Mississippi Does The Right Thing

Over the weekend we reported about Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour's refusal to denounce a proposal to honor Confederate Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest, a co-founder of the Ku Klux Klan infamous for leading his rebels in a massacre of black Union soldiers, with an official Mississippi license plate.

After more than a week of side stepping the issue and telling the state NAACP and others that he would not denounce the notion of recognizing the racist confederate general, the governor, who has presidential aspirations, seems to have felt the political heat and yesterday stated for the first-time that he would veto any measure that seeks to honor General Forrest.

Yes!

The brouhaha began when the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans proposed a series of state-issued plates to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. Several plates are being issued as part of that commemoration, one of which was a plate honoring Forrest which would be issued in 2014.
The idea met with immediate opposition.

More than 8,500 Change.org members answered our call to pressure the governor, and there has been extensive media coverage of his refusal to denounce the motion. That led to an about face yesterday:
"The bureaucracy denied it, the legislature won't pass it and if the legislature passes it, it won't become law because I won't sign it,” Barbour told the Associated Press in an interview.

Up until yesterday's statement, Barbour had steadfastly declined to take a definitive position against the proposed measure, saying he doesn't believe in "denouncing" people.

Folks weren't necessarily urging Barbour to "denounce" Forrest, although he is certainly worthy of condemnation. What those in opposition wanted was for the governor to denounce the idea of honoring Forrest with an official state license plate.

It took him awhile, but the good news is that Barbour finally seems to realize that a Gen. Forrest state vehicle tag is just a very bad idea.

Thanks to everyone who took action.

Honoring Founder of KKK is Bad Idea

Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest was a traitor, a racist, and some say, a murderer--basically the trifecta of despicability.

Yet, despite this man's heinous history and outrageous character flaws,  Mississippi is seriously considering issuing an official state license plate in his honor.

Hell, while they're at it, Mississippi officials might as well crank out  state license tags honoring Osama bin Laden or Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
The plates, including the one for Forrest, could be marketed as the state's homage to terrorists.

For those who have never heard of Gen. Forrest. Well, let me school you.

Forrest, a native of Tennessee,  was an infamous Confederate general who is notorious for leading his rebels in a massacre of black Union soldiers.  Upwards of 270 black federal troops were killed at Fort Pillow in the spring of 1864, most of them bayoneted, put to the sword, or shot after surrendering.  Following the South's defeat in the Civil War,  Forrest continued to add to his ugly legacy by serving as a grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. As a matter of fact he is credited as being a founder of that terrorist organization.

Despite Forrest's sordid past, the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans nonetheless feel the general deserved special recognition. It was the Sons who approached the state with the idea of sponsoring a series of state-issued plates to mark the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. The license plate being issued this year by Mississippi features the home of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. The vehicle tag featuring Forrest would be issued in 2014. That is of course, if someone doesn't step in to stop such an outrage from occurring.

The Mississippi NAACP and a Facebook group opposed to the Forrest tag are doing exactly that and have asked Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour to condemn attempts to honor Forrest with a license plate.  Thus far, they have been unable to prevail on Barbour to denounce the idea.
Frankly, for a man who has aspirations of running for the presidency of the United States, his reluctance is baffling.

Maybe Gov. Barbour will listen to you. Sign the petition below and urge the governor to condemn in no uncertain terms any attempt by the state of Mississippi to honor the memory of Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Tell Gov. Barbour to ban Forrest from Mississippi license plates.
Winning this and similar campaigns depends on our ability to quickly call on thousand of supportive folks like you. After signing the petition below, please click here to follow us on Facebook - just click 'Like' at the top of the page.

Photo Credit: JamesKidArts