ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Morning News

Georgia Flag Debate: Representatives of Opposing Viewpoints Sound Off

Aired January 25, 2001 - 10:13 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Georgia lawmakers are considering a new state flag. The new design, which you can see here, greatly reduces the size of the Confederate battle emblem, which is now quite prominent on the current flag. The Confederate emblem has been a divisive issue here in Georgia. It was added to Georgia's flag in 1956 in what some historians believe was a show of contempt for school desegregation. Flag supporters, however, contend the symbol is part of their heritage.

To talk about this latest move by the Georgia state legislature, we have to guests here to talk about the flag debate: Daniel Coleman is a member of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans, and Joe Beasley is one of the leaders of the Coalition to Change the Georgia Flag.

Gentlemen, good morning. Thanks for joining us here at CNN this morning good to have you with us.

DANIEL COLEMAN, SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS: Thank you. Good morning.

JOE BEASLEY, COALITION TO CHANGE GEORGIA FLAG: Good morning.

KAGAN: You heard Gov. Roy Barnes come out and say it's not a matter of trying to change one side's mind or the other, it's just time to put this matter to rest. Was it a good compromise? Joe, you go first.

BEASLEY: Well, absolutely. I think it's a compromise that we can accept.

And just to read you two quite quick quotes from Gov. Marvin Griffin, Dec. 6, 1955, he states: "In my race for governor in 1954, my platform called for segregation of all the races in the public schools and colleges of this state. I am for segregation. I'm for it 100 percent. I call upon the General Assembly, the Board of Regents, the heads of state institutions, department heads to back me 100 percent in my fight to maintain Georgia's tradition and our social freedoms. I call upon all Georgians who wish to see the Georgia way of life continue to rally with me and to help me beat back the insidious propaganda and the relentless efforts of our enemies to destroy us. In every great cause, some sacrifices must be made. The time has come in Georgia to stand up and be counted and to make whatever sacrifices are necessary." KAGAN: Thereby -- I'm sorry to have to cut you off a little bit, because our time is limited here for our discussion, but obviously what you're saying is that you see that Confederate symbol as a racist symbol.

Dan, not everybody sees it that way. Some see it as a sign of Southern heritage. And it's being completely taken off the flag, so what's the problem?

COLEMAN: Well, the people of Georgia just really do not like how this thing was rammed down their throats. The people of Georgia have not had an opportunity to even see this flag and comment on it before it came out of committee. There was praise yesterday on the news media locally that this -- that all -- that the members -- the praise was for the Democrats who had looked at this. And they said that even one Republican had seen it. No one had seen it. No heritage preservation organization had seen this flag.

KAGAN: I got to -- I do have to say that, as someone living here in Atlanta, it was a shock. It did, I think, take a lot of people by surprise here.

Joe, what do you think about the timing? This one was quick, as if the governor and the legislature just want to be done with this whole thing instead of hearing from the people.

BEASLEY: Well, in 1956 it was quick as well -- something that happened very quick. Only thing that was different here is that, in 1956, the legislature was just white men; no women, no African Americans, just white men. And many of them, I must say, really came from so-called aristocracy of Georgia. So it happened quickly in 1956, it happened quickly now. And we're going to make sure the Senate passes it.

KAGAN: One thing, Dan, you can say for dealing with it quickly, if it does go by quickly, it looks like Georgia will avoid the economic mess that South Carolina found itself in when they allowed their flag issue to continue.

COLEMAN: I think it sends the wrong message for state governments to yield to terroristic threats. Unfortunately, a once proud organization that asked for equal rights has now become basically a terrorist organization extorting money not only from corporations, but from now extorting states into passing laws that the people the laws do not like by the threat of a boycott.

The Coca-Cola Company has been as much for civil rights, I think, as any big corporation, and they just had to -- they just paid $182 million, caused their stock to go down by one-third because of racial threats. And now Delta Airlines doing the same thing by the same people.

The entire Southern culture is under attack right now and I don't see that stopping. There are too many people making too many millions of dollars by continuing to create this divisiveness. KAGAN: What do you think's more offensive, Dan? Do you think that the actual flag -- do you not like the idea of the new flag or the way it was handled? If it was handled in a different way, if there was public comment, could you see coming to an agreement, or do you have a different idea for the flag?

COLEMAN: I love the current state flag. They are completely wrong in saying that it was changed to the current state flag because of the defiance to segregation. President Eisenhower established a Civil War Commission in response to that. The -- he called for all states and political subdivisions in each state to do what they could to promote the -- what he called the "most defining moment" in American history. That bill was passed as part of a package which created the funds to finish the carving on Stone Mountain. And it provided funds to put up metal markers all over the state, and then it created the change in the Georgia state flag. And it was done solely for the purpose of honoring the Confederate veteran and giving Georgia a distinctive flag.

This flag that we have now is distinctive. The flag that is being proposed to me is bland. It's like a lukewarm tea. It's not either ice cold and it's not hot. And people just don't like lukewarm tea. And the people of Georgia have expressed in the polls that I've seen so for by a majority of about 2-1 that they do not like this flag. If they do -- if the state of Georgia decides that they like it, then we would support it.

KAGAN: Well, let me ask both of you this. Once Georgia deals with the flag issue, this will put the focus on Mississippi, the last of the 50 states to have a Confederate symbol in its state flag. There they're putting it to a vote to the people. Do you think that's where it really belongs?

BEASLEY: Absolutely not. The legislature in Georgia changed it in '56, the legislature in Georgia is going to change it now in 2001.

Now, for my learned friend, who's an attorney, to call the NAACP a terrorist organization and talk about Coca-Cola and them having to pay out $192 million because of their discrimination. So either my friend is being disingenuous or he's just -- well, he's not ignorant, he's just being disingenuous. He's not fair. And when I read the quotes from governor Griffin, and I have a quote from Zell Miller. I know time is limited, but it is clear the flag was changed because of integration, because of -- so that's where we are.

KAGAN: So, Joe, you say state legislature. Dan, do you think it belongs in the state legislature or a vote of the people?

COLEMAN: Well, I think it should -- the people should have an input. This was done in secret behind closed doors. We have a Sunshine Law in Georgia, as we do in the country, and I think the people should have at least some input to it. There was no compromise. The only compromise is when both sides give up something. There's no concession from anyone. All of this was one side proposing this flag. The people of Georgia did not get a chance to look at it.

BEASLEY: We've been...

KAGAN: The Georgia state Senate will get it next and we'll be able to inform our viewers in terms of how it works out.

I want to thank Daniel Coleman and Joe Beasley both for joining us in the discussion -- a lot of hard feelings on both sides. And thanks for the discussion, gentlemen. Really appreciate it.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top