Posted by AshtonHandy (anonymous) on December 4, 2007 at 3:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You are wrong the Confederate Flag is history to a lot of people. My mom's family is from the south and she is by no means a racist. People calling the Confederate Flag a symbol of hatred is flat out wrong. Many people both black and white died for that flag. That flag was a symbol of the south, not of hatred but of status (seperation from the north). That flag is as much a part of our history as any other. That flag is part of my history and you don't have the right to take that away. Yes, some people have used the flag for the wrong reason and to say the least they are idiots. Just so you know I to am a Veteran and proud of it. I fight for freedom and part of that freedom is standing up for the past, the present and the future.

Posted by landofoz (anonymous) on December 4, 2007 at 4:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)

I agree with Ashton. The Confederate Flag is as much a symbol of freedom as the Stars and Stripes, it is also an American flag, all of the soldiers who fought in the Civil War were American's regardless of which side they fought for. The south wanted to be free from the laws of the North which they did not fully agree with, yeah the slavery part was not a good thing, but their idea of freedom was a great thing. It reminds me of a group of people (The American Settlers) who did not like the laws they were ruled under (The British) so they fought aginst them in the Revolutionary War seems about the same to me. Also about being a US veteran, I also am a Veteran of the US Air Force and I believe that the reason people like you and I served our country was to ensure that this great country stays FREE and allows people to choose what the say, do, and believe what they want, and express themselves without being punished for it. It seems like you are trying to punish people for expressing their heritage and what they believe in that in itself seems quite Un-American to me. I think the Confederate Flag has just as much place in a Parade as the American Flag does especially in the Veterans Day parade because the soldiers from the South who fought and died for what they believe in are just as much a Veteran of this country as any other airman, soldier, marine, or sailor to wear the uniform and deserve the right to be honored and remembered as brave hero's who gave the ultimate sacrafice for what they believe in just like all other Veterans.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on December 4, 2007 at 5:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Those are the two funniest essays I have every read! You guys are hilarious! I particularly liked the parts where you say you support the Confederate flag and what it stands for, like "to ensure that this great country stays FREE and allows people to choose what they say, do, and believe what they want and express themselves without being punished for it". What!! The Confederate States seceded from the Union, a treasonous act, in order to disobey federal law and continue the buying, selling, ownership, torture, and killing of defenseless and innocent human beings! Yeah, now there's some freedom worth fighting for! To display the Confederate flag within a mile of my Stars and Stripes is not only an insult to an entire race of people, me, and my country, but everything our nation stands for.

Posted by equalrights (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Thank you for the editoral. I agree the flag did not have a place in Emporia's parade.

Posted by Denise_Dorcey (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 7:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

My husband and I, both veterans, were also deeply offended by the stars and bars being displayed at the Veterans Day parade. Right on, Mr. Redick!

Posted by landofoz (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 11:58 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I will agree that stupid inbread idiots like the KKK use the flag improperly. But that should not make everyone hate the flag because of some groups of idots. And the German swastika is totally different from the Confederate flag since the Germans were not Americans therefore it is not an American flag like the Confederate flag is. But as long as there are people who get offended by others beliefs we will never be a truly free country that is why we don't have a christmas program anymore because of crybaby's who are offended. Just look at some other flag in the parade. If I saw a swastika flag I would not like it at all but it is that persons right to carry it around if they want to so I would not cry about it in the paper and try to ban it in a parade. I guess it depends on what your idea of Free is I guess to some it really isn't that Free.

Posted by rdswish (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 12:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Wake up people! The South LOST the Civil War. We are the United States at present time and have only ONE Flag, The Stars and Stripes. Fly your own damn flag in your own damn country. good-by

Posted by AshtonHandy (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 3:02 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Bjnemp- you brought out all the bad things and yes I am sure some of those things happened, but you left out that the majority of the slave owners educated, paid, clothed and after a certain amount of time let their slaves go. But of course you don't see that in the documentaries. What you are forgetting is the Civil War was not over slavery it was over Independence, just like the Revolutionary War was. The Confederate Flag represented the South, just like they elected their own president, The Confederate Flag was voted on by the people in the south. The whole voting process worked- they voted for independence, president and a flag that is history. The war is over but the battle for Freedom of Expression is still going on. Besides the comment about the Mexican flag, different country and it was waving in Texas, New Mexico, Arizonia, and California as a sign of illegal immigrants voicing their dislike for our laws and people were okay with it. That is more a slap in the face of veterans then flying the Confederate Flag.

