The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s John Krupa offers up some fine reporting from the Faubus Motel in scenic Huntsville, Ark., where owners James and Linda Vandiver hoisted the Confederate flag on electon night as a protest against big government:
The Vandivers said they didn’t raise the Rebel flag to protest a black man moving into the White House, as many of their neighbors assume. Instead, they did it because they believe the country has abandoned the principles of its founders by electing Obama.Linda Vandiver said the Democrat is a Marxist who wants to turn America into a socialist country.Obama wants to redistribute wealth by raising taxes on the rich, create a universal healthcare system and institute a global tax aimed at eliminating worldwide poverty, she said.“We think socialism is deeply rooted in him, and we’ll see it manifest in all areas,” Linda Vandiver said. “This doesn’t have anything to do with despising Mr. Obama’s color. We’d like to celebrate the fact that for the first time we have a black president. But we can’t.”
Rebel Rebel
The Vandivers’ protest has sparked sharp debate in tiny Huntsville (pop. 2,000ish), with the editor of the local paper, Kyle Mooty of the Madison County Record, saying he’s received some 20 letters to the editor on the issue in the last three weeks. (And whaddya know, Mooty has a little blog of his own over at the newspaper’s website, where he weighs in on this very issue.)
Meanwhile, Krupa’s story notes that local Methodist minister Heath Bradley has urged his congregation to write in asking that the flag be taken down. Bradley makes the case as to why he thinks the flag should come down on his blog.
The Arkansas Project first noted this story from a local TV station on November 6. I wasn’t able to find a photo of the offending flag online, so I put up that shot of a chick in a rebel flag bikini over there for your enjoyment. I figure if you’re reading this, it’s probably because your jackass of a boss is requiring you to be in the office on the day after Thanksgiving, so you could use some good news.
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