Petition to Ban Confederate Flag from Walton County Courthouse

[mputnal]

I happen to know there are blacks who read SoWal. I don't know what their zip code is and I don't know that it matters. (That's what I meant by that's a broad statement.) Are they the majority on this board? Probably not.

That's aside I've never had issues with that flag, don't care about it one way or another. What I do care about are friends and neighbors and what that monument means to them, protecting their heritage and their ancestors who died and are memorialized on it.

As ugly as some people think our history is, it is what it is and taking down that flag today means the monument tomorrow and none of it will change history.

My point is that there are very few African Americans living in SoWal. If sensitivity and diversity is a goal of liberal minded people then there needs to be more effort on their part to be more inclusive. I happen to believe that people live where they feel secure and comfortable and able to find jobs. Therefore, why are some people in SoWal hell bent on calling rural white people living in NoWal racists and backwards when their own community is segregated?

Listen, I hope that African Americans are reading this thread and will voice their opinions regarding why there are there such low population numbers in SoWal. I am very capable of listening and learning and recognizing the need to be sensitive to minority issues. Our American history is full of racism. White supremacy is part of our history including our forefathers and Abraham Lincoln himself. It happened all over this country but some liberals need to believe that it is a Southern Heritage thing. Why is that? Why is this shaming of rural white people in the South so prevalent in this thread not to mention those Confederate Soldiers who gave their lives in a war that was fought over money? I hope that any African American reading this thread will see that conservative ideals are just as decent and good as liberal ideals without elitism...

 

[PoppaJ]

One need look no further than the Whitehouse for representation of true Conservative ideals.

 

[Kaydence]

One need look no further than the Whitehouse for representation of true Conservative ideals.

Can't blame that mess on me...I didn't vote for him.

 

[mputnal]

One need look no further than the Whitehouse for representation of true Conservative ideals.

Donald Trump represents big money. He will never know my middle class world. I did not vote for him for many reasons. I believe this country needs a woman to lead for a while. I am tired of political rhetoric mixed with male ego. Donald Trump is mostly ego and little ideal and I hope this country will allow a woman to be President the next go around. That said I do understand why people voted for DT. The people who voted for DT are tired of political rhetoric. They were tired of our legislators not getting things done because of obstructionist behaviors. I believe the same thing is now happening with the democrats. Two wrongs don't make a right! The extreme left seems to be going beyond obstructionism and toward violence. This is another thread for sure. The point is both sides have disconnected from the middle class and therefore neither side represents me 100% of the time. DT does not represent my conservative roots. Both parties are puppets of the Wealthy. The republican party does not always represent my beliefs such as this healthcare bill, tax breaks to the rich and women's rights. I happen to believe that a strong middle class and working class built this country while big business has bought our political system. People have gradually figured out that politics is not to be trusted and the result is President Donald Trump.

Even though I was moving away from the conservative party this thread has reminded me of why I will never be a liberal. I have never heard so many degrading words coming from the liberal side. Nobody wants to be called a bigot, a racist, an ignorant redneck etc. Liberals are disconnected from reality when it comes to history. Some hide behind trigger words to incite strong reactions from conservatives. It is disgusting behavior and I am surprised this forum allows it. We should be able to have a discussion without all this hateful rhetoric. I want to have discussions about the Confederate Flag and Southern Heritage and African American sensitivity and find a way to coexist. Liberal elites are not interested in anything but their own opinions and ideals. Liberal elites believe that Southern Heritage is an easy target to blame this country's racial problems on. They hide their own racial prejudices by placing it all on poor people, uneducated people, rural people (rednecks and pickup trucks with beer cans) and mostly anyone who does not agree with them. They refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their part in inciting racial tensions. They hide behind words. They do nothing to promote racial diversity but they like to talk like they do.

If you are an African American please do not let these people confuse the issue and let us all know if possible to coexist with our heritage and how. Since we can not change our history maybe we can find ways to forgive and move forward. We have come a long way but we have a long way to go. Name calling and blaming others is not progressive.

 

[The Donald]

Where is the zip code border? Should the wall be on the northern shore of Choctawhatchee Bay or the southern shore? I know it will be big and beautiful.

Maybe a floating wall in the middle of the bay.

 

[PoppaJ]

Donald Trump represents big money. He will never know my middle class world. I did not vote for him for many reasons. I believe this country needs a woman to lead for a while. I am tired of political rhetoric mixed with male ego. Donald Trump is mostly ego and little ideal and I hope this country will allow a woman to be President the next go around. That said I do understand why people voted for DT. The people who voted for DT are tired of political rhetoric. They were tired of our legislators not getting things done because of obstructionist behaviors. I believe the same thing is now happening with the democrats. Two wrongs don't make a right! The extreme left seems to be going beyond obstructionism and toward violence. This is another thread for sure. The point is both sides have disconnected from the middle class and therefore neither side represents me 100% of the time. DT does not represent my conservative roots. Both parties are puppets of the Wealthy. The republican party does not always represent my beliefs such as this healthcare bill, tax breaks to the rich and women's rights. I happen to believe that a strong middle class and working class built this country while big business has bought our political system. People have gradually figured out that politics is not to be trusted and the result is President Donald Trump.

