Should Confederate flags be displayed on public property?

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!! HOW DARE THIS BLACK SO CALLED COUNCILMAN GO ON TO A GRAVE AND TOUCH ANYTHING!!WHAT AND WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS??!!BECAUSE THE BLACKS HOLLER ITS NOT RIGHT? THIS IS OUR HISTORY OUR ALL HISTORY.THE BLACKS HAVE BLACK HISTORY MONTH WHITES DONT HAVE THIS.THE REBEL FLAG IS OUR HISTORY BLACKS TOOK THAT HOW ABOUT ALL THE WHITES RISE UP STOP BLACK HISTORY MONTH. WHAT THE HELL IS THE DIFFERANCE??WHITE PEOPLE HOW MUCH MORE ARE YOU GOING TO STAND BY AND LET THIS CRAP GO ON??????????????PEOPLE OF AUBURN STAND BAND TOGETHER BECOME ONE AND FIGHT THIS STUPID CRAP!!BY REBEL THIS BLACK MAN STARED IT BY REBEL LET THE WHITES END IT!!!!!

I DO NOT THINK IT IS RIGHT TO TAKE THE FLAGS OFF OF THE PEOPLE WHO FOUGHT AND DIED IN THIS BATTLE.THE FAMILY HAS RIGHTS TO PUT WHAT THEY WANT ON THE GRAVES OF THEIR FAMILIES.HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH RACE.ILIKE TO KNOW WHY NOTHING IS BEING DONE TO THIS MAN THAT TOOK THE FLAG THAT DID NOT BELONG TO HIMAND BROKE IT.THAT IS CHARGES THERE.IF I WAS THE FAMILY OF THE PERSON WHO WAS BURRIED THERE,I WOULD FILE CHRGES.WHO IN THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS..THIS IS AMERICA WE HAVE RIGHTS TO.AND HOW WILL HE LIKE IT IF SOMEONE CAME TO HIS HOUSE AND BROKE SOMETHING OF HIS.HE SHOULD BE FIRED FROM HIS POSITION.
HE SEEMS RACES TO ME.

In your report Councilman Dowdell stated that "blacks come to the cemetery and all they see is racism". Frankly, blacks see racism in everything that white people do. The confederate flag is an historic symbol of an army that a lot of southern men fought and died in. Their descendants have every right to honor their service with the flag they fought and died for. I do not see how placing a flag on the grave of someone hurts them. Maybe blacks should read a history book.

* * "If they want to display flags, let them do it on their property" * *
I'll remember this next year when they want to do their MLK celebration. or during Kwanza (Whatever the made up holiday is called)
The ONLY people making the confederate flag a symbol of racism are the blacks. What the council man did was infringe on the Daughters of the Confederacy's right to honor their ancestors, and their right to peaceful assembly. What he did was STEAL!! He took property that did not belong to him, from grounds that he has no jurisdiction to police. If he had an issue with the flags, he should have gone through proper channels to have them removed. I am officially calling for his removal from office as he obviously is biased and a racist, and a thief! He is merely providing the people that he is supposed to be representing a disservice by maintaining his office with that type of mindset.

Whatever happened to freedom of speech? Why do people who want to remember those who died in the Civil War not have the right to express their opinions? Sometimes our opinions differ. Sometimes different opinions get heated. But, both sides need to understand that we all have a right to our opinion and no one has the right to take that away from us, whether they are offended or not. I am greatly offended by the KKK. I am greatly offended by those who support abortion. I am greatly offended by vulgar language. But, at this point in history, people who hold those views are allowed to express them publicly. I find it detestable that a city councilman wants to take away the rights of some individuals just because they disagree and are offended. I also find it slightly sad that we have a city councilman who does not speak clear English and cannot articulate his opinions without showing anger.

Councilman Dowdell needs to be removed from office. How dare he walk onto the sacred resting place of someone, take the property left there by a loved one & destroy it. Is that not stealing? Is that not destruction of someone else's property? He says it was offensive to him. There are a lot of things in this world, sir, that will be offensive to a lot of different people, but it never gives you the right to resort to violent acts. It is true that the KKK adopted or used the Confederate flag, but it's just that, the Confederate flag, not the KKK flag. It was originated and is the battle flag of the Confederate States of America. It is a part of AMERICAN history. The flags were placed in the cemetery on Confederate graves in their memory. There were men of both races that fought for both sides during The Civil War. They were all veterans, who we remember on Confederate Memorial Day. Why should all those loss of lives be forgotten? Violent acts are unacceptable by any race. Councilman Dowdell, in my opinion, is an arrogant, hypocritical man. Those flags were placed on the graves in memory and honor of their lives and our history, not in hate, racism or as part of the KKK. Mrs. Mary Norman you will be in my thoughts & prayers. I am sorry, Mrs. Norman, that you were disrespected, hurt and the ACTUAL victim of racism. Why is this man not in jail? Why does he still have his job? There were marches for civil rights in the '60's. How would they feel if people marched & peacefully protested until he was removed from office? It's all part of our free speech & rights. Mr. Dowdell, you showed how people assume things & aren't always right. You might want to pick a different wardrobe selection next time in 90 degree weather, Mr. Dowdell, all black with long sleeves, some people might follow your small minded lead & assume that you were dressed similar to another racist group as well.

