27 APR 09: Stars, Bars and Old Scars

A man called me at home, asking what was the holiday we "promoted" at the bottom of Sunday's entry. He was concerned, because he has banking to do today. I told him I expected local banks to be open. Even though it's a Southern kind of day, banks based in downtown Charlotte don't really count as Southern.

The official holiday marked in Georgia and Alabama today is Confederate Memorial Day. It's marked on different Mondays in different places across the South. It's that lack of unity which should tell you why the South is unlikely to rise again.

Tempers have risen this year, as Confederate Memorial Day approached. An Auburn City Council member became so annoyed by little Confederate battle flags at a cemetery last week that he pulled several of them up from plots. You might be critical of that - but hey, at least he stopped at removing the flags.

The man who pulled up the Confederate flags is something more than an Auburn City Council member. Arthur Dowdell comes from a family of civil rights activists, so he's sensitive to signs of racism. But I wouldn't call him hypersensitive -- because he's not boycotting Auburn football for hiring a white head coach.

Arthur Dowdell told WRBL African-American people who visited Pine Hill Cemetery in Auburn were upset about seeing signs of "racism and the KKK." It's a wonder he hasn't organized protests outside country music radio stations....

Arthur Dowdell promises to seek an Auburn City Council resolution banning Confederate flags in public places. He explains we're "one nation under God with one flag, and that's the United States of America flag." You can take Dowdell off the guest list for any Cinco de Mayo parties next week.

Members of the Daughters of the Confederacy say they meant no harm with their little battle flags. One said it's all about honoring "forefathers who fought for our country...." Uhhhh - whose country? It's like a recent passenger in my car, who said Abraham Lincoln was "not our President" long ago. I had to remind him to speak for himself, because I'm from the North.

As a transplanted Kansan, I find problems with both sides of this debate. For one thing, Arthur Dowdell had the gumption to say people who want to commemorate history "should do it on their own private property." Is that where Auburn holds Black History Month events in February? The big Columbus breakfast is at the Trade Center, not Isaiah Hugley's house.

On the other hand, would we be having this debate if the Daughters of the Confederacy planted the FIRST official flag of the South? Not the battle flag, but the "stars and bars" - the flag that flies outside Buck Ice facing Talbotton Road. It was ignored for years by nearby residents of Peabody Apartments. But then, they probably didn't know any better....

The trouble is that when I did a Google image search for "Confederate flag" Sunday night, the controversial battle flag dominated. Only two times in seven pages of searching did the "stars and bars" come up. One of them was on a web site of the state of Oregon - where they're admittedly a long way from the action, so they might take time to think a little.

For lack of a middle ground, Arthur Dowdell's actions don't seem to have many supporters right now. Even African-American Rep. Artur Davis told the Opelika-Auburn News he opposed the removal of the flags. Dowdell seemed unimpressed by that -- perhaps because Davis is running for Governor, and needs every vote he can get.

Auburn Mayor Bill Ham issued a statement calling the flag flap a matter "between private citizens." But some people say Councilman Arthur Dowdell desecrated grave sites, so he should be arrested. For one thing, where do you draw the line? Can Auburn football fans remove University of Alabama logos from floral displays?

Thanks to the Internet, Arthur Dowdell's actions have gained international attention. And no thanks to the Internet, a New Jersey man is talking about organizing a Ku Klux Klan protest in Auburn. This could be one time when the closure of textile mills along Interstate 85 turns out to be a blessing....

By the way, would you know where to find a Confederate War Memorial in Columbus? If you think it's at the Port Columbus museum, you're wrong. It's rather unusual for a Southern historical site - because when it comes to the Civil War, it actually attempts to be fair and balanced.

The real Columbus Confederate War Memorial is a pillar in the middle of Broadway, in the Historic District. I've never heard of anyone holding an event there, either for or against the Confederacy. For all I know, nothing is planned there today for Confederate Memorial Day. Maybe it's because most people have reached a stunning conclusion - the South lost, and it's time to move on.

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E-MAIL UPDATE: Tim Chitwood has Monday Mail, while we have Monday meals....

Hey Richard,

Here's a topic for your blog of Columbus. I noticed that although the economy is bad that the local resturants are still booming. Maybe that is why the local places aren't worried about doing the best in the customer service area. They should realize that due to the fact that there are so many places to choose from that they should still be competitive. Eventually people, even here in Columbus, are going to watch their wallets and want to make a trip out to eat worth it. Here are a few places that I have visited recently and what I noticed happened each time I went.

SONIC - COLD SALTLESS FRIES

WENDY'S - HALF COOKED FRIES

RED ROBIN - COLD CHILI, FRIES AND KIDS PIZZA

LOGAN'S- NO REFILL WHILE EATING

BURGER KING - SOMEONE ELSE'S ORDER

UPPER CRUST - COLD MEAT LOVER'S PIZZA

FUJI'S - COLD SOUP

McDONALD'S DRIVE THRU - NO STRAWS, NAPKINS, KETCHUP

This wasn't on just one occasion, but every time I went with my family. And waiters/waitresses wonder why people don't tip anymore!! Maybe people can warn me of the problems with other places. When I go to a drive through and they ask to take my order I bite my tongue to keep from telling them I will take whatever I end up with.

Thanks!!

Christi

Wow - and I thought my occasional restaurant reviews were tough. This family made a list, checked it twice, sent it to us, and it's not very nice.

I hardly ever eat fries anymore, but I agree that they're not much fun unless they're warm. So why don't people make this same complaint about potato chips? I can't believe they taste better, simply because they have ridges.

None of the restaurants mentioned here match the one we plan to review shortly. But we thank you for writing, and move on to some Sunday highlights:

+ The "Disney on Ice" weekend concluded at the Columbus Civic Center. At least this year's show was less sexist. Little girls could dress up like princesses - but I'm not sure how little boys could dress to look like the characters in "Cars."

+ Brad Keselowski was the surprise winner of the NASCAR race at Talladega. He did it by bumping the Aflac car of Carl Edwards, which went airborne and crashed sideways into a fence at the finish line. NOW let's see how serious Aflac is about paying supplemental insurance....

(Seven fans were injured, when debris from Carl Edwards's car went flying into the grandstand. But of course, other fans seized the moment - picking up parts to have them autographed by drivers, then sold at flea markets.)

+ "Extreme Makeover Home Edition" showed a recent renovation for a family in Montgomery. In a stunning move, the lumber for the home was tinted blue. Was "YellaFella" called back to Rotwood, to make a sequel movie?

(Because the family lost a daughter to a drunk driver, part of the Extreme Makeover project involved displaying wrecked cars outside the Montgomery Biscuits baseball stadium. If this display was set up at Talladega, some race fans might bow down and worship it.)

BURKARD'S BEST BETS: Gas for $1.87 a gallon at Milgen Food Mart (near the post office).... FREE grilled chicken all day at KFC (one piece per customer).... and sales of antiperspirant going up, as sales of deodorant go down....

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The views expressed in this blog are solely those of the author -- not necessarily those of anyone else in Columbus living or dead, and perhaps not even you.

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