It was somewhat of a deal in the Tampa Bay news media market three years, but only somewhat, and except for the hurt feelings in the black community, it didn't go very far.
I'm referring to that huge Confederate flag – 30 by 60 feet, weighing 100 pounds – that had been flying flag near I-4 and I-75 in Tampa (it's official address is 10418 E. U.S. 92 in Tampa). The past tense is employed here because that particular flag has been taken down, and replaced by a smaller one – but just for now.
Marion Lambert, the most high profile member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans that owns the property where the flag still flies high, told the Tampa Tribune that the larger flag is in need of repair, so its been replaced by the "third national flag of the Confederacy."
Regardless of its size, that flag is extremely upsetting to blacks, and in other communities has been the flashpoint of major rallies, who see is as a symbol of racism and the endorsement of black slavery.
This article appears in Aug 18-24, 2011.