Yankee Transplant Attacks Local Store Over Confederate Flag

[XLFD]

The Ludington Torch has already touched on the national debate over the confederate flag and its appropriateness in a post-racial society in Dave's article "TV Land pulls 'Dukes of Hazzard' reruns from its schedule".  But there is a more regional theme that should be discussed over a controversy that stems from our little burgh, and some public outcry over the image of the 'confederate flag' decorating the store front of our local AGS Store in downtown Ludington.

After a young white man engaged in a deplorable massacre at a South Carolina church apparently with the intent to trigger a race war (or just because his internal brain-wiring was severely messed up), liberal-spurred media have equated his owning of a confederate flag as the underlying reason he performed cold-blooded murder. 

Our regular contributor Willy noted that the iconic flag referred to as the confederate flag is in reality a battle flag of one confederate army and not a symbol created out of any malice towards the black race.  It's a flag of the Army of Northern Virginia, which is why it is most appropriate for a fictional car with that flag on its top named the "Robert E. Lee" who commanded that army back in the 1860's with some competence.

Our controversy starts with some of our local liberally-inclined people jumping on the national hysteria bandwagon regarding zero-tolerance for the 'confederate flag'.  AGS, as it has, and as has many other local outlets, offered its customers the ability to purchase their own confederate flag, the AGS proudly displays theirs in their front window. 

Believe it or not, some people who wish to show their own independence or southern pride may purchase one of these flags.  Many that do probably have never lived below the Mason-Dixon line, nor have they ever contemplated owning a slave, or even gunning down any type of church.  But some are of the belief that to own one of these flags is to be a flaming racist, which in itself, is a bit of a racist viewpoint to begin with.  However, these people threatened to aggressively protest against AGS over this last week for leaving that flag in their storefront window, when their talking points from politics and the media say it's forbidden.

This brings us to a letter to the editor on July 6, 2015 by Rebecca Dunn citing a bit of a manifesto in getting that flag out of the display window at AGS:

A little bit of a background before we look at this letter to the editor which was put in the spot usually reserved for guest editorials or the COLDNews editorial staff.  Rebecca Dunn moved to Ludington in 2010 with her husband Will Dunn, an original Ludington product, after they had some high profile job titles out in New York City.   They decided, just like Oliver and Lisa Douglas in the classic comedy Green Acres, to say goodbye to big city life for the family-friendly confines of rural Mason County. 

She offers a limited knowledge of the subject.  Rebecca states about this very flag

"The confederate flag was created to represent the Southern states secession from the Union."  False, as we have seen it was created after the war began and represented one of the CSA's armies.

"The goal in the flag's conception was to... convey the Confederate ideology of "supremacy of the white man over the inferior or the colored races""  False, she gets the phrase from William Tappan Thompson the designer of a different confederate flag, he continued:  "a white flag would thus be emblematical of our cause, and offered the mostly white "Stainless Banner".

"in the 1950s, (the flag) became a symbol of the Ku Klux Klan".  False, even though the KKK was strong in the south, the American Stars and Stripes and their own KKK design were the popular flags of record at KKK revivals.

After the failed history lesson, Mrs. Dunn gets into failed histrionics lessons, trying to appeal to our inner sense of fairness after giving us her revisionist background.  Examples:

"To ignore the fact that the Confederate flag is a symbol of racial hatred and oppression to so many people in this country is divisive."

"When you hang a flag in your storefront that has represented white supremacy for over 150 years, you are sending a message..."

"During the flag's creation and evolution its meaning became well established and impervious to reinterpretation..."

"To glorify the confederate flag shows a lack of compassion and progress..." and finishes with:

"Let's make the unwillingness to tolerate symbols of hate one of those great strides.  Take down the flag." 

Trying to force someone to take down a flag that means something positive and progressive to them is more than just symbolic of hate.  It's intolerant and divisive.  Let's hope Rebecca can learn real history in the future and learn to be tolerant of her fellow Americans even if they do not have the same viewpoint as her.

[Willy]

Just what the Ludington area needs, a transplanted New York liberal. As so many are fleeing New York because of the high taxes and oppressive liberal regulations, amongst them are going to be some progressives. Lucky Ludington to have one land on our doorstep. Everywhere these liberal escapees go they bring their freedom restricted ideas. The next thing she'll want is a sanctuary city status for Ludington. This woman wants to prevent people from exorcising their freedom to speak and display their beliefs. I for one do not like the flag because of what it represents as far as representing the pro slavery agenda but that's my opinion and my right to think that, however, I would never force anyone to withhold their opinions or beliefs as many pompous liberals wish do to.

[Dave]

Mike Rowe of the show Dirty Jobs posted on his Facebook page an excellent post in response to a question from someone on his Facebook page. Essentially while he detest what the punk in SC did and what he'd like to do to him if the opportunity was to ever happen, he was against the forced removal of the flag in question. He mentioned the KKK and noted that while they have used the Confederate flag (as its most commonly called), that as you mentioned here the KKK was just as known to use the American flag and posted a few pictures showing the American flag being used by them.

