Honk for Confederate pride

Rep. Don Brown, R-DeFuniak Springs, has filed legislation to create a new license plate featuring the Confederate battle flag.

But the controversial nature of the flag and failure to establish a plate before makes for a difficult road to approval.

The plate, featuring four Confederate-era flags as well as buttons worn by soldiers, was designed by the Florida division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. The group pitched the idea last year and got nowhere. The plate would cost $25 extra and proceeds would be used for education programs and graveyard restoration.

Florida, like other Southern states, has struggled over the image of the Confederate flag and the plate will surely stir controversy. In 2001, Gov. Jeb Bush discreetly removed the flag from the Capitol. His successor, Gov. Charlie Crist, has made inroads with the African-American community that sees the flag as an enduring symbol of racism.

"A lot of people are making a big issue out of it," Brown said. "But all we're doing is giving individuals the right to choose to make a statement about their heritage." That's no different, he said, than people who want to see Martin Luther King Jr's name grace street signs. Browns says he is one of them and has sponsored a bill to rename part of Highway 90 in Walton County after the slain civil rights leader.

A handful of other states have Confederate heritage plates, including Georgia, Louisiana and North Carolina.

Comments

[MoveForwardNotBackward]

That's just a proposed plate. I'm sure when it's completed there will be iron chains complementing the logo with a catchy phrase like "Birth of a Nation."

[steve]

Damn carpetbaggers still don't understand that they have chosen to move to the South. No, this is not Ohio nor New York. Florida was a founding member of the confederate states. This fact is neither good nor bad. I only hope one of our representatives pushes for a carpetbagger plate so we can have a bit of balance here.

I bet this plate will be very popular in Dixie County. They have roadside stands selling Confederate flags.

Wow... this wins the all time ignorance award. And in Florida... that's HUGE. What is wrong with these people? My insurance is choking me. My taxes are killing me. And these people are fighting Injuns and the Civil War. Please wake up. Please.

They are still fighting the war up in the Panhandle aka Lower Alabama. I wouldn't tell them the war is over and the south lost.

Rep. Brown, GO HOME. To the house from the House. Please. What a loser.

Confederates were traitors to the United States of America. Nothing left to be said than that.

How can anyone who isn't married to their sister think this is a good idea? And then people wonder why this state is the butt of so many jokes. Just hurry and choke to death on your skoal so those of us with I.Qs bigger then our shoe sizes can fix this god forsaken place.

[ricco]

MOST SOUTHERN'S DIDN'T OWN SLAVES
IT WAS TOO COSTLY. THEY WENT DOWN TO THER LOCAL"RENT A SLAVE" STORE.DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY RENTALS
LETS NOT FORGET THE WHITES ONLY RESTROOMS WHITES DRINKING FOUNTAINS.
LUNCH COUNTER DISCRIMINATION NO VOTING RIGHTS LYNCHING FOR SPORT DISCRIMINATIN IN EDUCATION AND JOBS
AND LETS NOT FORGET THOSE "ONE WAY BUS TICKETS" GIVEN TO BLACKS TO GO NORTH OH SEPERATE MILITARY UNITS WHITES ONLY...POLICE BEATINGS ASSAULTS WITH FIRE HOSES AND SHOOTINGS.

THEM GOOD OLE BOYS SHOULD BE PROUD OF THEIR HORRIBLE PAST. GIVE THEM A VANITY TAG!

Republicans are making a mockery of the founding principles of our country, and Florida is fast becoming the laughing-stock of the nation. I can't believe the state I love has fallen so far as to become the last refuge of the ignorant ne-con movement.

[Gilbert]

Gee, and I thought we as Americans had made so much progress, ha! As an African American, 21 year Army veteran, I put my life on the line for this country to even allow State Elected dividers the right to propose such actions. I personally do not object to it. However, when people banter around thier own personal opinions as to impose on others and they mask it with sarcasm I listen very intently. As for the Martin Luther King references and BET snipes accompanied with the other negatives let be on the record and say this: Neither Caucasian nor African American or Hispanic/Latinos have and inherited right to America. If history is correct and I have no reason to doubt it, The Indians are the rightful owners of this country. In fact the Indians owned all of America until they started messing around and negotiating with the White Man!

Bigots Suck!

[J.E.B. Stewart]

All of you ignorant people who are ashamed of living in Florida and stereotype the people on this board for supporting the tag should just move back north of the Mason-Dixon line (if you even know what that is). If you have ever spent time in upstate New York or rural Pennsylvania you'd know that rednecks and hillbillys are not soley a product of the south. By the way....why are you even here?

