So how do you respond when you see the Confederate flag? Did you recoil in horror? Did you shit your pants? Did you have no reaction at all? Did you spend the last few minutes crying and shouting “RACIST!” at your monitor while those around you stared on in bewildered discomfort?

Well, some local folk apparently do the latter in Maryville.

In a story semi-related to the outcry against the University of Mississippi for their use of the rebel flag and Colonel Reb, the Maryville Board of Education has voted to ban all flags - rebel, seasonal or otherwise - from Maryville High School football games.

The school board wrapped the flag ban in some blather about “safety,” but the motivation is obvious - political correctness, pure and simple.

If Ken had really wanted to sell the “safety” angle, he probably should have left off the part about “treading on the sensibilities of minorities,” which exposed (unshockingly) the true motivation behind the ban. While we’re on the subject, the American flag treads on the sensibilities of many leftists, muslims, Hollywood actors, rock stars and Jane Fonda - shouldn’t we have it removed from these games as well? The change in language used to implement the new policy is interesting as well…

This seems more in line with how we toothless Southern hicks talk anyway. Here is a sample of our daily interaction with one another:

Southerner #1: What ya’ll know?
Southerner #2: Not much, ya’ll. How’s yer still?
Southerner #1: Perty good. My last batch got me enough to afford this straw hat. Like it?
Southerner #2: Well, I thought yer last batch tasted like horse piss. Different strokes an’ all I guess.
Southerner #1: Them’s fightin’ words! Prepare to be vanquished, varmint!

At that point, both parties usually go back to their truck to get their shotguns off their gun racks and commence to shootin’. But I digress.

Back to the topic at hand… the old policy was meant to make sure nobody feels uncomfortable. If society continues down the politically correct path of making sure nobody ever feels uncomfortable, I guess we’ll finally achieve the Socialist Utopia where no one ever feels uncomfortable and everyone is equally miserable in every possible way. Shit, I felt uncomfortable the first 18 years of my life, and I came through alright (well, mostly).

So what’s my take on the “controversy”? I say let ‘em fly the flag. Leave Colonel Reb alone down at Ole Miss, while you’re at it. It’s a symbol of the old South - and I’ll be the first to admit, the history of the South isn’t pretty - but racism and slavery are only a piece of the South’s historic puzzle. I know those are the only parts of our history that the rest of the country cares about, because it makes us an easier target for their ridicule, but there’s a whole lot more to Southern history than that.

Sure, there are klanesque white-supremecist factions who have hijacked the flag as their symbol, but rational people can surely separate the flag from its more unsavory presenters. And while we’re on the subject of flags, they are just symbols, which is why I don’t support a constitutional amendment against burning the American flag.

If some jackass takes it upon his or herself to desecrate the American flag, they are exercising their right to free speech. They’re idiotic and vile, but they still have the right to do so. I also support judicial leniency against anyone who kicks their ass as a result, btw.

Okay, in looking back at this post, it’s absolutely lost any kind of focus, so I’m quitting. Long story short, quit yer bitchin’.

Posted by Preston Taylor Holmes @ 11:10 am
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1. you lost me when you said “…rational people…”

   comment by Greg — Wednesday, July 27, 2005 @ 1:08 pm

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2. Well, hell, Greg, I’m surprised you stayed tuned in for that long. At least you gave it a shot.

   comment by Preston Taylor Holmes — Wednesday, July 27, 2005 @ 1:18 pm

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3. what I find embarrassing about my hometown is that they always sucked most greatly in the sports. heck, I can’t go back to my grade school cause they tore it down and leveled the field it was on. but I digress…

   or not. what are they going to do to make the people not be offended by the other team scoring 63 points on ‘em? will they stop keeping score, because it causes the kids to worry about making more touchdowns?

   why am I not surprised by a school that plays in the almighty shadow of Alcoa being run by a bunch of Democrats.

   comment by MacStansbury — Wednesday, July 27, 2005 @ 2:44 pm

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4. PRESTON TAYLER HOLMES!!! U KINT DUMP ME CUZ’ I ALREADY QUIT. NAH NAH NAH NAH.

   SO YER GONNA PICK ME UP FRIDAY FER OUR DATE, YALL HEER ME?

   comment by SADIE LOU!!!! — Wednesday, July 27, 2005 @ 2:53 pm

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5. On a serious note (I know, Preston, it’s hard for me to be serious!), a vendor of ours in Tenn proudly displayed a very large confederate flag in their building, but removed it when a rather large account told them if they didn’t, they’d pull their business (one of their visiting employees was ‘offended.’). Glad the company car wasn’t The General Lee!

   comment by Merri — Wednesday, July 27, 2005 @ 6:41 pm

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6. Good thing BEULAH MAE!!! missed this one, or she’d have fightin’ words for you for proudly displaying the Great Colonel Reb–she’s a dumbass Auburn piece of trash.

   HODDY TODDY, goddammit!!!

   (Hey, I’m not JUST a Tide fan, I’m an Ole Miss fan too.)

   comment by Beth — Saturday, July 30, 2005 @ 1:44 am

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7. .. well said.. leave the flag alone…

   comment by Eric — Monday, August 1, 2005 @ 8:50 am

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