STEVEN A. McCALEB
103 ALVERADO DRIVE
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI 39560
PHONE & FAX: (228)-868-8428
Clarksdale Mayor Henry Espy cast the deciding vote in a resolution to remove the state flag from all city property.
If the Mayor removes the Mississippi State Flag, he should pack his bags and leave the state of Mississippi.
No one has the right to reverse a statewide vote on the people and taxpayers of Mississippi.
"This is not a vote against the flag, but about the pain and suffering it has symbolized for many years,'' Espy said after the Clarksdale Board of Mayor and Commissioners voted along racial lines on Monday.
"This is not a vote against the flag, but about the pain and suffering it has symbolized for many years,'' I call this statement a bunch of BS.
As every politician will state, "we are a country of laws" and the state flag is not part of Mississippi law.
Commissioner Ed Seals said Coahoma County residents voted against the April 2001 statewide referendum on the state flag, which has the Confederate emblem in the upper left corner. Coahoma County voters supported a design change with a majority of 51.8 percent.
Moot, when 64.4 percent of voters and taxpayers in Mississippi voted on which state flag they wanted, that was the end of it.
If Africans have a problem with abiding by the law, there are other states which they may move to.
Statewide, the flag referendum failed by a margin of 64.4 percent to 35.6 percent.
And this is do to the voters of Mississippi going to the polls and casting there votes.
Proponents of the change said the Confederate emblem is a reminder of slavery to black people, who constitute about 36 percent of Mississippi's population.
I find it odd that the Confederate Battle Flag has been flying in Mississippi for many years, but just recently has the flag become a problem.
It sounds to me that someone or organization is stirring the pot and wanting to cause trouble.
The city of Clarksdale is about 69 percent black. White commissioners J. Craig Gaddy and Grady Palmer opposed the measure while black commissioner Buster Moton joined Seals and Espy in ordering the removal of the flags.
I wonder how many of the 69% of blacks in Clarksdale would vote to keep the state flag?
Public Works Director James Butler said the only places that will be affected are City Hall, fire stations and the Civic Auditorium.
It's sad to see a city divided, but when people think race is an issue then there is always going to be a problem.
"The schools are controlled by the school board, and the Park Commission controls their own flags,'' Butler said. "Although Clarksdale Public Utilities is owned by the city, their board controls their buildings.''
I believe Mayor Henry Espy is no longer the Mayor the state flag will be places at city hall again.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
STEVEN A. McCALEB
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MY OPINION