Speaking Up Cause I Can't Stay Quiet

http://www.lsureveille.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/10/24/435c4d3a8ba3c

I gotta speak out on this. Way back in 1999 when this flag first started to appear I wrote what as far as I knew was the first letter to the editor in the student newspaper about the purple and gold confederate flag. Now it’s a yearly debate on campus, and it seems to get hotter each year. If you check the article this past Saturday the LSU chapter of the NAACP led a march around campus before the game for the purpose of encouraging LSU to ban the flag from campus. I definitely applaud the effort.

I have this debate with myself yearly during football season, is it worth it to go to the games when I invariably observe some stupid redneck behavior (waving purple and gold confederate flags qualifies) that infuriates me to no end. But I always come to this conclusion; I have just as much, if not more of a right to go to campus on Saturday, tailgate, and watch my alma mater play football. I’ve also learned most of those knuckleheads aren’t alums; they just come out to drink beer and watch football.

A few points:

My comments only refer to the “Purple and Gold” flag unless otherwise stated. I don’t like the original confederate battle flag, but fly it if you want; it’s your world…

But in my perfect world no one would be ignorant enough to fly this stupid purple and gold flag, and the also the New Orleans Saints would be a good football team. Well obviously we don’t live in that world. LSU is notorious for dragging its feet in racial matters (like most Southern institutions), but they have taken a stand against this particular flag by stating the university does not endorse it and also by punishing any retailer who would try and sell the flag by prohibiting them from selling authorized merchandise. In fact, short of bootleg sidewalk stands you can’t walk into any store around here and buy it. And if you find a store selling it let me know the name of the establishment, I got some connections, it will be stopped.

Now I would love to see LSU ban that flag from the stadium, I think that could be done, a la Ole Piss, um I mean Ole Miss. But I’m not sure if LSU can legally ban this flag from campus. I would like to see the chancellor and athletic and school administrations have a press conference repeating the school's policy and condemnation of the flag. If that happens, count me as happy.

As far as the debate about the original confederate battle flag, talk about heritage all you want, no one flew the damn flag in the south till 1954 and Brown vs. Board of Education, that’s all I need to say.

Big Wes, keep up the good work LINK raising hell on campus is the best thing you can do (and its pretty fun also). I do have to admit instead of joining I stood by watching and eating a hamburger. But in my time I fought my battles, now it it’s your turn. Keep trying to bring LSU up.

One more note on the whole thing, I won’t kick your a.. for flying a confederate flag, but I would kick you a.. for doing something like this to the Alpha house. LINK If you don’t know Alpha Phi Alpha is the oldest historically black fraternity and the only one with a house on campus.

Boy the joys of living in the South never end, but I still love it here, my people, we just gotta keep moving up. Now that I’ve said my peace I can get to talking about football and other stuff.