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Senate Agrees To Remove Confederate Flag From Seal
October 20, 2015
Without a formal vote, the Florida Senate on Monday agreed to strip the Confederate battle flag from its official seal, removing one of the few remaining vestiges of the infamous icon in state government.
After some hesitation when the change first came up, senators — back in Tallahassee for a redistricting special session — agreed without objection to adopt a new rule removing the controversial emblem from the chamber’s insignia. Approving the change without objection avoided the need for even a voice vote on the emotional issue.
Under the rule approved Monday, the seal would still include other non-American flags that flew over Florida, including the 1513 Spanish flag, the 1564 French flag and the 1763 flag of Great Britain. The United States flag would also remain, while the Florida state flag would replace the Confederate banner on the marker.
Senate President Andy Gardiner, R-Orlando, and Senate Minority Leader Arthenia Joyner, D-Tampa, requested in June that the Senate Rules Committee consider whether to change the seal amid a national backlash against Confederate symbols after a man with white supremacist views opened fire at an African-American church in Charleston, S.C., killing nine people.
Since then, Southern states, including Florida, have wrestled with how to reconcile past commemorations of “the lost cause” with shifting feelings about race and the meaning of the Civil War.
While many Southerners view displays of the Confederate banner as recognition of their ancestors’ military service and sacrifice, blacks and others interpret government use of the flag as an endorsement of the brutal, slave-driven economy that was a central issue in the war, which raged from 1860 to 1865.
“I’m glad that we are taking it down and recognizing the Confederate flag for what it is,” Sen. Oscar Braynon, a black Democrat from Miami Gardens, said after the session. “What it is, is a symbol of a time when this country went to war to keep my ancestors in slavery.”
Senate Rules Committee Chairman David Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, defended the proposal on the floor of the Senate by pointing to U.S. Supreme Court rulings rejecting the legality of the decision by 11 Southern states to secede from the Union during the conflict.
“The flags on the current seal appear to presume to represent sovereign nations. However, our research established that the Confederacy was never legally a sovereign nation,” Simmons said.
No one openly objected to the change of the Senate seal during the debate. However, Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said he wasn’t aware that the chamber was going to take up the issue during the special redistricting session.
Bradley also raised questions about whether the Senate should look at other options for the seal, including an overhaul of the symbol that goes beyond simply replacing one flag.
“If you look at all the flags on the seal, I think you would find that there were things that occurred in the name of some of those flags that history has now looked upon as being abhorrent and terrible,” he said.
But Gardiner defended moving forward with the changes now, saying it would take time to remove the old seal from various places around the Capitol. Bradley’s concerns, and questions from other senators, initially caused Senate leaders to pull back from the change before moving ahead with it later in the day.
Perhaps because of that, Gardiner told reporters after Monday’s session that the seal could be altered again.
“I think the understanding working with Senator Simmons is, he’s going to work with the members, and the seal may change some more,” Gardiner said.
by Brnadon Larrabee, The News Service of Florida
Comments
20 Responses to “Senate Agrees To Remove Confederate Flag From Seal”
Florida Senate are Coward’s. I wouldn’t be surprised if they
took down our American Flag and raised a white one.
To State Senator Oscar Braynon, (D.) YOUR ancestors, were sold by YOUR ancestors into slavery. They were bought by European traders, and sold all over the Caribbean, and South America, and sadly, the United States of America.
A small percentage of these “slaves” ended up in America, north and south. Very few southerners even knew what a slave was.. Then, when a question of slave ownership, and unfair taxation became an issue, the southern states, requesting states rights, wanted to withdraw from the union, which , under the Constitution, was
acceptable “back then.” The South did not attack the North, or attempt to overthrow the Federal Government, as history wants to show.
The rural populace, with no knowledge, no internet, only knew they were being invaded by a foreign force, such as their forefathers were by King George during the War of “Independence.”
They fought for their States, they had no entitlements back then and fought an invading army.
Well, heck, the south lost, and had to endure a U.S. mandated reconstruction. A joyful time in our southern history.
