Yet again I am left amazed by the Yanks. After the terrible Charleston shootings, what gets the media and public attention and should be immediately banned.....? Outrageous gun laws you would think... No, a bloody flag. Do flags shoot people? This has been irking me for a week or so, so just getting if off my chest!
'You can't change the second amendment' Yes, you can - it's called an amendment. Understandable that the confederate flag is a sensitive issue though........ http://www.politicususa.com/2015/07...symbol-white-supremacy-southern-heritage.html
please log in to view this image We experienced our own moments in history:- please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
Confederate flag: Bubba Watson to paint over Dukes of Hazzard car please log in to view this image The 1969 Dodge Charger, nicknamed the General Lee, appeared in the US TV show The Dukes of Hazzard US golfer Bubba Watson is to paint over the Confederate flag on the car from the Dukes of Hazzard TV series, as part of a growing backlash against the rebel symbol from the US Civil War. The top golfer, who owns the car, announced the move by tweeting that he believed "all men are created equal". The flag divides opinion in the US, symbolising racism to its critics - and southern heritage to its defenders. The debate was revived by a recent gun attack on a black church in Charleston. The suspect behind the murder of nine churchgoers, Dylann Roof, appeared in many photos holding the flag. The Confederate battle flag became a potent symbol for the southern states fighting the Civil War as they sought to break away from the union. Many of those states now display the flag outside government buildings. It also appears on number-plates and is sold as a bumper sticker. please log in to view this image Protesters have rallied to have the flag taken down But it remains controversial, seen by some as an icon of slavery and oppression, while others say it symbolises their history and identity. The Charleston attack has prompted fresh calls for displays of the flag to be curtailed. Watson, the third-ranked golfer in the world and two-time Masters champion, said on Twitter that he would cover the flag on the car with the US Stars and Stripes. "All men ARE created equal, I believe that so I will be painting the American flag over the roof of the General Lee," he said, referring to the vehicle by its nickname on the Dukes of Hazzard. The car was a centrepiece of the US TV show from the late 1970s, which featured a group of rural crime-fighters. Watson acquired the car in 2012, according to the Washington Post. please log in to view this image Birth of a flag please log in to view this image The Confederate battle flag is part of Mississippi's state flag seen today on houses, bumper stickers and T-shirts (and Mississippi flag, above) sometimes accompanied by the words "If this shirt offends you, you need a history lesson" but it was never the official national flag of the Confederacy, rejected in 1861 instead adopted as battle flag by the Army of Northern Virginia under General Lee it fast became a potent symbol of Confederate nationalism, more popular than the official national flag Why do people still fly the Confederate flag? http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33393860
I agree with the above posts. My point is not if the flag can be seen as offensive ( it can ), just more how the whole gun issue is playing second fiddle on the agenda..
If you follow that egotistical twat Piers Morgan, you'll know he has been campaigning on Twitter for ages regarding the 2nd Amendment and you should see the dog's abuse he gets for it. Americans simply aren't prepared to give up 'the right to bear arms' for anything, so Charleston type killings will continue unabated. Some of the statstics for deaths by shooting in the USA are simply appalling but no-one is prepared to take on the pro-gun lobby...
In 2010, 13,186 people died in terrorist attacks worldwide; in that same year, in America alone, 31,672 people lost their lives in gun-related deaths, according to numbers complied by Tom Diaz – until recently, a senior analyst at the Violence Policy Center. While the United States government has invested more than half a trillion dollars on homeland security since the September 11,, 2001 attacks, according to the Congressional Budget Office, there has been practically no effort to deter gun violence. I cant find any figures for the number of americans killed by flags
I believe that the right to bear arms was intended to protect the country against foreign (aggressor) nations and not intended to 'solve" problems downown or of race. I wish the Founding Fathers could see what that amendment has done and continues to do to their nation
People rally to a flag, to a speech, to an ideal. All have the potential to be incredibly dangerous if irresponsibly used. Guns are inherently dangerous, which is why they need to be properly regulated. The problem in the US is, because of the power of the gun lobby, even a start towards bringing in safety controls is resisted on the "slippery slope" principle. You won't take the guns from Americans who hunt, who target shoot or who feel the need to protect their family, but perhaps in time, laws will be brought in, in the "gun states" so you can't just put one in the shopping basket when you go to a supermarket
