Very happy that this is happening but given what I have read about the process to select a new one I am concerned that the state could wind up like ole miss and their mascot. As I understand it, there will be an 9 person commission that between them and the legislature they will come up with a single design that will be put to an up or down vote by the electorate. If that design does not get a majority approval then the process is repeated until one is selected. My concern is this. This gives the supporters of the old flag a forum to express their displeasure and for that reason a significant portion of the population will automatically vote no. Is there a chance the state could get into a situation where it is difficult to get a majority to approve a design and thus wind up going a year or two without a flag?
One concern about the flag selection process....
- Thread starter thekimmer
- Start date
We'll see. A significant portion of people who wanted a change don't like the "in God we trust" requirement, or the fact that only 1 flag is going to be presented for us to vote on. They've 17ed this part of it up. I'm almost certainly going to hold my nose and vote yes to most anything they put out there. But what they really should have done is given us 4 proposed flags to vote on, the Hospitality (Stennis) Flag, the State Seal Flag, a magnolia flower flag, and another one. The one with the most votes is the new flag.
Chris McDaniel said yesterday his plan is to gather 100,000 signatures to put the original flag on the ballot. No idea if that’s even possible but that’s what their plan is at the moment.
I thought the bill contained language stating that the new flag could not have
any symbolism of the confederacy on it. That idiot McDaniel needs to take the L and quit trying to stir stuff up, but he's just GOT to stay in the headlines.
any symbolism of the confederacy on it. That idiot McDaniel needs to take the L and quit trying to stir stuff up, but he's just GOT to stay in the headlines.
This concern is valid ONLY if one believes that the state desperately needs a flag in a hurry. Personally, I don't really care how long it takes for the state to agree on the new one, so long as it is void of any confederate symbology or any signs that someone is still trying desperately to cling to the old south mentality.
He said something about 100,000 signatures could change the constitution to allow it. Sounds like a long shot at best. He’s just trying to keep everybody stirred up.
I agree. The replacement flag portion of this was not well though out, probably because this whole process had to be streamlined. I would also like multiple options in November. Frankly, I’d love to vote for Stennis/hospitality flag, because it’s the best looking design I’ve seen.
I don’t know, but no flag is still a 1000% improvement from where we were a week ago. No matter what design is selected, less than 1% of folks from outside the state will ever even be able to pick it out of a lineup, so there’s no point getting bent out of shape about the aesthetics. The IGWT language could bring it to the forefront based on the media, but my guess is that if it passes by a majority vote of the citizens that there won’t really be too much fuss (comparatively speaking). Separation of church and state statutes likely wouldn’t cover it since the flag isn’t imposing any law on citizens, and precedent has already been set with the same language already being present on federal currency.
Agree in principal, but if reasonable designs lose a couple times it turns into silly season. Not to mention the additional costs of holding special elections (unless folks are REAL patient & flag votes coincide with regularly scheduled elections).
It’s possible but not probable. It was done for imminent domain reform several years ago. I helped gather signatures for it and it is a chore and took an incredible effort to get 100000 people to sign.
Unless the flag they pick just looks awful then I think it will probably pass on the first vote. For me at least, I don’t really care what the flag is as much as I do what it isn’t. And we’ve now fixed the “isn’t” part so I’ll probably vote yes on any generic design.
And what are the consequences of that? What are the consequences if we never have another state flag? It's all pretty irrelevant so long as we aren't flying a divisive symbol representing our racist past.
I think they screwed up by putting it to a popular vote. They should have just formed a committee to select a new flag by the end of this year and be done with it. The committee could allow suggested designs from the public, and maybe even a contest with some kind of prize for the winner.
Possible, but I don't foresee silly season ending with concession to a racist flag. Admiral Akbar perhaps...***
That is an awful process. Like you said, those against changing to begin with are just going to vote against whatever is put out there, as many times as it takes. There should be 3-4 choices on the ballot and the chosen flag has to get >50%. If a runoff is necessary, so be it. As it is, I can see this taking a few attempts.
It's stupid, but I think it gave a fig leaf to the people concerned that the last flag was chosen by popular vote (I guess? Or not voted against? I can't remember how that vote worked), so now they get to say the current flag will be chosen by popular vote also.
