From: Jim Choate <ravage@ssz.com>
Date: Sun, 26 Oct 1997 21:35:08 +0800
To: cypherpunks@ssz.com (Cypherpunks Distributed Remailer)
Subject: Flag ban in Mississippi [CNN]
Message-ID: <199710261401.IAA32569@einstein.ssz.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text



Forwarded message:

>                      FLAG BAN TUGS ON OLE MISS TRADITIONS
>                                        
>      Students wave Confederate flags
>      
>   Confederate banner impedes athletic recruiting
>   
>      October 25, 1997
>      Web posted at: 10:44 p.m. EDT (0244 GMT)
>      
>      From Correspondent Brian Cabell
>      
>      OXFORD, Mississippi (CNN) -- On any given football Saturday, when
>      the Ole Miss Rebels find the end zone and the crowd explodes, you
>      can see Confederate flags being waved.
>      
>      But there are not nearly as many rebel flags as in years past -- and
>      there will soon be even fewer if the University of Mississippi's
>      chancellor has his way.
>      
>      This week, chancellor Robert Khayat ordered a ban on all sticks at
>      athletic events, starting next week. It's ostensibly for safety
>      reasons, but no one is fooled -- it is clearly an attempt to keep
>      out the Confederate flags attached to those sticks. CNN's Brian
>      Cabell reports
>      icon 2 min., 1 sec. VXtreme streaming video
>      
>      At Ole Miss, tradition is grudgingly giving way to the political and
>      social reality that the rebel flag is perceived by some people,
>      particularly African Americans, as a racist symbol.
>      
>      "We're tired of the attention, the negative publicity that we're
>      getting," said athletic director Pete Boone. "I mean, we've got a
>      great university here, a great academic program, and we're being
>      held back from a national perspective because of this Confederate
>      flag."
>      
>      Saturday's football game against Alabama was the first since Khayat
>      ordered the ban. And while the student senate this week also
>      recommended that the rebel flags be left home, they were
>      particularly visible in the student section.
>      
>      "Other people can do things and wave things and it's fine, but if we
>      do it, it seems like it's racist," complained one student. "But it's
>      not racist. We're proud of our Southern heritage."
>      
>      Ironically, many of those who have forsaken the flag are older Ole
>      Miss fans, who express fears about what the Confederate flag in the
>      stands does to the quality of the team on the field.
>      
>      Indeed, Ole Miss football coach Tommy Tuberville has told fans that
>      the university is losing black recruits because of the flag. He says
>      he's gratified that flags are disappearing.
>      
>      "I'm proud of our students and our fans, and I think they understand
>      the situation," he said. "Hopefully, we can continue to make
>      progress."