back in the 60's i stood up for black's.but in the last few years i have learned
that today's black's think everything that white people do that they don't like
is racist . where are my rigths now? as long as everthing that white people is seen as racist there will alway be racist people .i was not a racist back in the 60's but if i 'am now the blacks of today have made me one.

The Confederate flag is a part of our southern heritage. If he doesn't like it maybe he needs to move to Chicago.

" As a young man ,racism seemed to me a single-edge knife , one that whites used to hold blacks down . Now I see that our own racism can be as dangerous and insidious as that which we have battled for centuries . I see racism in people who purport to represent all African Americans .I see racism in a community that refuses to hold one of it's own responsible .I see racism in myself . It is wrong. We cannot defeat their racism with our own ; we cannot defeat bigotry by cheating justice ."------ Christopher Darden , African American prosecutor in OJ Simpson case .

OK FOLKS ITS TIME TO THE BULL CRAP.I THOUGHT WE WERE ALL USA FOLKS WANTING THE SAME THING A BETTER PLACE. BUT SOME JUST CAN'T GET OVER THE RACE FACTOR. DONT MATTER WHAT COLOR YOUR SKIN YOU ARE AN AMERICAN,AT LEAST YOUR SUPPOSE TO BE!AS FOR THE GUY RAISIN HELL ABOUT SOME FLAGS,WHAT ABOUT YOUR BLACK HISTORY MONTH,MILLION MARCH,FREAK WEAK IN ATLANTA.HOW ABOUT ALL THE MLK STREETS ALL OVER THE USA,THE DAMN WHITE DONT RAISE HELL ABOUT THAT, WE ALL THINK THAT MLK WAS A GREAT MAN,UNLIKE YOU! YOU DONT HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR ANYBODY,YOU NEED TO PUT IN JAIL,YOUR A THIEF,FOR REMOVING SOMETHING THAT DID'NT BELONG TO YOU,SO WHY STEEL THEM?THIS IS AMERICA FOLKS,WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER,THE WORLD IS GOING TO HELL-N-A-HANDBASKET,AND WE GOT A PERSON A POLICTICAL OFFICE WORRIED ABOUT A FLAG.WOW! THE FLAG HAS BEEN PART OF HISTORY FOR YEARS,SO GET OVET IT !THIS IS AMERICA WE STILL THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH,WICH IS JUST ABOUT ALL WE HAVE LEFT,EVEN MLK SPOKE ON THAT,THAT IS PART OF HISTORY TOO!SO AS LONG AS NO ONE PUTS A FLAG ON YOUR PROPERTY DONT THINK YOU CAN REMOVE IT.IF YOU FLEW A MALCOM X FLAG,ON YOU GRAVE OR ON YOUR PROPERTY THATS YOUR DOING NOT MINE,BUT I THINK IT BE COOL,THAT WOULD SHOWING YOUR FEELINGS JUST LIKE THE REBEL FLAG THAT OTHER FOLK FLY,THEY PROUD TO. SO GET REAL ABOUT HISTORY AND REAL MEANING OF SOMETHING BEFORE YOU RAISING HELL IT,AND REMEMBER THIS IS AMERICA THIS IS OUR LAND,BLACK,WHITE,IF WE DON'T STAND AS ONE WE ALL GONNA BE IN THE DOG HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As a member of the SCV I placed flags on the graves of confederates it was not done in hate, it is done to honor those who gave all.
Any hate group is not wanted or needed in this.
I fell he was wrong to take the flags from the graves, but we all are humane
so let the man keep his job and lets just move on.

The councilman's actions were disgraceful. Can you imagine the furore if someone removed in protest a flag or anything else from the grave of Saint MLK? We should not tolerate this behavior from the councilman. He should be recalled for desecrating the Confederate graves.Why must those who write about racial issues act like hagiographers when describing blacks, but then demonise the noble, brave and virtuous soldiers of the CSA? Are they to be attacked again by the historical revisionists?
We must never forget the veterans of the CSA.