J.E.B. Stuart

[Marc]

I say let the inbreds have their license plate, lets also add a neo-Nazi swastika plate and a KKK plate. This way we can see the ignorant, less-educated coming a mile away...

[General Custer]

Several of the posts here have made reference to the Indians being the rightful owners of this country. The bottom line is that they got their butts kicked and lost the land. Too bad. It has happened time and time again from the beginning of mankind...on every continent....to the victors go the spoils of war.

[john jay]

Actually, the South seceded from the Union over Slavery. When South Carolina seceded first, it then issued a call to other states -- but only to other slave-holding states. Only slave-holding states joined the confederacy. The Confederate Constitution did not recognize "States Rights" when it came to slavery, but placed slavery on a plane in which the States could not interfer with it.

Confederate Vice President Stevens said, the new government's
“foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests upon the great truth, that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery – subordination to the superior race—is his national and normal condition.” The South refused to free and draft slaves even after R.E.Lee told them in writing it was the only possible way to continue the war.

Most southerners may not have owned slaves, but their economic, social, and political lives revolved around the "peculiar institution." In fact, I beleive the South clung to slavery in part because they did not know what to do with the great number of african-americans living in thier midst (there were relatively few blacks in the north, but blacks made up 40% of the South's population). They could not envision a society with both races, unless blacks were subordinated.

The idea that the South seceded over the general principle of State's Rights -- what one historican calls the "virgin birth" theory of the confederacy -- is part of the "Lost Cause" mythology that started after the South was trying to recover from the devastation of the war. By the way, once slavery was eliminated, the South became once again an important and vital part of the Union. The United States would not be the great power that it if the country had been divided.

Secession was about slavery. The sooner people deal with this truth, the sooner the use of confederate flags as simply a historical reminder of the brave and self-reliant South will be accepted. Almost everyone I have met who now flies a confederate flag now, however, has expressed racist views. The flag must be separated from the racism before it becomes acceptable again.

Thanks, Steve, for mentioning carpetbaggers. Yes, they are still around, defending blacks with one hand, while robbing them blind with the other. Forget Evolution, teach what really happened to the South!

[john jay]

"No bill of attainder, or ex post facto law, or law denying or impairing the right of property in negroe slaves shall be passed."

Art. I, section 9, Confederate Constitution

""and the right of property in said slaves shall not be impaired."

Art. IV, section 2 (1), Confederate Constitution.

The vast majority of Floridians live in parts of the state that have absolutely nothing to do with The South. It's no more southern than Obama is. Brown should move to Alabama, or somewhere--anywhere, just stop embarassing the rest of us. At least I can have confidebnce that Charley would veto it---and if I thought it ever had a chance of passing, I'd be really upset.

[THEY ARE ALL PUSSIES]

I WOULD LIKE TO HOLD AL SHARPTON DOWN AND TATTOO ONE ON HIS FACE. TRUTH IS, THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO DONT WANT IT ARE BLACKS AND THOSE THAT WANT TO BE AND ACT BLACK. I AM IN NO WAY A RED NECK OR HILLBILLY BUT, I WOULD SPORT ONE JUST TO PISS OFF THE A**HOLES THAT SAY I CANT HAVE IT. P*SS OFF GO IN A CORNER AND POLISH YOUR OBAMA BUMPER STICKERS ANDLISTEN TO LIBERAL RADIO. I HOPE ALL OF YOU THAT HAVE A PROLBEM CATCH SOME SORT OF COAGULATION DISEASE AND BLEED TO DEATH. I TRULY HATE YOU ALL.

[THEY ARE ALL PUSSIES]

OH YEAH I ALMOST FORGOT, F*** YOU ALSO. PUT THAT ON A BUMPER STICKER AND TAPE YOUR MOUTH SHUT

[Matthew]

The confederates were traitors; they took up arms against their country.

Slavery? Never forget that it is why millions of blacks are alive today.Thanks to the victors in tribal wars, the ancestors of American blacks had 2 possibilities, death or slavery.

[Marc]

I am white, in fact I am a member of the Mayflower Society (can't get much whiter than that). Anything this divisive should never be endorsed by our government. To Mr. They are all P$ssies, you are obviously a bigoted and uneducated man. For starters, there is a key on your keyboard labeled 'Caps Lock'. Why don't you hit that key once so you don't look so moronic. Can't way for a an African-American to run this great country of ours (Go Obama).

[Jack]

TRAITORS is all the confederates were.

[niger]

Ill buy that for a dollar!

[Stonewall Jackson]

If the confederates were traitors...then what would you call the signers of the Declaration of Independence? Keep in mind that the founders of this great country were also traitors at one time...to England...the mother country. Sometimes a little revolution is a good thing.

