FacebookThere aren't many Confederate flags flying high these days—retailers are taking it off their shelves, citizens are demanding it come down and even South Carolina's governor Nikki Haley says it's time for it to go.
In the wake of last week's tragic Charleston church massacre, even Dukes of Hazzard merchandise will no longer feature the controversial Southern emblem moving forward. In a statement given to NBC, Warner Bros. said they have "elected to cease the licensing" of replicas and models of General Lee with the Confederate flag on its roof, as was shown in the original TV series.
Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter on The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985, does not want to see the Confederate flag sent into permanent retirement. On Tuesday, a statement was posted to his Facebook page explaining why "Cooter's Place," a Dukes of Hazzard museum and shop with locations in Gatlinburg and Nashville, will still be selling Confederate flag paraphernalia.
The statement, originally posted in all capital letters, has been edited for ease of reading. Posted below in full, it states:
"I think all of Hazzard Nation understands that the confederate battle flag is the symbol that represents the indomitable spirit of independence which keeps us 'makin' our way the only way we know how.'
That flag on top of the General Lee made a statement that the values of the rural south were the values of courage and family and good times.
Our beloved symbol is now being attacked in a wave of political correctness that is unprecedented in our nation of free speech and free expression. activists and politicians are vilifying Southern culture and our heritage as being bigoted and racist. We know that this is not the case. And we know that in Hazzard County there was never any racism.
Though the flag has been removed from such places as Walmart, Target and Amazon, it will never be removed from any of our Cooter's stores and museums. We are all the same good people today that we were last week and last year and we are not going to be shamed into turning our backs on our heritage and our convictions.
We are not racists. We despise racism and bigotry. and we think the people who are creating this 'cultural cleansing' are the real bigots in this story.
When we say our flag stands for 'heritage, not hate' and 'pride, not prejudice', we mean it. And we believe that old saying, 'you can't know where you are going if you forget where you came from.'
Cooter's is going to continue to sell our Southern symbols as long as there is a Cooter's. I will fight these people until hell freezes over, and then I will fight them on the ice."
—Additional reporting by Lindsay Good