It saddens me to see so-called civil right leaders beating this dead horse, especially as it is such and affront to veterans. Why? Because Confederate soldiers were officially designated as American veterans by Congress years ago. Their grave stones come free of charge from the VA.

Taking memorial flags off graves is literally cemetery vandalism and I had thought all communities had laws against this.

In the early nineties the heritage movement inflitrated the NAACP here in Atlanta and learned they were tying to revive their flagging fortunes due to embezzlement by top officials, sex scandals, declining membership especially among younger peope who had enjoyed affirmative action all their lives.

What they came up with is a plan to 'waive the bloody shirt' a cynical campaign to begin demanding that all Confederate symbols be removed from public view. They of course knew that this would be resisted by the communities but they would just spin that as 'proof' that racism still existed and 'we have a long way to go'.

Mass media was only too happy to assist them in this scam. Over the next ten years the polls continued to slowly rise in opposition to Confed symbols, which had never been a problem throughout the civil rights era. The whole thing was just a calculated fundraising and hate campaign by the NAACP to their eternal disgrace.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the black on white rape epidemic rolls on unabated with around 35,000 new victims each year, with virtually ZERO press coverage. When I share these numbers with reporters, religious and academic peoplethey are astounded, knowing nothing about them. That shows the level of intellectual dishonesty that the country has sunk down to.

The coucliman is just one of these remaining Tan Klan members that have free passes to run around and peddle their hatred.

So let's have the symposium on inter-racial rape in Auburn next year. We can give the councilman the last five minutes to explain how offended he feels over these grave flags being out one week a year.

Jim Dean
Heritage TV, Atlanta
Assoc. of Former Intelligence Officers

It's time for White Americans to fight back for their rights and racial heritage.

Whites who are tired of being second class citizens in America should join the National Alliance.An organization for White men and women.

when are these people going to realize they lost the war. that flag is a disgrace to this country and should not be flown on any public places in this country.

That so-called councilman wouldn't have been removing those Confederate flags if I had been standing there. He would learn real quick that us strong, proud, Southern white men are getting tired of his kind.
It's time for white people to get back their backbone and stand up for what is right. If the coloreds still don't like it here, then they should pack up and go to Africa. They won't dare though, because I don't think they have welfare, food stamps, affirmative action, quotas, etc. anywhere on the continent of Africa.
Long live the Confederacy!!!

And another thing: This flag incident is exactly why I still don't associate with coloreds, or allow them in my house, or buy anything anywhere that funnels money to them. They are nothing but trouble, and are always whining and complaining about something.

To suggest that the Confederate flag is merely a symbol of slavery is narrow minded and an insult to the families of those who gave their lives in the defense of their homes, their states and the Confederacy. The Civil war was about a great deal more than slavery and it is unfortunate that the African American community cannot see past it's own racial bias in order to see the bigger picture that was the Civil War.

The majority of those that fought and died for the Confederacy were men (and women) who had never owned a slave or never would. Their fight had nothing to do with slavery but rather was to defend their homes and to prevent the federal government from interfering in states rights.

Those of us that love the South and it's history will continue to honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of the South and the symbol of that honor is the Confederate flag.

In the same way that American soldiers are honored with American flags so too are Confederate soldiers honored with Confederate flags. There is no difference nor should there be.

Councilman Dowdell through his actions demonstrates his own racial prejudice and he should be strongly reprimanded for those actions. To my knowledge there is no law prohibiting the installation of a Confederate flag on a grave. They may however be a law against the desecration of a grave and if so I believe Councilman Dowdell has broken that law and should be prosecuted.

The confederate flag represents a very horrible time in our nations past and should never be seen anywhere. It is a disgusting site and it represents an awful place, the south. I am ashamed to live here.

Most people with African heritage have gone to great lengths to point out the events leading up to the American Civil War for the past 40 years or more. At the end of the war people on both sides had wounds to heal but the future to look forward to. It is history now, a part of American history. The descendants of all should (and certainly have every right to) honor their ancestors and memorialize their beliefs, whether of African, Scandinavian, European, or Oriental, any national or racial background. That includes the need and right to illustrate history in ways that recall both the symbols and principals of movements that brought about what we have today – and what today will bring about in the future.

just seen what That so-called councilman said it was racist to him .it was racist to me because if i know if a white man had done it he be in jail for move his flag.