15,000 signatures and counting for petition to Gov. Bentley to restore flag

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Supersized confederate flag

Thursday  Alabama Today reported about the momentum of a petition calling for Gov. Robert Bentley to restore the Confederate flag. Less than 24 hours ago the post had 8,393 signatures. As of noon Friday the petition had almost 16,500 signatures.

The governor has received mixed reactions, including praise from State Rep. Alvin Holmes who previously has sued the state to have the state remove the flag, and disappointment from voters and the state auditor. The Montgomery Advertiser reported Holmes called the flag “part of the ugly history of America.”

According to the article he went on to say, “It represented slavery (and) it represented a defunct sovereign, a nation that had attempted to overthrow the United States government.”

State Auditor Jim Zeigler in a strongly worded release called the Bentley’s action a “deceptive political move.”

In an email to Alabama Today, petition creator Phillip Giddens wrote, “We our now over 15.000 signatures and will not stop till our heritage is safe and left alone.”

A spokesman for Bentley’s office said they had no comment on the petition.

Some of the comments directed to the Governor of those signing the petition include:

Petition to restore Flag 1
Petition to restore flag
Petition to restore flag 2
Petition to restore flag 2
Petition to restore flag 3
Petition to restore flag 3

361 COMMENTS

  1. 15,000 who can’t accept the South lost the war AND Reconstruction. We have one flag now. Old Glory! Grow up and get over it, Alabama.

    • If the Confederate flag offends you, Old Glory must offend the hell out of the Native Anericans. Oh yeah, I’m Native American, and it does. Let’s take it down, too.

  2. The flag is a part of our history, whether good or bad or how painful it may be. You are not a dictator and you have no right to take down our heritage. Apparently, there is a lot of uneducated people among us. If they were properly educated, including yourself, this would not be an issue. Taking down our flag, has only added fuel to the fire. The flag, just as guns, are not to blame for what is going on in America. It is called personal responsibility. It has nothing to do with race. What are you going to do? Wipe out history? You have no right. You made a very bad move. Leave our flag. “Our” meaning everyone whose ancestors fought for our country, both black, white, tan, orange.

    • Your right…..we need more!……
      Be sure to post the link everywhere…..
      It’s only been going for 2 days now and everyone that signs has the option to post…..
      You don’t think this is gona end until its reinstated do you……

  3. Executive orders by President Obama and now Governor Bentley prevent the citizens input either through their Congressman, State Representative or referendum. A decision made to remove Confederate Flags from the Alabama Confederate Monument without consent of the majority of the citizens means that this is no longer America!

  4. once again people jump on the press and media bandwagon I pray
    that Governor Bentley listens to the people of the great state of
    ALABAMA and keeps the flag flying as the Civil War had nothing to do
    with hatred or slavery it was all about power and money!! So KEEP
    THE FLAG FLYING HIGH!!!
    with hatred

  5. The Battle Flag is just as much a part of my Heritage as the American Flag and I fly both together proudly ad dare anyone to try and take it down, whoever does will not walk away after that.

  6. 15000 southern Patriots who have the courage to stand for what they believe in is equal to 100000 cowards who stand idly by and watch their rights stripped from them.

  7. “The rebel flag was the flag of the Confereate States of America. A lot of people are offended by rebel flags because they believe they symbolize racism. Quite the contary. Rebel flags are NOT racist. The Civil War erupted over states’ rights, not slavery. The South was mostly people in favor of states’ rights, and the Northwas mostly people who wanted the national government to have more power over the states. Please, learn your history before you judge. History may repeat itself.” The Confederate Flag and United States Flag are the same and what’s the difference between these flags?

  8. Replace the flag! We need a leader for a governor, not someone who tucks their tail and runs!!!!!

  9. This is our heritage, not an insult to any ethnicity. It is our right to preserve our Southern Heritage~~Offense is a 6 lane highway right now. WE cannot remove everything offensive from our society. It is impossible. And why, for the sake of Sweet Tea, are we bowing to those who are offended with everything we do or don’t do??? Where does it end and Why is the South always Wrong?????? Bend today; bow tomorrow~~

  10. I’m a veteran myself,and what you took away from those who died on the battlefields of AMERICA is a damn disgrace.What are you gonna take away from us veterans that fought for your ass in Nam and the middle east?