Posted by landofoz (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 3:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Check this out Bjnemp you said The Confederate States seceded from the Union, a treasonous act! In August 1775, the King declared Americans in arms to be traitors to the Crown. The British government at first started treating American prisoners as common criminals. They were thrown into jail and preparations were made to bring them to trial for treason. Ok so the original Patriots of this country were just as much traitors as the South was during the civil war. The only difference is that we won the Revolutionary War so instead of being remembered as traitors they became heros. If the South would have won the war they would be remembered the same way. Well I like to think that both of them were heros for standing up for what they believed in.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on December 5, 2007 at 7:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry, AshtonHandy, but every book I ever read and every history class I took in college stated the Civil War was not a war over slavery or independence; it was a war over economics. That is, the economic impact of southern slave owners to no longer be able to employ free labor thus dramatically reducing obscene profits. Talk all you want, but you will never convince me or most level-headed Americans that the Confederate flag is a symbol of anything other than plain ol' redneck illiterate racial prejudice and hatred. The Confederate flag represents the worst of America's history, not the best, and has no place in a parade or anywhere else.. except a KKK rally.

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 12:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)

From Wikipedia:

The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a civil war between the United States of America (the "Union") and the Southern slave states of the newly-formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis.........Republicans opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States, and their victory in the presidential election of 1860 resulted in seven Southern states declaring their secession from the Union even before Lincoln took office.

Historian Kenneth M. Stampp mentioned Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens' A Constitutional View of the Late War Between the States as an example of a Southern leader who said that slavery was the "cornerstone of the Confederacy" when the war began and then said that the war was not about slavery but states' rights after Southern defeat.

Southern secession was triggered by the election of Republican Abraham Lincoln because regional leaders feared that he would stop the expansion of slavery and put it on a course toward extinction. Many Southerners thought either Lincoln or another Northerner would abolish slavery, and that it was time to secede.

The Texas Declaration of Causes for Secession said that the non-slave-holding states were "proclaiming the debasing doctrine of equality of all men, irrespective of race or color", and that the African race "were rightfully held and regarded as an inferior and dependent race". Alabama secessionist E. S. Dargan said that emancipation would make Southerners feel "demoralized and degraded".

South Carolina adopted the "Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union" on December 24, 1860. It argued for states' rights for slave owners in the South, but contained a complaint about states' rights in the North in the form of opposition to the Fugitive Slave Act, claiming that Northern states were not fulfilling their federal obligations under the Constitution. At issue were:

The refusal of Northern states to enforce the fugitive slave code, violating Southern personal property rights;
Agitation against slavery, which "denied the rights of property".
Assisting "thousands of slaves to leave their homes" through the Underground Railroad.
The election of Lincoln "because he has declared that 'Government cannot endure permanently half slave, half free,' and that the public mind must rest in the belief that slavery is in the course of ultimate extinction".
"...elevating to citizenship, persons who, by the supreme law of the land, are incapable of becoming citizens".

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 1:13 a.m. (Suggest removal)

More excerpts from Wikipedia, continued...

Lincoln later said that slavery was "somehow the cause of the war"

Confederates enslaved captured black Union soldiers, and black soldiers especially were shot when trying to surrender at the Fort Pillow Massacre

The Emancipation Proclamation greatly reduced the Confederacy's hope of getting aid from Britain or France.........Confederate offers late in the war to end slavery in return for diplomatic recognition were not seriously considered by London or Paris.

The Emancipation Proclamation enabled African-Americans, both free blacks and escaped slaves, to join the Union Army. About 190,000 volunteered, further enhancing the numerical advantage the Union armies enjoyed over the Confederates, who did not dare emulate the equivalent manpower source for fear of fundamentally undermining the legitimacy of slavery.

Posted by bdprotheroe (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 5:37 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Such a unique country that we live in, is it not? Citizens have the right to carry/display the Confederate flag, even when it may offend others. It's meaning... well, it varies from person to person. Civil War. The South. Texas. Gotta love our Bill of Rights! Sometimes, it's a double edged sword. Regardless, it allows all of us our personal freedoms.

I must agree with the author, however. Veterans Day is not the day to display this particular flag. Personally, I am not a fan of the "stars and bars," but I would NEVER tell someone not to display it. That's their choice and right. However, given the true meaning of Veterans Day, I would like to politely request that this particular flag be reserved for another day/moment/event/whatever. This is not about freedom, it's simply about respect and honor of a long-standing tradition.

Brian Protheroe
San Francisco, CA

Posted by oelk4446 (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 11:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I disagree cause it shouldn't really matter. What matters is what Kansas wants to do with there parades. Cause you know Kansas was "HOME" to lots of "REBEL'S". Not only that but "ALOT" of "REBEL'S" still live in "KANSAS". This is what i think about it all i think that it's all B.S. cause the "FLAG STAND'S FOR REBEL'S".

ROCK ON "REBEL'S".

Posted by bob1 (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)

During the civil war Kansas was not union or confederate so they can fly what ever flag they would like.

