Wednesday, August 19, 2015


Mississippi celebrities rally to remove Confederate emblem from state flag

Many famous current and former Mississippi residents are asking the state to remove the Confederate battle emblem from its flag.

Jimmy Buffet, John Grisham, Morgan Freeman and former New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning are among many celebrities who called for the removal of the emblem in an open letter.

Others who signed the public request were Kathryn Stockett (the author of The Help), Grammy-winning producer Glen Ballard, writer Richard Ford and Basketball Hall of Famer Bailey Howell.

The celebrities joined others in signing the letter that appeared in a full-page ad in Saturday's edition of the Clarion-Ledger.

'It is simply not fair, or honorable, to ask black Mississippians to attend schools, compete in athletic events, work in the public sector, serve in the National Guard, and go about their normal lives with a state flag that glorifies a war fought to keep their ancestors enslaved,' a portion of the letter read.

A survey by the Clarion-Ledger found 64 of Mississippi's lawmakers supported changing the flag, 24 opposed it, nine said they were undecided, and 96 declined to answer.

Governor Phil Bryant said voters made their views clear in 2001, when 64 per cent rejected a proposal to change the state flag to 20 white stars on a blue field.

SOURCE

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

But just mention that the revered Robert Byrd was a leader of the Ku Klux Klan, and you'll be shouted down so fast your head will spin.

Anonymous said...

What does Robert Byrd have to do with Mississippi and their flag? Anon 12:47's comment is so ridiculous and so off subject, it has Nathan Forrest turning in his grave.

Anonymous said...

Myopic is no way to go through life, 1:21.

Anonymous said...

I am sure that you could get a large contingent of celebrities to endorse rewriting the US Constitution because it was written by slave holders and left that institution in place. Unsupported/Poorly supported celebrity opinions are just as worthless as most emotional opinions and the group listed here more than most.

MDH

Bird of Paradise said...

Tell them to go pound sand

Anonymous said...

While this is a complex issue that will never be objectively settled, I have to agree that the flag or it's image shouldn't be used by government bodies. Because of the history of secession and the outcome of the Civil War, it appears contradictory for state and local governments to fly any established Confederate flag, much less include it as part of the state flag, while retaining citizenship in the United States. That being said, I have no problem whatsoever with individuals, private organizations or businesses displaying the flag in any way for any reason, even if I don't agree with the reason(s).

Anonymous said...

Being a moron is no way to go through life, 1:38.

Flu-Bird said...

Why dont they all return to Stupidland where their living right now

Anonymous said...

Celebrities suffer opinion diahorria. They are full of crap and should keep their opinions to themselves. Their opinion is not worth more than the average citizen and often far less.

Anonymous said...

It is interesting to see all the thoughtful comments written in fluent English.

Stan B said...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Mississippi

The design has been in use since 1894 - so it's inclusion can't be seen as a "reaction" to Federal interference in segregation laws as it has been in other states which added the battle flag in response to 1950's Federal Court Rulings.

Cosmic Condor said...

Q. Whats a liberals favorite drink? A. Whine

Anonymous said...

Can I help it if you have no personality?