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The Ugly Barnes Rag of 2001	The Georgia Flag 1956-2001	The Perdue Flag of 2003

The text below is my April 30, 2003, letter to Governor Perdue and below that is his response dated May 9, 2003.

To the Honorable Governor of the State of Georgia, Sonny Perdue:

I was disappointed to read in the newspaper on the morning of Confederate Memorial Day that the people of Georgia are once again denied a real voice in choosing the flag that represents Georgia. It's well-known that a majority of Georgians favor restoring the beloved 1956 Georgia Flag, yet the General Assembly chooses instead to bend to the will of a small but vocal minority of misinformed individuals and the "business community" of Atlanta that fears them and their extortion tactics and who values the almighty dollar above all else sacred.

Throughout your campaign you promised to return honor and integrity to state government, in a phrase, to restore power to the rightful owners, the People of Georgia. All we asked for was the opportunity to let the people speak at the ballot box to prove our contention (dare I say "fact") that the majority of Georgians favor the 1956 flag. We are well aware of the resistance, the threats and the hyperbole you have encountered. We recognize the political risks that you face, but rest assured that the majority of Georgians scorn the hysteria and hyperbole demonstrated by the likes of Sen. Mary Squires and her ilk.

But we also recognize, as you pointed out in your March 20 press release, you have a duty and an obligation to represent 8.5 million Georgians and to execute THEIR will. Our Confederate ancestors didn't shirk their duty; they risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to defend their rights to self-determination and to defend their homeland against an unconstitutional and immoral invasion. We respectfully request and rightfully expect you to do your duty.

In your state of the State speech, you also stated that you trusted the people of Georgia to choose the symbol that represents them. That is as it should be, but we respect your courage in stating it plainly. You also said that you trusted the General Assembly to trust the people, too. As recent history has shown, that trust was misplaced. The General Assembly, in amending HB 380 to remove the July referendum that included the 1956 flag, gutted the bill of its essential requirement. HB380 now delivers only a referendum in March that allows us to choose yet another flag concocted by politicians (and already enacted by law) or to choose the ugliest flag in North America. Sir, that's not a choice, that's an insult.

The late Denmark Groover stated in 2001 in his remarks to the Rules Committee that he thought "the emotions were too great to be the subject of a public referendum." Your victory, delivered by the voters of Georgia in November 2002, loudly and clearly refuted that statement. I respectfully submit, sir, that your election was a statewide mandate to LET US VOTE.

I predicted your victory several months before last November. It wasn't just because I wanted you to win. In driving around Georgia, I saw BOOT BARNES and LET US VOTE signs and bumper stickers everywhere across this state. The feeling of outrage was tangible and I knew in my gut that despite the conventional wisdom and the media-reported polls, they were underestimating the anger and wrath of the Georgia voter.

Please don't underestimate Georgia voters the way Roy Barnes did. Let me assure you that renewed anger and rage across this state is real and it's growing. It's just beginning to sink in with those who are less atuned to the political process in Atlanta. Rest assured that heritage supporters and the Sons of Confederate Veterans will actively and relentlessly work to inform the people just who betrayed them in the legislature. Please don't be a party to that betrayal by signing the insult known as HB 380.

By using your veto power to veto HB 380, you can position yourself well with the people of Georgia and have a clear conscience that you are enforcing the will of the people. Obviously, you have to work with the General Assembly to enact your domestic and economic agenda, but have faith that the support of the people of Georgia will enable you. Veto HB 380 and we will take it from there. We, the outraged people of Georgia, will unseat enough turncoats to deliver a Republican House to you. We will press our representatives to deliver us a REAL choice, the choice we have demanded since 2001. Your presence in the Executive Mansion is proof that our will shall be done.

We were saddened by the reports that you've stated you would sign HB 380 and the reports that you traded your approval for Senate votes on your tobacco tax. As a Warner Robins native, I know and respect people who swear by you as an honorable and Christian man. I don't question either attribute, but you must understand how your approval of HB380 will appear to the millions of Georgians who have no personal knowledge of your character.

HB 380 will not resolve the state flag issue but rather will inflame it even more. It clearly is not even close to what you proposed or promised the people. It's your duty to fulfill the will of the people and to fulfill your promises. As General Robert E. Lee once said, "Duty, then is the sublimest word in our language. Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more; you should never wish to do less. " Please veto HB 380.

Respectfully,

Steve Scroggins

stevescroggins2003@yahoo.com

Dear Friend:

Over three months ago, I submitted a proposal to the General Assembly that would allow the people of Georgia to choose the flag that flies over our great state. I sincerely believe we should give the people of Georgia a number of choices and trust them to make the best choice for our state. I still believe that this would have been the best way to move forward.

Throughout the legislative session, my floor leaders worked consistently to include all choices on the referendum. However, after months of passionate debate from all across the political spectrum, the General Assembly chose a different course from the one I had proposed. My administration was not part of any deal that limited the options for Georgians. Further, I did not tamper with the process to give one flag a greater likelihood of winning over another, nor did I ever authorize any legislative or budgetary trades in order to secure enough votes for passage of the legislation. The flag legislation stood on its own merits.

My goal was never to appease any one group or cause. Rather, my goal has always been to live up to my one and only promise regarding the state flag - to afford the citizens of Georgia the opportunity to vote.

I have consistently said that the citizens of Georgia deserve the opportunity to vote on their state flag. House Bill 380 met that requirement, and on March 2, 2004, registered Georgia voters will have that chance. While this bill did not include everything I asked for, I respect the decision of the elected members of the General Assembly and have signed HB 380 into law.

When a new flag was unfurled over the State Capitol in 2001, the people of Georgia were conspicuously ignored. Georgians were offended by the backroom process that resulted in the flag being changed. The same cannot be truthfully said about the process used in 2003.

While some people are dissatisfied with the ultimate outcome, no one was shut out of the process. Each chamber conducted open committee hearings, and all the citizens of Georgia had ten full weeks from the time I submitted my proposal to the final vote to let their representatives and senators know their views.

In 2003, everyone was given ample opportunity to have his or her voice heard. This is how government should work. The process is complete. We, as a state, must heal the wounds, unite and move forward. I will join hundreds of thousands of other Georgians on March 2, 2004, and vote for the flag I signed into law.

Thank you for your sharing your point of view with me during this historic process. I hope that, now, we turn the page on a new day in Georgia's proud history.

Sincerely,

Sonny Perdue

While Governor Perdue and the legislature may prefer that Georgians would simply "turn the page" and move on, we are not satisfied because Perdue's promise has not been kept. As the saying goes, "It Ain't Over." The People of Georgia will NOT be defied. Our will SHALL be done...or we'll elect new politicians who will.  The slogan adopted at the 2003 Georgia Division Reunions says it all:  "A change of heart in 04 or a change in the legislature in 05."

Georgia Flag Facts

For information, please write
Lt. James Woodward Camp 1399
PO Box 1823, Warner Robins, GA 31099
OR
Contact Adjutant Steve Scroggins or Commander Chris Pritchett by email.

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