MARSHALL, AR – After the mayor of a small Arkansas town flew the confederate flag in observance of Robert E. Lee’s birthday, the city council passed an ordinance Monday saying only the US flag and Arkansas flag can be flown on city property.
Full story and video here.
By flying the flag from the city hall flagpole, the city of Marshall was giving a de facto endorsement of the flag and what it represented, which the local African-American community and possibly a notable portion of the white community probably found deeply offensive. While other members of the community may resent that "their" flag cannot be flown from the city flagpole, I think it's pretty obvious that the message of formally flying the Confederate battle flag on MLK's holiday is viewed by those offended as a big one-fingered salute to the African-American community. Let's keep the Confederate battle flag where it belongs: properly preserved and interpreted in museums and history books.
And as for the bit about "our heritage," Southern culture and heritage is a glorious and diverse one that spans well over 300 years. Why is it that some folks insist on drilling down to only those four years and basically ignoring the rest?
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