Texas Rejects Confederate License Plate

The picture above shows the license plate that the Sons of Confederate Veterans wanted Texas to approve. The speciality plate would have raised money for the organization -- money they said would be spent honoring Confederate veterans of the Civil War.

The problem with that is that the plate contained the Confederate battle flag, which has become a symbols for hatred and racism across this country. State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) put it well when he told the Department of Motor Vehicles Board, "The state of Texas should not sanction what's become a symbol of hatred and racism. The Confederate battle flag has become a symbol of violence, repression, not heritage."

On Thursday, that board voted unanimously to reject the proposed plate. It was the proper decision and I'm very glad the board decided that way. But don't get the idea that Texas Republicans have mended their ways and now want to champion equal rights and minority rights. That's not why the decision was made.

You have to understand that every single one of these board members was appointed by Governor Rick Perry, who just happens to be running for president at the current time. Perry is not the brightest bulb on the tree, but even he knows that an open racist cannot be elected president. Just a few days ago, he made a public statement saying he opposed approving the plate. These board members were simply giving their "boss" what he wanted.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans have indicated they will not give up their efforts to have the plate approved, complete with it's symbol of hate. They may go to court, or they may just wait until the election season is over. Either way, this fight is not over, and there's still a good chance the plate might be approved in the future.

Defeating racism has never been easy. It is a continuing fight that decent people of all colors must wage every day.