And yes, the ungrateful minorities in this country should get on their knees and kiss our white assess that they were brought to the new world. Do you actually believe that they would trade places with their ancestors on the dark continent??? Get real people!

[OSAMA]

A word of advice:

If you vote OBAMA .... you get OSAMA!

I am going to laugh my head off when one of those hillbillies takes a worng turn off the highway in Jacksonville or Tampa and the locals show them what they feel about their "Confederate" pride

[Sitting Bull]

LOL at General Custer and his thoughts on Native Americans

The South quit the Union over taxes. The various state legislatures said so at the time. Tariffs to protect northern industries devastated the southern economy (before and after the War). There was little pressure to end slavery. Lincoln made that clear. Slavery was not a rationale for secession. 4:38 P.M., the South was engaged in the global economy. It sold its cotton to Europe. Northern protectionists, on the other hand, opposed globalization.

The license tag is still a dumb idea.

[Kathy]

What an absolutely beautiful license plate. The artwork is outstanding. Sure beats those "Save Our Seas" or "State Wildflower". I will gladly sign the petition to have these produced!

[mrowdy]

Florida could make billions, considering the number of red necks that live here.

At least we'll be able to identify Kathy and the other Sons and Daughters of the Confederacy from a distance. What a bunch of backwards morons.

[BigYank]

Remember Andersonville!

[john jay]

The argument that the South seceded over something other than slavery may provide a nice story that allowed the two sections of the country to reconcile, but it does not hold up to an objective review of the facts.

There is no doubt that the North exploited the South for decades leading up to the war by passing high tariffs, which forced the South to buy Northern goods rather than English goods at a time when the South was rich with cash because it provided the main part of United States exports in the form of cotton.

But the crisis came when the Lincoln was elected on a platform to keep the Slavery out of the West, which was then mainly federally-controlled territories that had not yet become states. If there was no slavery in the territories, then when the States were formed out of the territories, they would most likely reject slavery, like most Northern States had. This was the "last straw" that caused the South to break the Union.

On April 29, 1861, Confederate President Jefferson Davis in his first message to the Confederate Congress said that the South seceded because the North was taking steps (such as excluded slaves from the Western territories) "rendering the property in slaves comparatively worthless, and thereby annihilating in effect property worth thousands of millions of dollars....With interests of such overwhelming magnitude imperiled the people of the Southern States were driven by the conduct of the North [to secede]." Davis latter changed his story. But his words at the time to other confederates make clear that the South seceded over slavery.

[Nolan]

This just opened a big CAN OF WORMS! I'm a gay American.. Where can I get my Florida Gay Pride license plate? They'd have a field day with this.

Did Allen sign up for Bense1 yet?

Don Brown is an idiot and a racist. He can't think of anything better to do with the handful of bill slots he has than to do something like this to insult every African American in Florida? Not to mention the fact that this will feed racist prejudices that most decent people have been trying to extinguish ever since the end of the Civil War. Hey Don - I'm Southerner but don't forget the cause the South was fighting for was NOTHING to be proud of and commemorating it is wrong, misguided and bigoted. You are a disgrace.

[Rick-O]

As a native Floridian, and a long time resident of the Panhandle, I am truly, truly embarassed by this nonsense. Collectively, is this really a pressing issue right now? Think about those that are supporters of this flag, and the whole confederacy nonsense; not real advocates of the Civil Rights movement. Considering that, what sense does it make to issue a license plate that will do nothing but further the divide between us? I mean, who do you see sporting these confederate flags? Typically, they are racists, and narrow-minded simpletons that have some idealistic perspective on what might have been had the south won. Well, they didn't, and they should get over it. Instead, let's concentrate on more pressing matters, such as education, property taxes, insurance, health insurance, and unemployment. I love my state, but I despise those moments when it rears it's ugly, redneck, racist head.

[Lee]

Isn't judging someone by a flag they fly prejudice in itself? Yes, there are those who have used and are using this flag to represent and do things that are dishonorable. I am not one of those people, but I do believe in my heritage. You say it is not acceptable to judge someone by the color of their skin, and it is not. Yet, you hypocrites find it okay to judge someone based on a flag they fly.
By the way, I am married to a woman of color and I proudly have a picture of Robert E. Lee with a Confederate flag in many rooms in my house. He stood for duty, honor, and the ideals of the Southern Gentleman, no matter their color. He fought for his State despite his disbelief in slavery due to his sense of loyalty to his home state.
So there is at least one person who would consider owning this plate who is definitely NOT a racist.

[John]

Honestly, the same morons who would buy this flag are the same ones who have no problem throwing people into a hole outside of any legal jurisdiction for torture and imprisonment without charge.

