Flagging Report: An Interesting Video Interview

My day started at mid-morning. Spouse and I attended a fundraiser fish fry for a local school's softball team. Late January isn't softball season, and it was cold and windy for the game, but the fish, baked beans, cole slaw and hush puppies were delish, and fortified me for the afternoon's flagging.

Brilliant sunshine and a blue sky made for a great flagging backdrop, but foot traffic on lower Palafox was diminished somewhat, possibly due to the strong, chilly wind. Nevertheless, we had several passersby stop to take our hand-out and engage in brief chats.

As before, nobody agreed with the county's actions, and many did not understand the reason for the flag removal. "Except for political correctness," one gentleman offered, and we heartily agreed.

Our explanations went something like this. "They wanted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the display, but the French, British and Spanish flags all came down, as well.  It seems like overkill, especially when all that was necessary was to replace the battle flag with this one." This explanation usually brought forth questions as to what flag "this one" was.

"This is the First National flag of the Confederacy, called the Stars and Bars. This is the one used by the city in their Five Flags displays. We don't see any reason why the county can't use it, as well."

"I agree!" "Good luck," and "Hope you're successful!" were the kind of remarks we heard when our conversations ended and people went on their way.

We met a crew of four young men shooting video for a documentary that is to be put into a time capsule for future generations to view. Videos being shot around the country will be in competition for a spot in the time capsule, to be opened fifty years hence. The contest is being held in conjunction with the movie Interstellar, and the winning documentary will also be shown at the premier of that movie. 

They asked out our flagging, and I explained about the county's removal of the flags, and our support for Confederate heritage. "It is under attack. Most Southern culture is not under attack. Nobody's crusading against red beans and rice or magnolias. But Confederate heritage is the target of a campaign of political correctness."

One of the young men asked if I would like to be interviewed for the documentary, and I agreed. I was told I would have to sign a model release. I said I was familiar with model releases, as I used to shoot video and had to get signed releases from participants.

While one man operated the camera, another asked me questions, about ten in all.  It was an interesting experience. When the videotaping was over, they posed for a quick photo, I wished them luck with their documentary, they wished us luck with getting the flags returned, and went on their way.

The more we flag, the more convinced I am that the county made a critical error in removing the flags. I look forward to the day they are returned. In the meantime, we can use their mistake to educate folks about the Confederacy, and the unique heritage and legacy handed down by our civil war era ancestors.

Next flagging -- Wednesday, January 28, from 1 to 3.