FoxNews.com October 18, 215
Maryland got the okay from a judge to recall Confederate
flag special license plates, joining Virginia -- where a similar recall effort
has encountered near universal defiance from owners of the tags to return them.
Both states acted to recall the
plates after a self-proclaimed white supremacist killed nine black South
Carolina churchgoers in June. The gunman had taken photos of himself with guns
and the Confederate flag and posted them online before the shooting.
A federal judge issued an order
Thursday allowing Maryland to recall tags featuring the Confederate battle flag
after Nov. 17, Reuters reported.
“I look forward to the day when
these plates are no longer on the road,” Maryland Attorney General Brian Frost
said in a statement. “This flag is a painful symbol that divides us, conjuring
images of hate and subjugation. It has no place in any contemporary government
use.”
A judge ruled in 1997 that
Maryland’s Sons of Confederate Veterans license plates were protected free
speech and enjoined the state from recalling them, Reuters reported.
But in June, the U.S. Supreme Court
said Confederate flag license plates constituted government speech that could
be subjected to regulation.
Virginia announced it would recall
the plates in August and as of Oct. 4 it is illegal to drive with Confederate
license plates. Violators face prosecution on a misdemeanor if stopped.
But the recall has encountered
little cooperation, according to wavy-tv.
Of 1,600 Sons of Confederate
Veterans license plates on the road, only 187 have been returned, the station
reported Thursday.
Kevin Collier told the station he
is refusing to give up his plates. He is the commander of the Stonewall Camp of
the Sons of Confederate Veterans and his great-great-great grandfather fought
with the Confederacy.
“I can’t fight on the battlefield
like they did, but I can fight however I can in modern times and I will not
give them plates up,” he said.
The Virginia Department of Motor
Vehicles asked the Sons of Confederate Veterans to help design a new plate but
the organization did not respond.
“Next thing you know, they’re going
to say you can’t wear blue on Monday, you know, or you can’t wear yellow on
Thursday,” Collier told WAVY. “Where’s it going to end?”
7 comments:
Should we also ban anything related to the Vietnam War including the veterans? It was a divisive episode in our history. It made people mad.
And holy shit, Trooper! Can we get a trigger warning before you show that flag next time.
And the boobs you post sometimes are a problem too. Sometimes when I see those, I'm deeply affected. I need a 24 hour lead time on that warning. It really upsets me.
Wait until you see the next post.
You will have to bleach your eyes!
God hates this flag too.
Anything the Lefties hate about the Stars and Bars, they hate about the Stars and Stripes.
And, if the Lefties want the Nazis to walk through Skokie, Kevin Collier can have his great-great-great grandfather's flag on his license plate.
Meanwhile burning the American flag is protected "Free Speech". Ever get the feeling its not really about the Constitution?
I am interested in seeing if they intend to charge over a thousand law abiding citizens with a crime because they won't surrender their license plates.
A truck next to me at a red light this afternoon had a rebel flag flying, mounted in its bed. There have been a lot of them since this recent explosion of racial sensitivities. Even if states ban specialized license plates bearing the stars and bars, can guys still drive around with their flags flapping in the breeze? When will that become illegal?
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