McCain, Obama weigh in on flag issue

By By Bob Martin, The Alabama Scene
I happen to agree and disagree with the various statements by Sen. John McCain on the Confederate Flag issue. The Arizona Senator and presidential candidate has been inconsistent on whether or not the flag should fly atop a state capitol building and also about its symbolic meaning. Thankfully that issue has been resolved in Alabama.
During the lead-up to the Republican primary election in South Carolina in 2000 Sen. McCain said he considered the flag “a symbol or racism and slavery,” a comment with which I disagree. The next day he called the flag “a symbol of heritage,” a statement with which I agree. Then he declared the issue of whether or not the flag should be removed from the capitol dome should be decided by the people of South Carolina, an opinion with which I also agree. It was the same position as that of George W. Bush, who McCain was opposing in the primary election that year.
In an April 20, 2000 speech, Sen. McCain said this: “My ancestors fought for the Confederacy, and I am sure that many, maybe all of them, fought with courage and with faith that they were serving a cause greater than themselves. But I don’t believe their service, however distinguished, needs to be commemorated in a way that offends, that deeply hurts, people whose ancestors were once denied their freedom by my ancestors. As I admitted, I should have done this earlier, when an honest answer could have affected me personally. I did not do so for one reason alone. I feared that if I answered honestly, I could not win the South Carolina primary. So, I chose to compromise my principles. I broke my promise to always tell the truth.”
Fast-forward to January of 2008 on CNN when Sen. McCain said that the flag should be “taken off the top of the Capitol and put it in the place where it belongs.” I can agree with that McCain statement. That followed a statement by Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who said: “You don’t like people from outside coming down and telling you what to do with your flag. In fact, if somebody came to Arkansas and told us what to do with our flag, we’d tell them where to put the pole.” I can also agree with Gov. Huckabee.
On the January 16, 2008 edition of the CBS Evening News, McCain described his 2000 statements on the Confederate flag as “an act of cowardice,” saying: “The worst advice that I’ve given to myself was when the Confederate flag was flying over the state Capitol in South Carolina and I decided that I would say that’s not an issue that I should be involved in, that it should be decided by the people of the state of South Carolina. I knew that it was a symbol that was very offensive to many people, and afterwards I went back and apologized. But it was, needless to say, by saying that I wouldn’t have anything to do with an issue like that was an act of cowardice.”
I could find only one statement from Sen. Barrack Obama about how the Confederate Flag should be displayed. When asked why he visited South Carolina despite the NAACP’s ongoing boycott of the state for refusing to take down the Confederate Flag from the statehouse, Obama said earlier this year: “They should put the flag in a museum and focus more on important issues such as poverty.” I haven’t consulted with my great-great- grandfather, William John Martin, who served in Gov. O’Neal’s 26th Alabama Infantry for four years, was captured at the Battle of Nashville and escaped, or my other ancestors who served in the War Between the States, but I believe they might agree with Obama’s statement and most of McCain’s, after 144 years.
A recent statewide poll conducted by The Press-Register and The University of South Alabama shows that Sen. McCain leads Sen. Obama by 52 percent to 25 percent with 23 percent undecided, supporting other candidates or not responding.
Alabamians increasing debt, falling behind
Alabamians are increasing debt and falling behind on payments at a higher rate than most other states, a credit reporting agency says.
A survey by Chicago-based TransUnion, one of the nation’s three major credit reporting bureaus, found that residents of Alabama owed an average of $2,014.76 per credit card in the second quarter, the third highest figure among the states.
Only balances from Alaska – $2,493.69 per credit card – and Tennessee – $2,109.20 per card – surpassed Alabama, TransUnion said. Iowa’s average card debt of $1,280.86 was the lowest.
TransUnion also says more Alabamians are falling behind on their payments. A separate survey showed that payments on 1.14 percent of credit cards held by Alabama residents were 90 days late in the second quarter, 11th highest nationally. Nevada’s 1.72 percent delinquency rate was highest; North Dakota’s 0.59 percent delinquency rate was the lowest.