Posted by tmt (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 2 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Brian - Nicley put, I agree.

Posted by landofoz (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 2:31 p.m. (Suggest removal)

This is a free country we live in and we can parade around any flag we want because that is our right as an American. It doesn't matter if it is in the st. patricks day parade, christmas parade, veterans day parade, any other parade, on your shirt, or on the top of a 69' Dodge Charger. Regardless of what someone thinks it stands for or if they are offended it doesn't really matter since we have that right. If someone gets offended oh well no biggie, no matter what people do someone is always going to be offended and cry about it that is just the way things are. I get offended about things sometimes but it makes me happy when I am offended, because it reminds me that I still live in a Free Country. That is what so many veterans forget, that they fought and served their country so people can have the right to do thing that we might not like. When the vets came back from Vietnam there were many protests against them coming back, calling them baby killers and all sorts of other disgusting things. Yeah it was horrible but those retarded protesters were protected by the laws of this country to do that if they want to. People get offended every day by protests, gay rights parades but those still go on. If that idiot Phelps can get away with the crap that he does at funerals and that is protected by the freedoms of this country than anyone can fly that beautifully designed flag anywhere or anytime they want. Heck I even saw one once up on some guys flagpole in the middle of Maryland bet everyone in his town gets really offended since he is right in the middle of "YANKEE" country, good for him. There is nothing more to be said about the issue since it doesn't matter what one person thinks is right or wrong it is each persons right to express themselves how they want, if they ban the confederate flag in the Veterans day parade all of us supporters should get together march in the parade and pull one out in the middle of it, and if we get in trouble for it just sue the city for a violation of our constitutional rights.

Posted by UsayULoveGod (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 4:57 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Yes everyone has rights , but no way in Heaven should that flag be in the Parade . . That is a slap in the face to every black person in Emporia .Some people want the flag because great-great-granddaddy was a courageous man. He hated Negroes, but he was a courageous man fighting for states’ rights, the right to enslave people. Most Black people look at it and say, we caught hell. Everybody knows that. Take the flag down. We don’t want symbols of black suffering. Out of respect for the African Americans living here in Emporia , that flag should not be allowed in the Parade.

Posted by emporian (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 5:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)

There would have been no slavery if the South's protests could have availed when it was first introduced.

Our patriots that founded this country committed treasonous acts in order to break free of a Tyranical England. In the South's mind the North was also tyranical. Should we not fly the Stars and Stripes and be proud of it? After all, it was an act of Treason that allowed the USA to be formed. How is that any different than what happened between the North and South? Should those that served in the civil war be forgotten for serving their country with honor? Should only the North be remembered because they won, and they were "always right" and the south was "always wrong"? I love when people have a knee jerk reaction to things.

Thousands of AMERICANS fought and died in that war whether for the North and the South. Who is the judge of who should be remembered?

Here are the top 5 causes for the Civil War
1. Economic and social differences between the North and the South.
2. States versus federal rights.
3. The fight between Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents.
4. Growth of the Abolition Movement.
5. The election of Abraham Lincoln
Notice that Slavery isnt even the big ticket item. It was later adopted as the big ticket item. It may have been a cause, but it wasnt the main cause.

Why should African Americans be offended by this flag? Should we not fly the American Flag because it would offend the Native Americans. After all, the South was willing to let them have Oklahoma (aka Indian Territory) and was prepared to allow them to live there unmolested. The North immediately ran them out of there, so to say that the South was morally wrong you must also look at everything the North did too. They were no better.

Men served their country, and made the ultimate sacrifice. Why should their memory not be honored?

Maybe if people worried more about the Mexican flags plastered all over vehicles running around this town and less about a flag symbolizing what was a fledgling nation, that was fight for its existance much like we did in the Revolutionary War, we could get something done in this community.

FYI: I do not fly the Confederate Flag. I have never owned or displayed one. I believe it is unfourtunate (sp?) that certain groups have adopted it for there own purposes because that tarnishes what that flag stood for.

Posted by emporian (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 5:50 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Also, the North made it impossible for the South to survive. The history and economy of the North were very different from those of the South. Factories developed in the North, while large cotton plantations developed in the South. The Southern plantation owners relied on slave labor for economic success. Their crops were sold to cotton mills in England, and the ships returned with cheap manufactured goods produced in Europe. By the early 1800s, Northern factories were producing many of those same goods, and Northern politicians were able to pass heavy taxes on imported goods from Europe so that Southerners would have to buy goods from the North. These taxes angered Southerners.

Here is a quote from a Southern General. I know that I will never convince most of the closed minded people of anything on here, cause they know it all and Wikipedia is the gospel truth, but at least I can shed some light.

