With NFL officials from New York and football teams from Pittsburgh and Phoenix about to march on Tampa, the Sons of Confederate Veterans have vowed this:
The 1,800-square-foot confederate battle flag shall rise again.
Damaged in the high wind and rain earlier this week, the 30-by-60-foot flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, which flies over Confederate Veterans Memorial Park adjacent to the Interstate 75 bridge over U.S. 92, is expected to be hoisted up the 139-foot flagpole this afternoon.
The battle flag will be hoisted at 2 p.m. during a short ceremony over the nearly completed memorial park, a statement issued this week said.
Organization officials said the flag was damaged in high wind this week and sent to a sail maker for repairs.
Marion Lambert, who oversees the memorial, said in the statement that with the Super Bowl next weekend, "Now is a great time to place honorable Southern heritage before the many visitors to the Tampa Bay area."
The flag had come under criticism by some civil rights advocates, who said it was a symbol of slavery and divisiveness within the community. However, all the permits were legally obtained and all the legal requirements to raise the flag were met.
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