You know you're grasping at straws when you try to convince the government of one of the 50 states that they need to honor veterans of an army that fought against the United States! That's just the bizarre tactic the members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans took in an attempt to convince the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles that Confederate flags should be allowed on the state's license plates. Anyone surprised they failed miserably?
This week might go down as one of the worst in history for state Governor Rick Perry, but the Texas DMV's nine-member board certainly ended the week on a high note with their defense of America. They told the heritage not hate folks their favored flag will not be allowed on the state-issued plates.
I'm going to say it wasn't a bit of a knuckle biter. Perry had come out to say this was a bad idea. The NAACP was quite obviously voicing people's discomfort with a flag flown by the Rebel Army, which defended slavery among its many reasons for revolting against the North.
The last time the whole issue came to a vote, the board came to a 4-4 tie. It could have happened this time. This is the state full of folks known for looking the other way when someone throws historical facts out the window.
But come on! What kind of idiot would walk into a government office and suggest honoring the guys who would have put them out of a job? If the Confederate Army had prevailed, there would be no Texas DMV! And they could kiss grants from D.C. goodbye!
Heck, put yourself in the shoes of a guy who fought for Jefferson Davis. Think he'd want to be aligned with something that represents the people who whooped his behind?
But that's just what Ray James, past commander of the Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, did. He noted the date of the vote and made a play for Veterans Day sentiments, claiming the Confederate flag license plates would honor tens of thousands of Texans who fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War. You know, the guys who seceded from America? The soldiers who wanted nothing to do with the very federal government that sends plenty of money down to Texas and the departments of transportation around the 50 states?
I've often heard it said that everything is bigger in Texas. I just wasn't aware that was referring to the size of feet inserted in mouths.
What do you think: is this a veterans issue?
Image via akasped/Flickr