" ... It will be a glorious day for our country when all the children within its borders shall learn that the four years of fratricidal war between the North and South was waged by neither with criminal or unworthy intent, but by both to protect what they conceived to be threatened rights and imperiled liberty: that the issues which divided the sections were born when the Republic was born, and were forever buried in an ocean of fraternal blood."

- Lieutenant General John B. Gordon, CSA

You also should read this essay
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Posted by UsayULoveGod (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 9:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You can write a thousand page paper describing how the flag is a good thing. That flag represents a side who would die to ensure Slavery would continue ! Over 400 years of Slavery is something we should always remember and never go back to. For many African Americans to see that flag is very hurtful. Yes , I know many of the hate groups here in Kansas and all over the United States currently use this flag for their Symbol , I wonder why ?

Posted by UsayULoveGod (anonymous) on December 6, 2007 at 9:52 p.m. (Suggest removal)

You are right there were Blacks who fought on the side of the Confederates , They were mainly there to carry their Masters extra uniforms , guns and if they did fight , it was because they were made to out of fear.

Posted by landofoz (anonymous) on December 7, 2007 at 9:32 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Kstrebuchet I don't mind if someone flints with my spouse since first of all I don't have a spouse and second of all I am not quite sure what flinting is, so could you please let me know? Yeah I would be mad if someone smacked my mama, because that is battery and it is against the law. Yeah and the hanging my siblings that is murder umm also against the law. Yeah and you ripping my flag down that is assult or at least disorderly conduct which is also aginst the law. But last time I checked flying a flag isn't aginst the law. I said offended not victimized, I am talking about freedom of expression not criminal acts

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on December 7, 2007 at 9:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)

emporian, you say slavery wasn't even the big ticket item, then right after that you talk about how the South relied on slave labor for economic success.

Go back and read what I pulled from Wikipedia, if you think slavery wasn't really at the root of it all.

Posted by open_eyes (anonymous) on December 7, 2007 at 11:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Having the RIGHT to do a thing, and doing the RIGHT thing, are not always the same thing.
For instance, yes, the KKK has THE RIGHT to gather and parade and spout their nonsense, but that does not mean that it in itself is THE RIGHT THING.
Slavery was at the root of the cause of the Civil War. Abe Lincoln said so himself. And he was there, we weren't. I'll take his word over people who's great-grandfathers weren't even born yet when this happened.
So yes, people have THE RIGHT to parade around and glorify a flag that stands for slavery. Just as they have the right to stand on a street corner and give a sermon praising slavery and racism and debasing every person who is not of the same skin color as them. But that doesn't mean that they ARE RIGHT. Basically it means they're an idiot. And this country does protect a person's right to make a blooming idiot out of themselves, in most cases......
So, my 2 cents worth - yes, you have THE RIGHT to display the confederate flag. But displaying it is THE WRONG thing to do.

Posted by eldiablo (anonymous) on December 7, 2007 at 12:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Sorry... I just read a post near the top... and I swear it sounded like this person was condoning slavery because some 'educated' slave-masters clothed, fed, and eventually released their slaves...

Slavery = Slavery

Get rid of the Stars & Bars.

Posted by neighbor (anonymous) on December 7, 2007 at 6:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Count me in Mr. Redick, I agree that the only flag that should be flown during the parade, at the Veteran's Memorial Parks, and on any flag pole in the United States is Old Glory.

The Confederate Flag is part of American history yes, the part of history that teaches us about about the losers. If you want to display the Rebel flag, or a flag from another country inside your home, that's your business and choice to make. I consider it anti-American and distasteful to display such flags in the USA and a sure sign that you are someone I could never trust when you choose to display such flags outside.

Posted by hottopics (anonymous) on December 7, 2007 at 11:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Without reading all the comment, WHO in the frick had the idea of this??

I am a American. ONE flag, and only one flag.

Posted by Bjnemp (anonymous) on December 8, 2007 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Right on, hottopics. Discussion over. We are ONE nation with ONE flag. In a public forum such as a community parade we DO NOT display the Mexican flag, the Confederate flag, or the Iranian flag. Individual state flags, of course, are certainly appropriate within that state. I found this round of comments to be a real eye-opener. I had no idea that Kansas, particularly Emporia, had so many racist cross-burning noose-rigging rednecks living here.

Posted by gabby (anonymous) on December 8, 2007 at 3:01 p.m. (Suggest removal)

kstrebucket, I have been trying to figure out what - flinting with your spouse meant -

Thanks, for explaining you meant flirting, I needed a good laugh today, and you just gave me one.

Posted by create (anonymous) on December 8, 2007 at 4:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)

Okay, okay, but I didn't have a problem with flinting to begin with. I just figured Tre meant causing sparks. You know, flinting/causing sparks...pretty heavy flirting I'd say. Honest, Tre, I really thought that. LOL In fact, I think I'll adopt that as a new word.