Flagging Report
Saturday August 6, 2005 - Sonny Perdue
Flagged at National Fairgrounds in Perry
Bud Cranford's Report & Pix |||
Steve Monk's Photos (Report below) |||
Macon Telegraph story ||| 13WMAZ Coverage - see below
Steve Scroggins report
Twenty-something Georgia citizens reminded
Governor Perdue and other citizens of Perdue's failure to honor
his promise for a fair flag vote. Translation: SONNY
LIED. SONNY WAS FLAGGED.
As always, the reception by citizens (black,
white and other) passing by was favorable. It was a great
flagging. See the photos and more details below...
THE FLAGGING.....We
assembled and set up at the intersection nearest the entrances to
the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry. For whatever reason, we
didn't have the same number of troopers and cars posted for our
protection this year as we did last year. We were about to shake
things up in the security department...more on that later.
The media was present; Channel 13 was there
with a camera and interviewed me and others, she shot footage of
lots of folks, and Joel's large "SONNY LIED TO ME!" sign. About
six of us had a good discussion with the lady; she had some
pointed questions and attempted to poke holes in our logic...but I
think she realized we were right. The Macon Telegraph had a
reporter come by for an interview later apparently after he left
the inside. I talked to him for ten minutes and said, "I could go
on all day, do you have any other questions?" He didn't. Like last
year, there were over a dozen attendees of Sonny's Fish Lie...I
mean...Fish Fry who pulled out their cameras in their cars and
shot photos of us. There was even one that road by with a video
camera and came around for three of four passes. Was he collecting
tag numbers? Shooting for highlight films later?
I'm sure I'll leave some names out but the
North Georgia and West Georgia folks were well represented. Joel
Coleman (Douglasville), Lum Pettit (Cleveland) and Harold Porter
(Cornelia), Larry Mercer from Camp 2022 in south Georgia (got a
good photo of his truck), , Michele Hamlin and her husband Terry,
Steve Monk, Jeffrey Monk, Norman Black, there were a handful whose
names I can't remember, and the Camp 1399 regulars, Bud Cranford,
Ralph Carson, me and Matt and Josh. The central Georgia LoS was
well represented by Jim Wood, James Bruce, Bob Watson and his
wife, Ben Davis, Clinton Crawley and perhaps others.
Now you know most of the cast, when's he
getting to the flagging, you ask? OK, OK.
We didn't get a look at Perdue, he apparently
flew in on the fowlicopter, but I'm sure he could see us even at
the altitude in which he flew over. I didn't think he was supposed
to use state aircraft for political fundraisers? One attendee at
the fish fry stopped to talk and said she told Perdue that she
supports "those flaggers out there 110%" or some such.
Jim Wood brought trays of spineless chicken and
and boneless spineless fish. It was great and we all enjoyed it.
As Jim said to passersby, "Don't sell your heritage for $10, get
your fish here FREE!! We even have spineless, boneless Perdue
chicken and it's free! The fishy smell is coming from inside! This
free food here smells GOOD!!"
SPECIAL THANKS: Special thanks go out to
Chevy's Cafe on Hwy 49 in Jones County for providing food for the
flaggin' crew. Jim couldn't convince anyone NOT to go inside even
though he offered them FREE fish or chicken.
Several folks had the same idea: to take the
flaggin' to the Liar and make a little more "up close and
personal" for those coming out. So, Joel Coleman laid out a
plan...we all pulled into a flaggin' parade formation as Bob
Watson and his wife stayed on station at the corner to watch the
flags and signs we left behind. We all did a U-turn in the
intersection and pulled over on the shoulder until all our flaggin'
vehicles were in position...then we went in as group. The pictures
below will show some of the action. We had flags and signs hanging
out of our vehicles and went into the parking lot. As we
approached the grassy lot where most of several hundred attendees
were parked, I saw the security/parking woman talking very
animatedly into her walkie-talkie. I can only speculate on what
she was saying but it must have been something like, HELP HELP!!
