Lakeville Schools Asked To Ban Confederate Flag

[The Straight Story]

Lakeville Schools Asked To Ban Confederate Flag

LAKEVILLE, Minn. (AP) ―

Teachers and parents in Lakeville are asking for a districtwide policy banning the Confederate battle flag from school grounds after two students displayed the symbol on their vehicles.

Lakeville South teacher Jay Scovil says he's seen the symbol displayed on vehicles several times in his 20 years with the district, and it's time something was done.

On April 20, a teacher complained that a student had a battle flag decal across the back window of his pickup truck. On Monday, another student draped a flag over the dashboard of his vehicle.

Many consider it a symbol of racism, but the student with the decal told administrators it represented "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "good times."

Lakeville schools official Tony Massaros wouldn't say whether the district would ban the symbol.

http://wcco.com/local/confederate.flags.ban.2.998186.html

[wellst0nev0ter]

1. Where The Hell Do These Reverse-Carpetbaggers Come From?

We need to raise our taxes again, just to discourage idiots from moving here.

[IntravenousDemilo]

2. Fer fucksake, the Stars and Bars is the flag of a defeated country that should stay defeated.

The Nazis lost WW2, but you don't see swastika flags all over the place (except sometimes in rec rooms that also display the Stars and Bars).

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. Fer fucksake, what you call the Stars and Bars is NOT the flag of a defeated

country and you need to read up on what was.

The original (and only historically correct one) was square and was the flag of the army of northern virginia.

[Thothmes]

6. By 1964 it was adopted as the

standard pattern for regimental flags in all Confederate Armies, not just the ANV.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

7. Please check your dates and look up the Stainless Banner

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Is that the one the crazy racists run around with?

To symbolize their "heritage?"

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. The crazies on both sides are so ignorant as to be worthy of derision an ridicule

Actually the closest thing to what is being fought over is the 2nd Confederate Navy Jack Used from 1863-1865.

The only effective way to handle this is to ignore it and laugh at those who persist with it. If someone stupidly insists on be offended, they open themselves and the school to retaliation that they will be shocked at.

Over the weekend a councilman removed and broke flags Confederate flags decorating the graves of Confederate veterans on what has become the Confederate Memorial day. Unbelievably stupid. Desecrating graves (which it qualifies as) is a felony. He could easily be found guilty, tossed out of office, and jailed. His manufactured outrage not withstanding.

Let it go, ignore it, and laugh at those who persist with it. Otherwise the fractiousness will continue with potentially side impacts.

[Thothmes]

16. My bad

1864.

[RC]

3. If the schools would teach history, straight up and down using facts, there would not be any questio...

as to what the flag stands for. The kids answer was probably an honest one.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. Its a free speech issue and should be ignored not fought over

Social ostracism is the only effective way to handle it.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Ah, but schools have a right to protect their students from bigotry.

Should neo-nazi students be allowed to wear nazi paraphenalia in school?

[ProgressiveProfessor]

12. The 2ndCNJ is not prima facie racist. The excuse being used is is that it makes some students feel

scared or offended. That is the slippery slope. That *feeling* is effectively unchallengeable. Next some student will take umbrage with the Pan African flags or things with that color scheme. Their feelings would have to be honored as well. You see where it goes.

Best course is laughing at the idiots, on both sides

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

13. Sure it is, as much as the nazi swastika.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

14. Actually its not in all cases, which is why the schools are using the intimidated meme

CSA Flag issue came up at a school near us a while back. Students were talking about seeing one in the parking lot. Staff scrambled, but there was nothing from the Dukes of Hazard to be found. There was a PA announcement about it, but no one spoke up. A few days later, parents called about it. Another parking lot search. Then one bright person pointed out that the CSA flag was NOT the 2ndCNJ. School staff bravely used the Internet and found what the real stars and bars were (1st CSA flag). They scouted the parking lot again and found the miscreant. They looked up the parking sticker and had the offender pulled from class to suspend him from school. Of course the student had no idea what the issue was. The sticker was actually the state flag of Georgia, affixed by his uncle several years before who had later sold the car to the student. It was not the 1st CSA flag. Neither the students, whining parents, or school staff figured it out, and when it was explained to them, it did not matter. Some parents pushed for expulsion of the student (for intimidation, not racism) just because of the accusation. The student was hassled and intimidated in the hallways. Several staff members made derogatory comments to him for embarrassing them and the school. The school attempted a gag order which failed. Word went out that the student and his parents were setting up to sue the school, several staff members and some of the whining parents for defamation. Eventually it calmed down, the student graduated (and went on to attend Georgia Tech).

Lessons Learned:
- The hysteria was foolish (as it always is)
- Facts don't matter if you have a good sound bite
- So called educated and educators are as as stupid and just as hysterical as the parental whiners.

[Hansel]

11. Lakeville is the city where the elderly woman at that McCain rally

stood up and told McCain that Obama is an Arab. It's not the most progressive spot in Minnesota.

Hasn't the Dukes of Hazzard been off the air for about 20 years? Me thinks someone thinks the administrators are pretty gullible.

I've lived in MN most of my life and I would laugh in the face of anyone who told me their confederate flag is about Dukes of Hazzard or "good times". It is a well known symbol of out and out racism here and anyone who claims it's not is either extremely naive or lying. When you see a confederate flag displayed it's a sure bet that it is being displayed by a low-life bigot.

[BlooInBloo]

15. At least there's the upside of it making bigots easier to identify.