Les Kinsolving was right on some of the points he made in his piece "The Latest in the Georgia flag-ban folly" on World Net Daily, May 6, 2003. There are some important points he missed.
First of all, Governor Perdue did what he promised to do. He promised to introduce a referendum to vote on the "Barnes Banner" that I fondly call "The Six Flags Over Georgia Flag" and the 1956-2001 flag with the Saint Andrews Cross, one of the Confederate Battle Flags.
He introduced a referendum and there were questions about the legality of it and the cost of modifying the voting machines to accommodate a referendum with pictures and legal descriptions. The Governor's mistake was not conferring with the Secretary of State, Cathy Cox regarding the execution of the referendum or the Attorney General, Thurbert Baker on the legal issues relating to this.
Unlike Governor Barnes' proposal, this one went through the channels, had public hearings, had to move through the legislature and was amended and passed. Governor Perdue kept his promise and the legislature did their job. The Flag Nuts, my fond nickname for the minority that just won't give up on this one, were heard and their position lost.
The larger question is why is this so contentious and how are we going to heal, which is also one of Governor Perdue's goals? First of all, the Governor has to come out and tell us his position on the Flag. He hasn't done this yet. I know the Governor to be a principled and religious man. He needs to lead on this issue and convince the electorate of his point of view. No governor has ever done this and it is time for some moral leadership on this issue.
The Confederacy has been glamorized and glorified. The men who fought and died for "The Lost Cause," believed they were defending their way of life and states rights. Most were drawn into it to protect what little they had and to them the St. Andrews Cross was revered and was an honorable symbol of men who gave their very best for their way of life.
The truth is that slavery was waning in the South and most Southerners did not own slaves. Slavery was the "Lost Cause" and the economic benefit was lost also. This effort to destroy the union failed and our country, America, is stronger because of this struggle.
How did the Confederate emblems, especially the St. Andrews Cross, become such a politically incorrect symbol? It was not what happened as it flew over the Confederacy during those 4 years of war. It was what happened afterwards in the dark days of Jim Crow until the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.
We, the fine White people of the South and other regions, allowed our sacred symbol that stood for the blood that poured out on the battlefields of the North and South to be desecrated. We looked the other way when groups like the Klan and more recently, The National Alliance used that symbol as a symbol of hatred and intimidation to Black Americans in this country.
We must take responsibility for that. We must accept that while we were looking the other way the sacred nature of those symbols were destroyed. It was our inaction that led to the view that most people have of the Confederacy today.
In fairness, it must be noted that the Sons of the Confederacy went to court in 1981 to keep the Klan from using the St. Andrews Cross. But that was too little, too late and the damage had been done.
The cries go out for heritage and history, but where were those cries for the 100 years between the end of the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Why was history so dispensable during that dark time in our history?
Most Whites want to be nostalgic about the 1950's in America, but we must come to understand and empathize that this is from our point of view. Blacks have a very different point of view of that time and the stated desire to remember the centennial of the Confederacy. While Blacks benefited from the prosperity, they were not guaranteed the basic rights of Americans.
We must understand the past to make the present work, so that brings us to today. The two sides of this fight are the ones that want to wipe all references to the Confederacy and the other side wants to be bold and proud of the history of the Confederacy.
First, the history of Civil War and the Confederacy must be preserved and taught. We do not learn the lessons of history if we don't teach it. It is appropriate for there to be memorials, museums and displays, even in state capitals or on their grounds. If the state was part of the Confederacy, then that history is part of their history.
However, Confederate symbols should not be used in state flags or state symbols. They represent the tearing apart of a country and should be studied in that context. When men came to ask Gen. Robert E. Lee to fight and rise up again, he said, "Abandon your animosities and make your sons Americans." We are all Americans and in my state where we are battling the issue regarding our state flag, we are all Georgians.
To solve this debate we need to draw on history, but the history of the whole state. The first Georgia state flag was the first flag of a state to be adopted in this new United States of America. That flag represents the entire history of the State of Georgia. We should reinstate that flag.
Whether it is Georgia or any other state of the Old Confederacy, we must put these issues to bed. They all have great economic opportunity ahead of them. The South has become a very desirable place to live and work and we should look forward with that in mind. We should learn the lessons of our history but embrace the future.
This debate should be over. South Carolina has come up with an acceptable solution in putting the battle emblem on the capital grounds as part of a Confederate memorial. Mississippi is still working on its strategy. Georgia should be the leader in making this a respectful nod to the truth of the history while embracing the long and rich heritage of all the people of Georgia.
Governor Perdue (R-Ga) needs to be out front on this issue and lead. He needs to say where he stands and call for action on this issue. Our future as a leader in the region and in the country is at stake.
Martha Zoller hosts a daily political talk show for WDUN AM 550 in Gainesville, Georgia. She is a regular contributor The Fox News Channel, CNN and MSNBC. She is a panelist on Fox 5 Atlanta's The Georgia Gang. You may email your comments to her at [email protected]
Tuesday
August 5th, 2025
10:28PM