The U. S. Army, with no other entanglements, went out west to take care of the “Native American” problem. These people are still suffering worse than any “slave” or southern state ever has, or will be.
I love my Star Spangled Banner….but there have been some “problems.
Wrong move Florida Senators. Not one with the guts to make a stand. Mr Evers who is backing JEB just lost my support.
Next it will be the Florida flag. They will sooner or later find out what the red X is for on the flag.
It’s a shame how easy it is to tread on our heritage and history. Just because a few are offended. History is history good or bad it created the nation we now. We should do away with all other flags and only fly the American flag. Every flag represents good and bad one no more than any other, even the Christian flag has a dark side. We cannot change what happened in the past. So why tarnish our history, it still occurred whether you like it or not and there is nothing you can do about it. They say the Confederate flag represents slavery. It didn’t represent slavery no more than any flag. Slave owners fought on both sides in the civil war. The flags only represented a side. Besides if you don’t like the flag that was flown by the south, why don’t you move back up north above the mason Dixon line. If not accept the history and heritage of the south. Quit complaining and move. Why all of a sudden now does the flag offend? Our senate is weak.
Let’s see, what other chapters in American History can be erased from the books? Let’s erase the Indian wars, which were a great American tragedy, but we also have to face the fact that without the Native Americans changing their way of life, our country could not have ever been settled as it has been. Lets erase the great depression which threw the whole country into abject poverty overnight. While we are at it, let’s erase the Vietnam war which killed thousands and came down to a bad end for our country. Sooner or later we will want to erase the unending conflicts in Arab countries. Like somebody else said “History that is not remembered will be repeated”
“‘I’m glad that we are taking it down and recognizing the Confederate flag for what it is,’ Sen. Oscar Braynon, a black Democrat from Miami Gardens, said after the session. ‘What it is, is a symbol of a time when this country went to war to keep my ancestors in slavery.’”
Senator Braynon is such an ignorant buffoon. Does he not know that for ONE HUNDRED YEARS after the war his ancestors were still denied certain rights UNDER THE AMERICAN FLAG? To be honest and fair, it, TOO, must be removed. These politicians are completely ignorant, uneducated, spineless cowards. Let us all remember this come the next election. Evers didn’t fight against it, so he, too, must go.
Without a formal votes most likely means they were too cowardly to accept individual responsibility for making the change.
Spineless politicians need to have a career change, courtesy of the electorate.
To be politically correct, history will be rewritten. Florida will only have flown 4 flags. Florida will never have withdrawn from the Union. Eventually it will be forgotten that Florida supported the ownership of slaves and opposed their freeing. It is dangerous to rewrite history. It is better to remember, lest history be repeated!
Has anyone counted the cost of this? Probably not. I’m so tired of Political Correctness. Florida was a Confederate State, under a Confederate Flag, it is history get over it.
If your going to remove the Confederate Flag when are you going to ban growing cotton in the State of Florida? Political Correctness don’t you know!
It is part of history and should stay on the seal. Ridiculous. How many murders will be stopped because it it taken off?
This is about as stupid as it gets. The problem with our country today is every time somebody calls the race, prejudice, or you hurt my feelings card, our government reacts. It’s time the Christians stood up and take a stand for God! This isn’t about the flag, this is about some people wanting to show that they can be a loud mouth and get their way. sad thing is, they get it.
Another political stunt to pander to the PC lefties that are having their moment in the sun. Any hack that voted for this isn’t getting my vote. Quit trying to erase history! If anything, ban the Spanish flag you uneducated loons! The Spanish murdered, raped, pillaged, and forcibly converted millions. Read a book for crying out loud!!!!
How absolutely ridiculous
Well, they are leaving the American flag.. Guess they haven’t thought this all the way thru yet… What a bunch of… can’t put that here !!
Sounds like it’s time for a political insurrection at the ballot box.
ALL of them voted in favor of removing it. Including Evers!
We have a lack of leadership in state of Florida. Southern state scared to back sand fight for its heritage. I hope all true southern folks white,black, red or whatever ethnic group dont vote current leaders back in office…
COWARDS!
Will not vote for any incumbent, local,county, state or federal that votes for this mess.