  11. im signing because this is a flag that represents our past and I believe my daughter is great and deserves the chance to learn about her family’s past and the country’s past. If we take this flag away it’s not going to change our past just make the future generations ignorant about the truth. This flag represents freedom it comes from a war you people trying to take it away are the ones making it racist. So I will fly my flag high and teach my kids the truth like it or not.

  12. Restore the flag. If the premise is that the battle flag should be in a museum, then by all means let it fly over Confederate memorials!!

  13. How can blacks demand things in their favor just because they are offended? … It’s their own fault if they are offended. … I don’t understañd this. … Anyone can be offended over anything if they allow themselves to be… Can anyone explain this?

  14. Where do I sign ? Give me the petition, we can get over half of Al to sign this. Make it known !

  15. Alabama is already on board to secede from the Union because we believe and support the constitution. The flag that you removed, with only your signature, without consulting the people of Alabama, was not about slavery. It was about FREEDOM.. Freedom to worship, to bear arms, to choose to fight against the tyranny of big government. The flag that you removed was the heartbeat of the South. History cannot be rewritten by you or anyone else.

  16. I am signing this petition and I am from the North , but have lived here since 1989. I know the history behind the flag and it is Heritage not racism. I have freedom of speech and feel that government is destroying our country and the roots to which our fore father found it. Put our heritage back up and leave it alone. Slavery is over, Our heritage will live on for all eternity !

  17. I was born and raised in Alabama, and now I live in Texas, and just like Alabama, Texas flies the Southern Flag (Not at the Capital). Every time I Bar B. Q. I raise my Southern Flag. It’s my heritage I can’t escape it.

  18. Alabama is the Heart of Dixie and to remove that flag is an arrow through the heart of our history and heritage. There are some things Government need not change regardless of popular changes. Only a brave politician will stand against the storm and not go with the flow.

  19. yeah do what’s right and catch up on your history. we sit back and let people stomp the American flag nothings done about that. we have no government I fly my confederate flag high and proud to represent the great state of Alabama

    • The best point. Should we ever fly our opponents flags over a statehouse? Particularly the ones that lost the war?

  20. I agree Butch remove the governor but over this stupid flag issue because the business world sees him as a idiot. Fuck a flag it means nothing to me but a symbol of a mistake that lives in our society hate groups use this flag to promote their agenda which was hate so the flag wears that sigma, if it been another flag it would have been the same. Faulk a flag and free the weed.

  21. How about some logic:

    You have every right (thanks to the Constitution of the USA) to display this flag on your own property.

    However: it is the flag of a dead rebellion against this country, therefore it has no business on Government property.

    These same people are the ones that are irate when seeing any flag, other than the American one, at a rally or protest. Yet, you want the flag of a Country that rebelled against (and lost) these United States honered by the Government.

    Ridiculous.

    • The Confederate flag is a symbol of a culture that was forcefully assimilated. Just because the south lost the war doesn’t mean that the Confederate flag is a sign hatred and bigotry. It’s a symbol of the south which is still a more tight nit region with similar culture than most of United States can claim. At the end of the day this should be a state level decision to represent our culture and history rather than a federal one.

    • Whether the Confederate flag is associated with southern culture or not dosen’t change what it stands for. It STILL will ALWAYS represent the racist anti American Confederation. Just like the swastika flag will ALWAYS represent Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany no matter what you say it is.

    • I’m not even delving into the argument on it being a heritage/hate issue.

      I’m going to a more basic reason.

      It was the flag of an enemy of this country. Keep it off Government grounds.

    • Will the difference being that the Confederate flag did not stand for anything more than a collection of states. The Swastika wasn’t a national flag and represented a specific political party with pretty specific ideals that were, in fact, racist.

      Kyle, I understand your reasoning. You might aswell ban the celebration of Robert E. Lee’s birthday. Or make sure historical confederate land marks and graveyards are not government owned or supported as fallen enemies of the state.