Musician Kid Rock has more recently been attacked for his use of the flag as well, people opposed to the use have asked him to remove the flag from his performances. He had a brief statement that he released exclusively to the Fox News show "The Kelly File", simply stating that the people opposing him could "kiss his a$$".

[AQUAMAN]

Quite right Willy, another liberal NY transplant making waves around Ludington, just what we need. Fits right in at the LDN too, nicely. Hmmm, let me see now. Wasn't AGS the same store of recent years that the COL Police Dept. went after? Blocked their ally's so trucks couldn't deliver goods? LPD aggressively cornered employees and customers with questioning? Tried to insist kids were buying products and overdosing etc.? And as we all know quite well, the LDN is in complete collusion with the COL on any and all matters locally! Rebecca Dunn, take your progressive liberal agenda back to home, in NYC, and leave the local Michigan people exercise their rights to free speech any way they want!!!

[stump]

Where is this AGS store located? I guess besides the confederate flag, what do the sell?

[XLFD]

I believe the AGS stands for "Alternative Gift Store".  They have a location in Manistee and Ludington, they moved into the old "Raven's" store downtown in the 100 block of East Ludington, back where the old Ben Franklin's store in Ludington used to be if I remember right.  They sell a wide variety of goods, a lot of variety of alternative products-- sports memorabilia, adult novelties, themed novelties and in general, a lot of other stuff you probably wouldn't find in most other chain gift stores. 

Garth Lemire and Sandy Kessel are local folks with local mores who run the business.  Check it out if you're into offbeat gifts and items. 

[shinblind]

I always thought because it was a Civil War that the Confederate Flag was a reminder that "Rebel Lives Mattered".  

I guess Rebecca "NY" Dunn believes the only true flag should carry the banner "Only Black Lives Matter".

She is nothing but a Racetard.

[XLFD]

Today's COLDNews continued the assault on the confederate battle flag with a "Reader's Forum" piece ironically called "A Symbol of Bullying", written by Tom Kleinfeldt.  According to an Intellius search, Mr. Kleinfeldt, 68, previously lived in Illinois and also Maryland before apparently retiring and moving up here in Ludington to be an art consultant within the last few years, as noted by the art seminars he has appeared at since 2014 in the area.

Effectively, he offered pretty much the same but with more flowery rhetoric and some quotes from Texas and Mississippi's letters of "succession" (Tom confuses secede and succeed, of course the editors of the COLDNews overlook it) which were composed and passed prior to the flag's existence by racist white men who still had the same stars-and stripes flag as the free states when they did so.  The same basic stars and stripes flag that flew back when the forefathers made compromises over slavery in drafting the Constitution.  Is that a symbol of hate also to Becky and Tom?

He finishes with equating the good people of AGS with having 18th and 19th century hyper-racial viewpoints for marketing these flags and ends by saying "We cannot allow a small group of intolerant people to bully us." 

I see two bullies here, trying to suppress other people's free speech and publicly attack a local business, and I see the City of Ludington Daily News giving them the pulpit, even when the vast majority of local folks are tolerant enough to say there is no problem here.

[AQUAMAN]

I hope AGS does NOT relent to their marketing of the Confederate Flag, if they so choose to do so. Public mass opinions should not dictate any employer's window displays. If people are so intolerant of the window display, they will not enter the store, and the owners will suffer sales as a result. That is their choice, not the LDN's. I think your original thread remarks on this subject XLFD, should be published on the Reader Forum for the LDN, if they have the guts to do it. Please offer it as a response to this attack with false facts that the public need to know about. 

[XLFD]

Garth Lemire has stated in his own term that he will not cave in to these community (imported) bowdlerizers.  I believe him; he probably can't keep up with all the requests for the battle flags and "Dukes of Hazzard" memorabilia.  Ridiculous attempts at censorship generally breed favorable results for those being persecuted. 

As for putting my article in the COLDNews, they're welcome to it, but I doubt they really want Becky and/or Tom refuted, because imported Managing Editor Steve Begnoche thinks along their lines and believe the locals who don't agree (even though their facts are correct) are Neanderthals. 

[AQUAMAN]

Related: on Sunday at a Ct. flea market, a vendor had 911 called on him by a walk-by customer that saw him selling the Confederate Flag. Needless to say, the Police that responded were not impressed by the non-emergency situation. Instead of the person calling looking away, and minding their own business, they decided that law enforcement action was the answer. How stupid some people are is incredible. The vendor was on private property and breaking no laws, at least not yet, lol. 

[Jasper]

Garth is being harassed by a person(people) leaving note(s) on the outside windows of his business.  Unbelievable...What is wrong with people?  And good for him for not caving in! 

[Willy]

I saw another article in the LDN in which the writer calls people who have or displays the flag, bigots and racists. I talked to the owner of the store and voiced my support for his right to display the flag and to ignore the progressives who want to deny him those rights.