Rebels fly flag, but it’s free speech, folks
June 4, 2008 at 2:46 pm by Ben FryOh no they didn’t.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans have displayed their southern pride, or maybe demonstrated their racist ignorance (depending on whom you ask), by flying a massive Confederate flag near the I-75 and I-4 intersection.
God bless America. These rednecks have the right to fly their flag, at least temporarily.
While I totally disagree with their ideology and am suspicious of their motives, unpopular ideas should not be censored. The flag merely represents their ideas and is akin to a demonstration, which is constitutionally protected. To prohibit this group from flying the flag because of what it stands for would amount to a content-based restriction of free speech, which is a road we do not want to start down.
In addition, there doesn’t seem to be anything, at least so far, that the county commission can legally do to get the flag taken down.
And they should, because leaving the flag up permanently would be an eyesore and wouldn’t be beneficial to the overall community any more than any other hideous eyesore would be. In the same way that we wouldn’t let any other group assemble permanently in a public place, we shouldn’t let this abominable symbol be on permanent public display. It needs to come down eventually.
In the meantime, however, it should be treated as a free speech or a right to assemble issue.
(photo credit: juxtapose^esopatxuj via flickr)
June 4th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
i’ve got a radio controlled airplane that i will light on fire and fly into it and take it down 9/11 style.
June 8th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
I’m not with you on this. This is the flag of an ENEMY of america. If al qaeda had a flag it would be the same as flying that. The traitor flag should never fly in this country. Ever.