Mississippi Speaker of House comes out against the battle flag

From his Twitter account:

I’ve know Philip a long time, boyhood friends and all.  I was wondering if anyone was going to say anything in light of Charleston.

Good on you, Philip.  It’s time.  If they’re looking for suggestions, I’d like to suggest the Bonnie Blue Flag of the West Florida Republic, which was annexed by the US and made into the states of Mississippi and Louisiana.  Twenty-six years after the West Florida rebellion, Texas won its independence from Mexico. Many of the West Florida rebels had moved on to Texas and were prominent players in its revolution. Texas, known as the “Lone Star Republic,” also adopted the Bonnie Blue Flag as its official standard. When Texas was admitted to the Union in 1845, the new state flag included the Bonnie Blue star along with one red and one white bar.

Another suggestion would be to adopt the Magnolia/Bonnie Blue Flag, which was the first flag of the Sovereign State of Mississippi.

The whole point that I’m trying to make is that Mississippi, despite her ignoble past in race relactions, did not adopt the Beuregard Flag (battle flag) as a symbol of southern resistance to the Federal intrusions in the early 1960’s.  The battle flag was a part of the state’s hisory from the Civil War, and post Reconstruction.

I kind of like the magnolia and bonnie blue combo.

And, I’ve still got my Beuregard flag that I’ve had for 40 years, and that I fly on special occasions, mostly from my patio in the rear of the El Nuko Hacienda.