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View Full Version : This is outrageous! Our Southern Veterans deserve more respect than this.



LonesomeTriZ
04-27-2009, 03:21 AM
The narrowed mindedness of some people drives me insane. But for an elected representative to act in such a way is despicable. This man obviously needs a lesson his history and should focus in hate on those who deserve and not our Confederate ancestors.

“ Katie Stallcup
Staff writer

Published: April 23, 2009

Mary Norman was shocked Thursday afternoon when Auburn Councilman Arthur L.
Dowdell pulled up a Confederate flag placed on her great-grandfather's grave

and snapped it in half, she said.

Dowdell, who denies snapping the flag, said Thursday he was picking up his
daughter from Auburn Junior High School near the cemetery when several
people told him they "had a problem" with the flags.

He drove to the cemetery and started pulling up flags, he said.

"It's offensive to me," he said. "To me, it represents the Ku Klux Klan and
racism."

The United Daughters of the Confederacy placed the flags earlier this week,
as they have done for 50 years, in preparation for a celebration Sunday of
Confederate Memorial Day, Norman said.

Confederate Memorial Day will be celebrated as a state holiday in Alabama
Monday.

"I really didn't know exactly how to respond to him," she said. "I happen to

be a member of the Daughters of the Confederacy. I was very surprised,
especially (as he is) a city councilman. I was amazed."

Norman was not personally involved in placing the flags.

"I'm a historian," she said. "We're not about hate, we're not about anything

like that. We just want to honor our state's rights, and I've got
Confederate ancestors, and I feel we should have the ability to do that."

Norman and a friend were taking inventory of graves at Pine Hill Cemetery in

Auburn when Dowdell drove up and asked who put up the flags, she said.

"One of the flags had been placed on my great-grandfather's grave, who was a

Confederate soldier," Norman said. "He just got very upset, and he went over

to my great-grandfather's grave, picked up the flag and broke it in two."

She said Dowdell did not know the plot she stood on was her family's. The
flags were placed on soldiers' graves as a mark of respect, she said.

He pulled up Confederate flags from other soldiers' graves, too, she said.

Dowdell said in his years as councilman, he had never seen so many
Confederate flags in one place.

"I'm going on the record that this will never happen again," Dowdell said.
"This will never happen again as long as I'm on the city council."

Dowdell denied intentionally snapping the flag.

"It might have snapped itself," he said. "If it did, so what? If I had my
way, I would have broke them all up and stomped on them and burned them.
That flag represents another country, another nation."

Auburn Mayor Bill Ham said he was unaware of any incidents at the cemetery
but said he talked with Dowdell Thursday afternoon. Ham said his
understanding was that all city cemeteries have covenants governing how and
what types of decorations can be placed on graves, except for Pine Hill
because it is so old. Ham said he believed Dowdell asked an assistant city
manager to look into making policies equal for cemeteries across the city.

"The bottom line is those grave plots are deeded property," Ham said. "We
sell those. So they are sold to the family of the individuals, and I think
(plot owners) have a right to do exactly what they did, according to the
city attorney."

Ham said in his conversation with Dowdell, the councilman suggested the
flags be placed on the graves for a shorter period of time, perhaps for 24
hours before the event.

For now, the remaining flags will stay on the graves because of the lack of
covenant governing Pine Hill, Ham said. But that could change in coming
years.

I certainly think we need to be consistent in all the cemeteries with
whatever the policy is, not only with this, but with everything," Ham said.
"The council has got to make that decision."

factoryX
04-27-2009, 03:42 AM
He should have been arrested for destruction of private property, talk about disrespect for the dead. Even if there was a kkk hood on the grave it makes no differance. the civil war was not about the slaves, it was about the southern states wanting to leave the Union(USA) because they where tired of the taxes, laws, and tired of being being screwed over by the unions. The confederate flag is a flag of a country, this is not a KKK flag...lmao. Its like taking the flag away from the grandfather if he was still alive and snapping it in front of his face and calling him a racist.

LonesomeTriZ
04-27-2009, 03:46 AM
Thank you sir, you are wise beyond your years. That is excatly my point. That man should be run out of office.

factoryX
04-27-2009, 04:03 AM
thank you.
Just because he/she has a opinion about something it does not give him/her a right to do something about it. This is the problem with gun control, I do not think you should have a full auto ak47, but who am I to say if you have one you will go crazy at some amish school...? I am also tired of seeing Veterans being treated like dirt when they are fighting something so evil that if not stopped it could become world war 3.

LonesomeTriZ
04-27-2009, 04:05 AM
I agree. I have strong opnions about a lot of things as well. But I will not tell some else they are wrong uless it effects me in an adverse way.


By the way Here is how to get a hold of tis guy:

http://endiana.blogspot.com/2009/04/note-to-councilman-arthur-dowdell.html

factoryX
04-27-2009, 04:08 AM
thanks for the link, I am going to have some fun with one.

LonesomeTriZ
04-27-2009, 04:10 AM
He should be affended by the American flag as well. The Klan uses that one at thier rallies as well.

factoryX
04-27-2009, 04:14 AM
is that your comment? lol

LonesomeTriZ
04-27-2009, 04:23 AM
I plan to point that out. Just becuase an organization full of ignorent inbred idiots uses the flag of my ancestors does not mean that is the new meaning of that flag. So with his mentality, the American flag also represents racism.

harryredtrike
04-27-2009, 07:44 AM
vote the sob out of office.

LonesomeTriZ
04-27-2009, 07:49 AM
I wish I could. I hope the people who live in that state do.

outtaline
04-27-2009, 09:22 PM
They mite hang him in that part of the country

MonroeMike
04-27-2009, 10:16 PM
His has been receiving threats (no surprise).

http://www.nbc13.com/vtm/news/local/article/auburn_councilmans_life_threatened/70011/

factoryX
04-28-2009, 12:34 AM
lol, he had it coming. here is a poll on weather or not he was wrong..lol http://www.oanow.com/ you have to scroll down a tad and there will be an online poll

MonroeMike
04-28-2009, 12:51 AM
97 percent (me included) say he was wrong so far...

LonesomeTriZ
04-28-2009, 02:40 AM
The flag of the Confederacy was born as a direct result of the honor and willingness of my ancestors to stand up for their rights. It is not our fault that a hate group has now adopted that symbol of honor and twisted it. The flags those veterans fought under meant something completely different than what the ignorant have made it into today. For that reason, it is a sign of respect to place that flag at the grave of a Confederate veteran and no man or woman has the right to take than away form them. They earned it in blood and sacrifice.

threewheelin-feelin
04-28-2009, 03:06 AM
well you are very right the war was not over slavery and everyone needs to understand that...this is also trying to take away are freedom of speech...next they will want to take down the statue of Robert E. Lee that stands in richmond virginia or maybe close the confedrate museum there or take away Lee Jackson day wich is our confederate holiday here in virginia

LonesomeTriZ
04-28-2009, 03:22 AM
People like that will certainly try.

LonesomeTriZ
04-28-2009, 03:23 AM
By the way, April is Confederate history month.

DixiePlowboy
04-30-2009, 01:03 PM
It is not our fault that a hate group has now adopted that symbol of honor and twisted it. .


Though I found this thread late, I agree with your position 100%. The idiot that removed the flag is as ignorant and biggoted as the Klan is in my book.

I also add that if one symbol is to be guilty by association, then should ALL not be treated equally?

Notice the U.S. Capital is in the last pic......not Montgomery or Richmond.

LonesomeTriZ
05-01-2009, 02:05 AM
Those are great examples of what I was referring to. The American flag has been used just as much if not more when it comes to hate groups.