Confederate Flag and Mascots

* The nationwide campaign to encourage the state of South Carolina to stop flying the Confederate flag at the capitol is right on target. But why stop there? Georgia and Mississippi have the Confederate flag as the centerpiece of their state flags. The state flags of Arkansas, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee all use designs that were clearly derived from the Confederate flag. South Carolina flies the only state flag in the South without a hint of the Confederacy in it. South Carolina just needs to take the Confederate flag down. These other states should start from scratch and design new flags.

Let’s also pressure the remaining sports teams that use Native Americans as their mascots. The Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, Florida State Seminoles and others should come into the 21st century with new mascots.

RYAN SNYDER

Los Angeles

* Usually I disagree with Michael Ramirez cartoons, but the Jan. 21 one with the South Carolina Capitol building showing, in order, the U.S. flag, the state flag and the Nazi flag was probably the best he has ever done.

FRANK W. PATTERSON

Whittier

* Re “Rebel Flag Rises Again as an Issue, in Bush Country,” Jan. 22: The issue of whether the battle flag of the Confederacy should be displayed on public property has risen to new heights of absurdity. What will be asked for next? Removal of the memorials to the Confederate soldiers at Gettysburg and other Civil War battlefields? Removal of statues of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson from governmental properties in the South?

Maybe the next thing those folks will ask for is the removal of the Bible verses that are inscribed on the walls at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington.

JOHN C. LUE

Huntington Beach

* Does anyone else appreciate the irony of the U.S. flag and the flag of the movement formed to break up America flying on the same pole? Flying a symbol representative of hate and oppression to so many people is just plain mean; why don’t George Bush, Steve Forbes et al. show some compassion?

JOHN SINGLETON

Los Angeles