I seem to be in the minority, but I like the process. Multiple flag options would likely cause people to get stuck on their favorite and as a result it's highly likely that a majority wouldn't be happy with what gets chosen. Even with a run off you would likely have people having voting for their second or third choice at some point and not really happy with what goes up. With this process either a majority approves or they try again. As others have said, who cares if MS is without a flag for a year or two? If people want to vote no just to spite the process, go right ahead.
The most important thing was getting rid of the last one. The second priority should be getting one that a majority approve. This process will accomplish both goals.
The most important thing was getting rid of the last one. The second priority should be getting one that a majority approve. This process will accomplish both goals.
It will almost certainly take multiple attempts. The most anti-current flag poll I saw still had 41% for it. I think it's safe to assume they will all vote against it at least the first time around. So it won't take many "I don't like the new option" no votes to defeat whatever is put forward.
When the pollsters asked "Do you think Mississippi should get rid of the current flag?" only 54% said yes. When the same folks were asked whether they would be willing to change the flag to one that said "In God We Trust" over 70% said yes. That is the reason the bill gets rid of the old flag and requires that the new flag contain those words. Now, who knows what will happen when the Confederates learn that "In God We Trust" was the motto of the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry.
Not sure what his end game is here. I get that he wants to stand up for his supporters but they can see he voted against the flag change, so he's off the hook there. So, in my mind, it seems like he wants the Confederate emblem and is fighting to get it back. I see no point in that. I'm stopping short of calling him racist but what else could be trying to do?
I think I'd rather have one in a hurry....
My concern for not having one for an extended period is, again, similar to the col reb debacle. The col was supposed to go onto the ash heap of history but because the sharts couldn't come up with a replacement he got way more media attention for years. Every time state flags are mentioned it will be highlighted that MS doesn't have one because their old one was racist and those rednecks can't give it up & would rather do without. This won't be fully behind us until a new flag is in place.
My concern for not having one for an extended period is, again, similar to the col reb debacle. The col was supposed to go onto the ash heap of history but because the sharts couldn't come up with a replacement he got way more media attention for years. Every time state flags are mentioned it will be highlighted that MS doesn't have one because their old one was racist and those rednecks can't give it up & would rather do without. This won't be fully behind us until a new flag is in place.
Bingo!!!! This has nothing to do with his beliefs, or respect for heritage. He could give a **** about anybody outside of his personal interests. The people that think he is standing up for them are just plain wrong. He is giving you lip service while undermining anybody outside of his income bracket. He wants to stir up any drama he can to stay in the headline. He is the definition of a attention *****.
Getting that amount of signatures won't be a problem at all, assuming most of them can spell their name.
You hit the nail on the head. If the hospitality flag was put on there you'd have maybe 30-40% strongly support it, 40-50% strongly opposed because it's not the old flag, and then maybe 20% who are unsure whether to support it or not. You may end up with something like a 45 / 55 vote.
By going with the "In God We Trust" flag you may have a similar 30-40% strongly support it - but you're not going to have near as many strongly opposed to it. Much more likely to be over 50% supporting it on the first go around.
By going with the "In God We Trust" flag you may have a similar 30-40% strongly support it - but you're not going to have near as many strongly opposed to it. Much more likely to be over 50% supporting it on the first go around.
There are a lot of hurt feelings and I don't know if they will heal in time for this November. There will be a lot to vote no every time. They will have that attitude "If I can't have my flag we will not have a flag" Also there will be a lot of politicians to lose thier seats in Jackson in the next State election. Don't believe since so many on a message board wanted the change, it represents what majority of Mississippians wanted. If this was put on the ballot it would not have passed. Don't get me wrong I wanted it change the the legislative did thier job.
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Pat, is there a significant portion of people who don't like the motto, or just an outspoken vocal minority? If it's based on board opinion that we've seen in posts, I'm don't think the board represents a true cross-section of state residents.
It would be very had to do. That's 1 person out of every 30, and for eligible voters, 1 person out of every 22 (75% of the state is 18 or over). Would be virtually impossible during the Covid situation and the short time given.
I'd rather get 100,000 signatures to have "term limits" put into law. (Here and in DC)
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