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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 7, 2008

Pride For Southerners

Regarding "Opinions Fly As Site Set For Rebel Flag" (Metro, June 3):

Adora Nweze of the Florida NAACP says of the Confederate battle flag, "It's not a symbol of hate or race to them. It is for us, those of us impacted by it. It is offensive to us."

The last time I checked, our constitutional rights do not include the right to not be offended. My family has at least three ancestors who fought for the Confederacy. While for some in the South the main issue was slavery, for many more it was an issue of states' rights and a federal government growing too powerful, in violation of the Tenth Amendment.

NANCY J. FOSTER

Clearwater

Sickened By Poll Results
I find it incomprehensible that a NewsChannel 8 poll showed 49 percent of the people had no problem with the semi-sized Confederate flag that is set to welcome visitors to the Tampa Bay area soon and, worse, that 9 percent didn't know if it was OK.

Will next we be ready to fly swastikas with background explanations simply because the flag poles are on private property?

I'm sickened.

JULIE ALANEZ

Riverview

Distortion Of History

In the finest fashion of hypocrisy and rationalization, Marion Lambert, representing the Sons of Confederate Veterans, has declared the Confederate flag "stands for American liberty." Huh?

What history book did Lambert study? This flag represents a massive rebellion of Americans who deserted their country to form another, the Confederate States of America. This history and its flag is not about American liberty, but about American traitors. It seems to me that the Sons of Confederate Veterans would like to rewrite history and eulogize forever those who contributed to this costly debacle.

Never mind that the flag is a constant source of irritation to certain members of the American community. Just keep on reopening old wounds with these shows of rebel flags, and keep the undercurrent of disrespect and even hate alive. This seems to be what this effort is really about.

WILLIAM L. GROSS

Trinity

Just Get Over It

Since when has a piece of cloth ever threatened anyone? This flag is no more and no less than just a piece of cloth! With all the turmoil in this world there has to be other things much more threatening than the flag of the Confederacy. It was a battle flag among the other battle flags that went to war during 1861 to 1865, North and South.

How long will this separate and alienate people? It is a symbol of this country's history and should be viewed from the history that has brought us to where we are today.

I think a flag from another country is offensive, but I'm not whining about it if it is displayed in a "legal" manner. I can only make this suggestion: Get over it!

ROBERT HASCH

Ruskin

It's The Wrong Flag

The flag being flown at the intersection of interstates 4 and 75 is the wrong flag to represent Southern Confederate heritage. This flag started life as the Confederate naval jack. It has since been hijacked by the KKK, skinheads, Neo-Nazis and other vermin and been turned into the "rebel flag." It is not the "Stars and Bars." It is not the battle flag, either.

A better choice to represent Confederate heritage would be the second or the third Confederate national flag. My choice would be the first national flag, the real Stars and Bars.

DALE WEBBER

Odessa

Property Rights Issue

The SCV is building a memorial park on their property. Decades of revisionists' teaching gives special-interest groups the impression they can trounce other citizens' property rights.

What started the war between the states? Constitutional rights of Southern property owners fell under the boots of their Northern aggressors. The North abused the South the same way King George abused the Colonies. The Colonists seceded from Great Britain, and the South seceded from the Union - both with bloody battles.

JANET ROCKEY

Tampa

Symbolic Representation

Just as American and German soldiers lie in their graves in the hills over Normandy and countless battlefields around the world, we honor those men not always for the causes they fought for but their honor, bravery and sacrifices as soldiers.

The Iron Cross marks the graves of World War II's German dead, not the Swastika, and no literate person should ever wonder why that is. Union and Confederate soldiers lie together under the American flag at Gettysburg, Arlington and our own Florida National Cemetery at Bushnell.

STEVE HEMINGWAY

Tampa

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