Even though I was moving away from the conservative party this thread has reminded me of why I will never be a liberal. I have never heard so many degrading words coming from the liberal side. Nobody wants to be called a bigot, a racist, an ignorant redneck etc. Liberals are disconnected from reality when it comes to history. Some hide behind trigger words to incite strong reactions from conservatives. It is disgusting behavior and I am surprised this forum allows it. We should be able to have a discussion without all this hateful rhetoric. I want to have discussions about the Confederate Flag and Southern Heritage and African American sensitivity and find a way to coexist. Liberal elites are not interested in anything but their own opinions and ideals. Liberal elites believe that Southern Heritage is an easy target to blame this country's racial problems on. They hide their own racial prejudices by placing it all on poor people, uneducated people, rural people (rednecks and pickup trucks with beer cans) and mostly anyone who does not agree with them. They refuse to take responsibility for themselves and their part in inciting racial tensions. They hide behind words. They do nothing to promote racial diversity but they like to talk like they do.

If you are an African American please do not let these people confuse the issue and let us all know if possible to coexist with our heritage and how. Since we can not change our history maybe we can find ways to forgive of and move forward. We have come a long way but we have a long way to go. Name calling and blaming others is not progressive.

I believe African Americans and all Americans are intelligent and fully capable of deciding on their own what is best for themselves. Conservatives keep claiming their ideals will best serve them if given the chance. Why not endeavor to do just that, give everyone the chance to decide their fate by making the process of voting simpler and easier. I don't see Liberals promoting state voter suppression laws under the guise of "protecting the integrity of the voting process." If Republicans truly offer something better they shouldn't be afraid of easier access to the ballot box. As your President once said "What have you got to lose?"

 

[Kaydence]

I believe African Americans and all Americans are intelligent and fully capable of deciding on their own what is best for themselves. Conservatives keep claiming their ideals will best serve them if given the chance. Why not endeavor to do just that, give everyone the chance to decide their fate by making the process of voting simpler and easier. I don't see Liberals promoting state voter suppression laws under the guise of "protecting the integrity of the voting process." If Republicans truly offer something better they shouldn't be afraid of easier access to the ballot box. As your President once said "What have you got to lose?"

Why not stop lumping people together by party affiliation? I would never want to see someones right to vote suppressed.

Blacks who live in North Walton attended the last fiasco where folks from South Walton attempted to have the Confederate flag removed. They were given the same opportunities to speak as everyone else who attended those meetings. They agreed to the compromise by the BCC. Many of those same black families who spoke also have white family members through marriage and/or significant other relationships. The only people I heard who were allegedly there to represent the blacks in our community were from the NAACP in Tallahassee (one of the most racist organizations in this Country today, funded by rich white politicians) who demanded there would be no compromise and threatened sanctions against the County by moving their convention elsewhere....and they did! Buh Bye! The locals were amiable to compromise that outsiders wanted no part of just as outsiders from South Walton want no part of North Walton's history.

Mind your business folks! It's OK to say it's not your history and that flag doesn't represent you or your beliefs but it's not OK to tell the other half how they are going to remember their history, heritage and ancestry. It is the history of Walton County and as ugly and shameful as some of you believe that is, the majority in North Walton don't agree with you about what constitutes their heritage or what their ancestors fought for.

For whatever it's worth, I do think ALL wars are shameful, ugly, tainted with blood that did not need to be shed and totally unnecessary deaths but no one is asking we remove the American flag because of political greed and warmongering which is also a part of this Nations money grabbing, ugly history.

This is not Utopia, we don't live in the land of milk and honey where everything is peachy keen and there has been no bloodshed over the Civil Rights movement and wars were never fought over what people have tried to rewrite history to make it represent. Again, War is what it is...UGLY!

 

[mputnal]

I believe African Americans and all Americans are intelligent and fully capable of deciding on their own what is best for themselves. Conservatives keep claiming their ideals will best serve them if given the chance. Why not endeavor to do just that, give everyone the chance to decide their fate by making the process of voting simpler and easier. I don't see Liberals promoting state voter suppression laws under the guise of "protecting the integrity of the voting process." If Republicans truly offer something better they shouldn't be afraid of easier access to the ballot box. As your President once said "What have you got to lose?"

I agree with you 100%. I do not agree with voter suppression anything. I hope the Supreme Court fixes this over reach on the republicans part to change voter districts in their favor. Our voting process needs to open, free and easy. We can always enforce election laws to punish those that try to game the system.

So you see we can agree on things. Where I disagree with you probably is that even though you and I did not vote for DT he is OUR President. Calling him MY President is kind of what I am talking about. When liberals do not like the way an election goes they secede from our Republic. Who is the President of your Republic? I don't know if you are an elitist but if you are you will only be satisfied with your candidates and your opinions and everything else is trash. Elitist are all or nothing thinkers. Of course these are my opinions and I look forward to you proving me wrong by giving people with a different viewpoint a chance. Everyone including DT deserves a chance. It is never okay to ridicule another person unless it is your profession and even then there are limits. People are going too far with their disapproval. The precedent that is being set is very dangerous.

 

[Jenksy]

I don't tell anyone how to celebrate their heritage. But I will tell them that holding on to a symbol that offends millions of Americans doesn't necessarily mean you are a racist but it 100% means you am an ahole.

 

[mputnal]

I don't tell anyone how to celebrate their heritage. But I will tell them that holding on to a symbol that offends millions of Americans doesn't necessarily mean you are a racist but it 100% means you am an *******.

Well thank you. At least this gives us common ground