JUST IN: @JebBush believes the Confederate Flag should be taken down

[csziggy]

38. The crossed red bars on the Florida flag are "to add color"

Florida apparently had no official flag between when the state joined the Union in 1845 - or if it did there are no representations of it. When it seceded in 1861, then it had several different flags during and after the war. In 1868 a white flag with the state seal was adopted:



In 1900 the red bars were added:



(The two flags above and their history as well as other flags of Florida can be found at: http://dos.myflorida.com/florida-facts/florida-state-symbols/state-flag/floridas-historic-flags/state-flags/)

When I was in school I was taught that those red bars represented the British colonial period and were taken from the St. George's Cross but that is incorrect. Those red bars are on the part of the British flag that represent Ireland, Saint Patrick's Saltire (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick%27s_Saltire). Which really has nothing to do with the British rule of Florida so is nonsensical.

The Wikipedia on the Flag of Florida has this:

In the late 1890s, Governor Francis P. Fleming, a nationalist, advocated that St. Andrew's Cross be added so that it would not appear to be a white flag of truce hanging still on a flagpole. Floridians approved the addition of St. Andrew's Cross by popular referendum in 1900.[5] The red saltire of the Cross of Burgundy represents the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified, and the standard can be frequently seen in Florida's historic settlements, such as St. Augustine, today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Florida#American_Civil_War

That is also incorrect since the St.Andrew's Cross of Scotland is a blue background with white cross:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Scotland#History

The Cross of Burgundy which could reference the Spanish colonial period does not have simple straight lines like the St. Patrick's Cross but has jagged edges:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_of_Burgundy

It sure seems as though all their claiming the red bars are one thing or another are just excuses to keep from claiming they are an homage to the Confederate battle flag!

I would love it if we removed those red bars and used the actual St. Andrew's Cross for the background for the state seal. The blue would be a better color for Florida as an homage to our water and the white could represent our white sand beaches.