Posted on 01/17/2006 9:16:08 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
Maryville, Blount County (WVLT) - The issue involving the confederate flag is coming back in Blount County after students at a local high school were ordered to cover up their shirts on Friday with the confederate flag on it.
WVLT Volunteer TV's Blount County Bureau Chief Stephen McLamb has the latest.
More than 150 students at William Blount High School have signed a petition seeking support for the right to wear confederate symbols on shirts and other clothing items.
But students who wore the emblem on Friday say they were threatened with suspension if they didn't cover up.
Some students say they support the right to express their confederate heritage that the school has taken away.
Many students came to school on Friday wearing a confederate symbol but say school officials then threatened them.
"If we didn't they said that they were going to suspend us, but my friend Bruce, they threatened my friend Bruce that if he didn't turn his shirt inside out, they were going to take him to juvenile," says Derek Barr, who started the flag petition.
Barr says he hopes to seek more signatures for his petition but says he's concerned about retaliation from school officials.
Attempts to contact Principal Steve Lafon or Superintendent Alvin Hord were unsuccessful.
The policy may be facing legal action, local Sons of Confederates Camp Commander Ron Jones says they will be assisting the students should a suit be filed against the school system.
Personally, I'm far more offended by loudmouth Know it Alls from from New York.
"I'm a big supporter of Free Speech, even if it is offensive"
No you aren't, your post on this thread proves you aren't.
You are nothing more than a politically correct leftist hack who probably worships at the shrive of Screamin Dean.
Cool lookup, thanks.
As a student of language, I've come to appreciate the evolution of our oral communication and especially hate language police. Spelling, usage, again who cares? The purpose of language is communication. If I understand you and likewise, then we have successfully exchanged ideas, irregardless of the means.
You couldn't be further from the Truth. I have absolutely no problem with any display of the Confederate Flag because I'm not offended in the least. I kind of think it's funny. Clearly those that find my sentiments disturbing and wish to silence me have a difficult time in exploring the issues around this quite simple subject.
Free speech or no Free Speech, that is the only issue here. Their talking about a public school here with no dress code. Singling out these particular shirts is illogical as the previous mention of alternate shirts has illustrated. If the school mandated uniforms, then it would be a fair application of the rule. Do they regulate hairstyles? Pants? Or fat people in Belly shirts? Singling out the Confederate shirt is just lame IMHO. But it does create a fun way to some people excited. Plus I found the hot babe in the bikini too.
btw...i agree with your tagline
Steal your Rebel Face? What would Jerry say?
Excuse me, but I was born and raised in Birmingham, and other smaller Alabama towns, and I know very well what it means because I was very close to the guys that displayed that flag. If you don't want to be identified as a racist in the rural South, you stay away from that symbol.
You can talk all you want about heritage and whatever, but if you pointed that flag out to some of my old homies, the "N" word was not far behind.
He'd probably say he enjoyed those Southern shows he did all those years and all that money he made and the appreciation he felt.
You're too young to remember pre-PC and that's a shame.
I can't speak about small town Alabama but in big town Georgia the ONLY time I have heard that word in the last 30 years was from a guy I used to work for. He was from New York.
"We're not defensive; merely tired of being lambasted by torrents of factually void and objectively false arguments telling us we should be ashamed of who we are and where we come from. We're tired of people being spoon-fed liberal lies about the "Civil War" and about the Confederate States of America. We're tired of being lumped in as a group of stereotypical "banjo kids" from Deliverance. It's not true, it's not right, and it's irritating to have to explain it to people over and over. That's my take on it, at least; others may feel differently."
Well said. Some folks have NO idea of what heritage means to those of us who have it.
My memories of the pre-PC days has nothing to do with age. There were some good shows in the South, but I'm willing to go out on a limb and say that your 'typical' Southerner would not treat your 'typical' Deadhead like Confederate brethren.
BTW, thanks for telling me I'm young. Someone actually checked my ID for beer over the weekend. I do still feel young, especially when I see all my college buddies trying to get their hair back.
Racism is not geographically restricted to anywhere. I am always quick to point out that the South has exercised many of it's racial demons. Howard Beach, anyone?
I live in the big Georgia town now, too. I don't ever hear that word either. I also don't hang around any flag displayers anymore either. Do I think there is a connection? Well, yes.
Just remember, historically this flag never flew above anyone but DEMOCRATS....
Awe, did I hurt your feelings? I have to actually live around minorities, so I don't have the luxury of waving a Confederate flag outside my house living 10 minutes outside of DC. The worst thing about the Confederate flag is that it can be so tied to American conservatism and being a Republican since the South is the base for Republican power. It's a huge embarassment for conservatives outside the South and makes conservatives in general look like uneducated Yosemite Sams.
Spoken like a true Yankee.
You know, nobody is forcing you to live in the Commonwealth. If you dislike the South so much, you're more than welcome to move back north any time you want.
Yes you're right, it's in the middle. Don't know how I got turned around. Elm Springs was an ancestral family home, the SCV didn't acquire it until the early 1990's.
That flag is the Confederate Naval Jack. The battle flag was similar but perfectly square. The Naval Jack has been hijacked by some toothless types but that doesn't diminish its importance to those of us whose ancestors fought under it.
If it wasn't the jack or the battle flag it would be another of the Confederate emblems. All this gives the SCLC, NAACP and Rainbow Coalition types something to do.
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