Editor,
Thank you, Kathy Attwood [ESI Letters Jan. 13], for bringing this subject up; I attended a meeting of the Cemetery Commission last October to speak out against the battle flags in our cemetery. There were only two of us there speaking against and we were really outnumbered.
Your last statement – ask them – is a good one but there is no direct link to any of the commissioners except Glenna Booth who works at City Hall. I wrote an email asking a series of questions and received not one response, not even an acknowledgement of receiving the email.
The main argument, really the only argument, I heard for flying this racist symbol is that removing it is erasing history. One speaker did suggest that having them planted on graves might just make someone curious about what they are and have an interest in learning about them.
Really? Removing a symbol of white supremacy is not erasing this history; it is understanding that there is nothing about the meaning of this particular flag that should be glorified. And to the remark about them piquing curiosity and an interest in the war, trust me, I doubt there is anyone who isn’t familiar with this racist symbol.
When someone in the audience wanted to know how many emails had been received on the issue, and how they were divided, the response was pretty vague, “quite a few, about half and half.” I asked specifically through the email for the specific numbers and wondered if there was any way to break out the locals from out-of-towners.
I also asked if they would consider letting the citizens vote on the issue since I noticed quite a few of the pro-flag speakers were not from Eureka Springs.
In the end it felt so fruitless to have been there and spoken since no one on the commission even seemed to be listening, and when asked by someone there if they were going to do anything about the flags, the response was that nothing was going to change. What a stain on our city.
Wanda Nyberg
it seems nothing, no rock unturned when it comes to the destruction of American history, and the way our fallen are honored. The flags in the Cemetery are an example of those jumping on a band wagon, with THEIR point of view. Leave the flag alone and find another crusade to champion, as there are plenty! I don’t agree we are a divided nation, I believe we are a nation of antagonist and anarchist trying to change our history with their self perceived righteousness. These flag fly with respect and to honor the fallen during the civil war! Are the same people wanting the civil war removed from our history? I think so!