"We need to make sure anytime citizens walk on the riverwalk and Visit the Radisson Hotel, they won't be offended by anything that's there," Dr. Smith, head of the Augusta NAACP said.

Bowing to the pressure of the group, Augusta Commissioner Bobby Hankerson said anything that hurts business and causes division can be done without.

"I think there's a proper place for all that," he said. "I think in the museums."

Just who makes up the modern NAACP? They are a completely new group.

They hold just the opposite views of the founders of that great organization. The NAACP was founded to fight bigotry and intolerance. And they were highly successful. They were so successful that the organization was no longer needed and was fading gracefully from the scene.

Then the current leadership seized control. They have as their agenda the destruction of all things Southern. Rather than opposing bigotry and intolerance, they now are the nation’s leading practitioners of bigotry and intolerance toward Southern culture and heritage. They will not be happy until every single flag, every monument to Southern heroes and every song about “Dixie” is hidden away in the musty basement of some obscure museum.

Augusta’s city officials have abandoned their culture and heritage just to draw a single NAACP convention to their town. That is a short sighted move.

Far more people will be offended by what the do NOT see on the riverwalk than what they would see if the flag was left alone.

If this decision stands, hundreds of thousands of Southerners will now take special measures to avoid Augusta. Rather than gaining economically by removing the flag, the city will suffer considerable economic loss due to its absence. Defenders of Southern heritage have considerable economic and political strength. Anyone who doubts that should ask former governor Roy Barnes.

And you can be assured that the Southern Heritage movement will be fully versed in Augusta’s actions. Southern links on the internet are already buzzing with the news. Plans are underway for a massive flag display and protest march in Augusta in the near future. Augusta’s travel and tourism officials will see their figures drop rapidly. Empty restaurants and hotel rooms will be the norm.

Finally, the city of Augusta can expect more demands from the NAACP and their supporters that other Southern symbols be removed. You see, just as any other terrorist group, the cultural terrorists view any surrender to their demands as proof of weakness. They will not be satisfied with one concession. They will demand more and more. Every concession will lead to more demands.

Soon, Augusta will be just like Atlanta, with every vestige of their Southern heritage wiped away. And when that happens, Augusta and the South will be far poorer for it.

Frankly Speaking by Frank Gillispie, this item was published with permission of the author. Published September 22, 2004 in the Madison County Journal - www.mainstreetnews.com