broke out after the 4-0 vote as opponents vowed to keep fighting to remove the new flag.

"It's a cop-out, not a compromise," said Daniel Uhlfelder of Santa Rosa Beach, a lawyer who has led citizen opposition to the flag. "Nobody asked for this. It still represents slavery. It's not going to bring the community together."

As the rebel flag fluttered outside, more than 100 people packed a hearing room. Some wore "Take Down the Flag" buttons and others wore T-shirts emblazoned with the flag design. The division was on full display during three hours of debate.

"To me, the Confederate flag is a symbol of rebellion, hatred and painful superiority," said Tyrone Broadus, a black pastor and DeFuniak Springs resident.

Betty Latcher of Panama City Beach said she proudly flies the battle flag at her home. "The heritage in my husband's family stands for a lot," she said.

James Moore Crawford, who said his great-grandfather fought in the Confederate Army and nearly starved "on orders from Washington," retired to DeFuniak Springs 23 years ago.

"I saw the Confederate flag and said this is a wonderful place to be," Crawford said.

Walton County, with a population of about 57,000, is home to fourth and fifth-generation Floridians who are descendants of Civil War soldiers, and who view the flag as an enduring tribute to the sacrifices of their forebears.

But there's another Walton, of Sandestin and Seaside and Seagrove Beach. Its white sandy beaches and upscale resorts make it a favorite destination for tourists and groups holding conferences, which is why the NAACP is talking about pressuring Federal Express to reconsider plans to locate in the county.

"That Confederate battle flag invokes and incites anger," the NAACP's Dale Landry testified. "This is going to impact you economically."

Donald Graham said it's wrong for the Confederate flag to fly at a building where judges render verdicts. "People walk in this building looking for justice, and it puts a doubt in their minds," he said.

In the aftermath of last month's massacre at a black church in Charleston, S.C., rebel flags quickly came down in the Capitols of South Carolina and Alabama, the city of Pensacola and elsewhere, as pictures of gunman Dylann Roof showed him posing next to images of the Confederate flag.

Walton County Commissioner Bill Chapman, who faces re-election next year, withdrew support for Comander's proposal but later voted for it, and said he knew it might hurt him at the polls.

"You're looking at next year's election and I'm up," Chapman told the crowd. "If that's what you want to do, and cast your vote against me, so be it. I can go back and handle my cows on a 24-hour basis, instead of in the afternoons."

Commissioner Cindy Meadows accused vague "outside forces" of sowing division in Walton County for political advantage.

"It has worked," Meadows said. "Look at us now."

 

[Teresa]

Why not put it in the museum along with the Confederate Battle Flag. I would be all for that.

Why not put it all in a beautiful museum so we can truly honor our history and heritage.. And really understand it. We could have done something good today.

 

[Cuff]

Chickens. Switching one racist symbol with another. Wow. What leadership. Sickening really . My heart aches for all of us and especially the African Americans that spoke today.

 

[Andy A]

And, still, many of you still don't understand what the issue was all about. It wasn't about racism. It wasn't about a particular flag. It wasn't about white vs. blanck. It was about the continuation of a memorial, as it has been for years, in the manner it has been for years, honoring fallen soldies deemed to be American soldiers for a cause in which they believed. The biggest complaint regarding the battle flag was that it, in itself, was an affront to black Americans. That complaint has been answered. I, for one, would have accepted whatever decision the BCC made and I hoped all other would as well. I still hold that hope and will end with this. A decision has been made. Accept it and move on. We have biggger fish to fry in this county, state and nation.

 

[mputnal]

I totally agree Andy. The Confederate Battle Flag has been removed out of respect to African Americans and replaced with the Bars and Stripes. Acceptance on both sides is now the challenge.