  22. Keep the flag its history if you stop sales of this flag than stop Amazon from selling ISIS Flags

  23. My family heritage … I will not live under Communist rule by a politically correct hack with NO military service … put it back up …

  24. That flag represents rebellion against government and there are to many people that know the true meaning of it to let it go down. You will not remove our flag from us but we can remove you from office. You are gone with the wind should I say and that flag will be placed back because it is going to be the force behind our revolution. #riseup #rebelpridedayjuly4th you have contributed to the take over of our white house and you sir are a disgrace.

  25. Put the flag back on the memorial at the capitol…..we have to take a stand somewhere to protect our rights as citizens of these United States. All rights are being taken away one at a time, and it needs to stop now. The wishes of a few are done and the wishes of masses are ignored.

  26. Really believe that this has gone to far. The guys can hang their flags which offends me & my beliefs, but the Confederate flag has to be taken down when that is part of our heritage as southerners….that’s crazy that is part of our freedom of speech. GOD BLESS US ALL!!!!!!

  27. Stop the madness, history has imense value. We need to be proud of our history and how far we have come.

  28. Leave the confederate Flag all civil war statues, memorials graves etc alone its part of our history and many of us have several descendants that fought in this war, its not only disrespectful to them and their honor its a disgrace…. and shameful!

  29. Heritage not hate let her fly proudly to honor are fallen soldiers who have fought and died for this battle flag learn history people and find out what this flag stands for

  30. KEEP THE FLAG FLYING!!!! IT IS HISTORY “”NOT HATE””!!! SICK AND TIRED OF EVERYTIME SOME IDIOT DOESN’T LIKE WHAT WE AS AMERICANS HAVE COMPLAINS AND OUR GOVERMENT WANTS TO TEAR IT DOWN TO CATER TO THEM!!! TIME TO WAKE UP BEFORE WE LOOSE EVERYTHING WE STAND FOR!!!

  31. The flag has been used by hate groups, As the Christian cross has been used by hate groups and cults, ie. Jim Jones, David Koresh and the Klan.

  32. If you blame the flag then blame the black heritage monument for every white man killed by a black man

  33. I am signing this because I have rights also. History is repeating itself. Taking from one race to give to another is what happened here years ago and not one thing was learned from history…A flag is not racist but taking all the history is racist.Most blacks hate whites because of history that we had nothing to do with. Me nor my my children or my parents owned slaves just like all most all blacks this day and time have never been a slave. It is time all this needs to be placed in the history books and left there where it belongs.now it’s going to be the other way around and whites will be saying the blacks owe them something. When will people quit listening to the media ? Media is 100% racist and keep all this going. Think about it… It is time to STOP!

  34. Restore Confederate Flag and keep memorials going. Many lives and loved ones were lost on that day. We should keep history going and remember the fallen. I am a home nurse. I take care of Veterans. And listen to their stories of them in battles. World 2 and Vietaim. These memorials and flags are memorials for our country soldiers. Our soldiers deserve something for their roles in all battles. And today’s Vets are thrown out like trash and living homeless. That’s all our Vets know is having served our country. Raise That flag.

    • I’m from the South. And nothing will change that! Take history again learn. Both sides were wrong for slaving. Blackmen slaved their own wife’s and children. Our Confederate flag isn’t racist. The North doesn’t won’t South to Rise Again. But it will ! So no more high taxes for poor an. Need tax the rich.

  35. for anybody that sings the Confederate flag is racist needs to read and damn history book is part of my heritage as part of who I am is part of what I am and I’m proud to be an American you live in United States you are American start acting like it stop being stupid read a history book

  36. The confederate flag is part of my heritage and no one has a right to remove it, you want to remove it to keep from offending people but removing it offends me!

  37. My forefathers fought in the Confederacy!!They were good, hardworking people. They believed in the States rights to govern themselves. Restore the flag to it’s rightful place!!!!

  38. I am signing because its my right as American, the flag is my history just as the monuments you political politicians need to leave our confederate flags and monuments alone or get out of this country.

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