Seeing as the so-called Confederate flag they are so "proud" of is a battle flag, doesn't that immediately constitute an act of treason? Shouldn't anyone who buys this plate or waves that flag be immediately sent to Gitmo, do not pass Go, unless Go is a town in Romania where you will be tortured for no reason?

[Reality Check]

I love that anyone who calls the treason flag what it is is automatically a communist. The south did not fight against communism. The did not fight over 'states rights' (SC seceded because northern states would NOT enforce the fugitive slave act - the were AGAINST states rights), and they certainly didn't fight over taxes or any of the other BS. The fought because the rich wanted to keep slaves and the southern poor were (and still are, apparently) stupid enough to believe they had some stake in it.

Get over it. The Confederacy was a disgraceful period in history but, like the nazis, it's over. Move on.

What if your heritage is hateful?

"By the way, I am married to a woman of color and I proudly have a picture of Robert E. Lee with a Confederate flag in many rooms in my house."

You need to read what Lee actually wrote, not just the snippets the Sons of Confederate Traitors puts out. Lee would have despised you and your wife. If, indeed, you have such a wife. Lies come easily to neo-confederates.

[ricco]

NEWS FLASH:
RACISM IS A LIVE AND WELL IN FLORIDA IN 2008

IN SOME WAYS A GOOD PORTION OF FLORIDA IS STILL IN A 1950'S MINDSET.

WHILE OTHER STATES HAVE REMOVED THE CONFERATE FLAG FROM THEIR STATE HOUSE. WHY IS FLORIDA BRINGING UP A PAST OF HATRED.?

[Dee]

Is the carpetbagger culture so grand? Just look at south Florida. Are they segregated down there in Miami/West Palm or what? The rich carpetbaggers do not give the poor minorities their money and invite them to their parties. They do not send their children or grand children to the public schools with the poor minorities.

Of course they do expect the poor minorities to work as their servants and staff at pitiful low wages.

Seems like the real racists we have here in Florida have been imported from up north. To take attention away from their actions they keep tossing names at regular folks and seek to redefine a period in history that was extremely challenging and sad for all. But it is their actions that speak louder than words and really matter.

Richest area of the state is around West Palm Beach and the poorest area of the State is segregated from West Palm Beach where the "house" servants come from. RICH YANKEE BIGOTS!

as several above have pointed out so clearly, SLAVERY was THE issue even before the constitution was ratified!

remember the compromise in agreeing to count slaves at three-fifths of a person?

THREE-FIFTHS OF A HUMAN BEING??

there are more examples, but that central one -- dehumanizing slaves -- should do the job!

as the north moved towards abolishing slavery, the issue became more contentous.

if you CAN READ, do check out the history of the various legislative efforts to "allow" slavery in new states as well as the threats to go to war over the issue prior to april of 1861.

by the time of the treason against the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, southern states had so totally wedded themselves to an agrarian system dependent on slave labor that they had no option left to them but to commit TREASON -- and suicide.

egged on by the wealthy and established, poor southerns responded to the call to arms and participated in the destruction of not only themselves but thier "nation"!

were the war to have been waged ten times, it is highly likely that the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA would have prevailed ALL TEN times.

by 1865 the TRAITORS had had their butts so thoroughly whipped that only one of TEN southerners returned to their homes after the war.

unfortunately, the necessary cleansing and reformation of reconstruction was preempted by the impeachment trial of andrew johnson and the repeal of most reconstrution legisation.

isolated and defeated, southerners began constructing this delusional view of the war:

honor,
chivalry,
state's rights,
northern oppression -- gladly ignoring their oppression of millions of slaves
protecting the flower of southern womanhood,
jim crow laws,
the klan

and such related fantasies to deal with their emotional, physical and spiritual humiliation.

in their need, southerners clung to these fantasies as fact.

consequently, these delusional people, determined to promote and honor TREASON and TRAITORS continue to seek validation for their delusions:

flying the flag at state houses,
SCV,
LoS,
re-enacters,
pathetic license plates,
klan rallies to "protect" us from-who-knows-what, etc., etc.

this is simply one more gasp of the delusions.

germany made display of the swastika illegal after WWII.

would that our government had made the same decision in 1865!!

Neither the flag nor the tag are offensive. A free society requires thick skin, but a tag? Seriously, someone is offended by a depiction of a flag? How about this: I am offended by people who are offended over things! Stop offending me!!!

That being said, why do we need ANY specialty tags. Personally, I am opposed to them all. However, if you can have one to raise money to "save the manatees" then you should be able to have one to preserve history.

didja ever notice that you cant have a KLAN rally and KLAN parade without swastikas and stars and bars?

think about that, if you can without hurting yourself!!