We swept around the parking lot and turned into
the center aisle of the lot directly approaching the front door of
the building. At this point traffic stopped. Joel in the lead car
with James Bruce holding a flag in one hand and his video camera
in another....they stopped right in front of the front door and
Joel gets out and walks to the back of our line with his camera to
get a photograph. Two or three security officers were walking fast
to catch up but he walked faster. Then the security guy stopped
and walked up to each car in line. When he got to me he said "Yall
gotta go back to the road, this is state property."
Cars starting pulling forward as Joel's car
waited for him to return. I looked at the people outside the
building and they were just gawking as if a Martian spacecraft was
strafing the parking lot. I saw the 13WMAZ lady in her car and
waved...she was taking in our little raid but didn't have her
camera out. The black parking dude with an orange vest was
grinning from ear to ear...so I asked how he was doing. I gathered
he was getting a kick out of the fevered reaction of the
security/parking supervisors. We definitely got their radios
squawking for a little while.
As we left heading out to the West gate, most
of the crew turned around and went back inside for several more
laps around the parking lot. I saw a security car speed up to
intercept (Sheriff Roscoe Coltrain was trying to catch them Dukes
boys!). I decided to cuise slowly along the westside road and
watch the action. The cars split into several groups and kept
lapping around. I was afraid that some of them might be detained
but everyone escaped without arrest. Joel was stopped by Rep.
Rynders from South Georgia and said something lame like "We
support yall's efforts, but yall are going about it the wrong
way." Joel said his reply was that Perdue LIED to us, and just how
would Rep Rynders have us go about getting a Fair Vote?
Everyone returned to the roadside spot as most
of the cars had not left yet. We waved and got many thumbs up and
honks (as usual) from those leaving the Perdue event. Got a few
thumbs down from the typical beemer types. There's NO DOUBT that
almost everyone who went in today got a good look at our flags and
signs. Joel's SONNY LIED TO ME sign was visible and legible from a
half mile away.
We all enjoyed the Second Annual SONNY LIED
Fish Fry Flaggin' so much, it's a pity (NOT) that 2006 will be the
FINAL Perdue Fish Fry Flaggin'. When he's defeated in November
2006, we'll have to start numbering all over with the new
Governor...unless, the new governor wises up.
--Steve Scroggins
Steve Monk's Report
Photos from the 2nd Annual Flagging of Sonny Perdue's Fish
Fry
It was flags, fish and fun this past Saturday, 6th August
as over twenty Georgia flaggers gathered outside the Georgia
AgriCenter in Perry to flag the 2nd Annual Sonny Perdue Fish
Fry. As Jimmy Wood passed out free fish and chicken,
compatriots reveled in the sights and sounds of honking and
waving motorists. Not a bad deal at all considering that
Perdue's picnic goers dished out ten dollars per plate for
their fish.
Bud Cranford opened up activities with a stafing run of the
AgriCenter parking lot on his awesome Flaggin' Chopper. If
that caught the eye of AgriCenter security personnel, then
they were hardly prepared for the grand finale of the day -- a
motorcade parade by all of the flaggers present of the
AgriCenter parking lot. It was amusing watching their frantic
calls on their radios for more backup as our loooong stream of
vehicles entered the parking lot flying 1956 REAL Georgia
flags and flashing signs that read "Sonny Lied," "Punt Perdue"
and "Let Georgia Vote!" All of this just as Perdue's party
goers were leaving the AgriCenter to get in their cars. We got
more honks and waves here too.
Go take a look at my picutures of this fabulous event at
Webshots...
Steve Monk's Photos
For Dixie,
Steve Monk
Sergeant at Arms
Eli P. Landers Camp 1724
Lilburn, Georgia
|
As Perdue travels around the state, small groups of "flaggers"
gather regularly to show their support for the state flag design
that includes the "stars and bars" of the Confederacy, said Macon
resident Steve Scroggins, standing with a group of men on the street
corner holding "Sonny lied" signs.
Scroggins said Perdue used the issue to galvanize support for
his 2002 election, then betrayed the flaggers by not allowing a vote
on the issue.
"Barnes found out it's votes that win elections - not money,"
he said. "It was this issue right here that beat Barnes."
For the record, I did NOT refer to the
'56 flag nor the Confederate battle flag as the "stars and bars."
And what I said at the end was, "It was this FLAG right here
(referring to the one I held) that beat Barnes." --Steve Scroggins
