The citizens of California

were offended by the unconstitutional uses of affirmative action. Politicians

steadfastly ignored the dissent. Proposition 209 (November 1996) put an

end to this practical discrimination. It passed 54 percent to 46 percent.

Californians became fed up

with bilingual education, teaching foreign students in their own language

instead of just English. The citizenry rightly believed that those students

needed English-only immersion programs to successfully learn our country's

language. Once again "politically correct" kept legislators

from doing the right thing. Proposition 227 (1998) passed 61 percent to

39 percent.

We should be asking for more

than a referendum on our state flag. We should be demanding the right

to have voter-initiated laws. Playing politics had not served the constituents.

We would not have elected officials pointing fingers, being too concerned

about what a financial supporter wanted and too unconcerned about what

the people who voted for him think.

The Georgia state flag is an

issue of perception and a battle of symbolism. We have people on both

sides asserting what they have been taught. I have lived here, from California,

for 11 years. I can see both sides. It is interesting, though, to watch

the side that is ordinarily preaching tolerance standing in inflexible

opposition to the Confederate flag as part of our state flag.

I have four adopted daughters.

Two are Korean and two are African-American. The two black daughters do

not have a problem with the Confederate flag. How can this be? I never

taught them to hate it. They understand the history of their race, but

they do not let innocuous things such as a historical flag control their

thoughts and emotions. They understand that it means different things

to different people. In addition, they were not indoctrinated with a world-view

of victimology and entitlement.

Many do not want the old flag

because it is divisive. We live daily with a much more divisive issue

that has dire consequences to particular individuals. Abortion kills harmless

babies every single day for no good reason. I am told that I must realize

that not everyone sees the issue as I do and am thus obligated to accept

that babies are being murdered. Now let me get this straight: I am to

tolerate infanticide, but the Confederate flag is intolerable?

Get real.

Personally, I object to the

way the flag was changed last year. It irritates me to no end that people

who did not even live in our state told us what we had to do or else.

If people do not want to come here because of our flag, there will be

more room for me on the roads. If businesses do not want to be in a state

with our flag, they can go to 49 other states. The dollar bill is not

the ultimate criterion.

With 159 counties it is obvious

that we believe in local government. This means that every voice needs

to be heard. I believe the people of Georgia should have a voice. Politics

would say otherwise, but I say, "Bring on the vote."

Bill Webster

Peachtree City