ST. GEORGE — A Cedar City smoke shop selling what some are calling a racist bumper sticker has received an outpouring of backlash online after a man posted about it on Facebook.
However, D&D Smokes & More, which sells a variety of novelty items and souvenirs, will not bend and the sticker will continue to be sold at the store, the store’s co-owner Jeremiah Davis said.
The sticker that sparked the debate had an image of a Confederate flag on it with a message that read: “If I had known this, I would have picked my own cotton.”
Other stickers in the store also include images of the Confederate flag.
T.J. Penrod, a history and social studies teacher at two private schools in Cedar City, said he first heard about the sticker Saturday when he received a text about it from a friend. He then took to Facebook to voice his concerns about the sticker.
“With the Confederate flag next to the message, it’s not a far jump to understand what it’s trying to imply,” Penrod said. “It’s a flippantly racist remark about slavery.”
Penrod messaged the owners of the store Saturday with a request to stop selling the sticker. He then posted about it on Facebook, where his efforts to get the sticker removed were met with an “abundance of support” from people in Cedar City and across Utah, he said. However, there have also been a few negative comments flung his way.
“I’ve received a couple of threatening messages, and that’s been it so far,” Penrod said.
By Tuesday, hundreds of people flooded D&D Smokes & More review sections on Facebook, Google and Yelp with negative reviews, calling the store and the owners “ignorant,” “bigoted” and “racist.”
After being told the stickers would remain on the shelves, Penrod visited D&D Smokes & More Tuesday to meet with the store owners. He said their debate got heated at times, but it was mostly a civil discussion about whether a Confederate flag is a racist symbol.
Penrod said the reason he wants the sticker removed from the store is not because he’s offended by it, but because it sheds bad light on Cedar City.
“A lot of our economy comes from tourism, and to have that sticker in a store in Cedar City is quite alarming because I think it could give people the wrong idea about what Cedar City’s values are,” he said.
While Penrod was discussing the sticker with the store owners, customers called him names and bought out the rest of the stickers to support the store.
Since the post about the sticker went viral, Davis said people have come from all over Utah to buy the stickers and “support the store’s First Amendment rights.” He said he will not consider removing the sticker about picking cotton from the store.
“Had it just been an issue with the one thing and if it didn’t turn into a big social media blitz, and if they just talked with me to begin with, we might have pulled the one sticker down,” Davis said. “But since they decided to go the other way to try to destroy the business, why would I get rid of my best-selling sticker now?”
Davis said the sticker is not racist because “it’s just a sticker” and because the Confederate flag is not a racist symbol. Despite the history around it, Davis said the Confederate flag represents a support for states’ rights and not slavery.
“We have a lot of people in this area who appreciate the rebel flag in different ways than what gets brought out in the media,” Davis said. “They all want to drag it back to slavery. Those of us who are supporting the Confederate flag do not support slavery.”
Davis also said he initially bought the sticker from an African-American sales representative — a fact Davis said helps prove the stickers are not inherently racist.
According to City Data, out of nearly 30,000 people who live in Cedar City, 0.4 percent of permanent residents in the city are black, which amounts to about 111 people.
Because the store won’t remove the sticker, Penrod said he wishes no harm upon the owners of D&D Smokes & More, but he said he will never shop at the store, and he will continue to tell all his friends and family to not shop at the store. He said his biggest goal is to raise awareness about this issue.
“It is good that there is now more awareness that these hate symbols exist in our community and that these are hate symbols,” Penrod said. “I don’t want to live in a town that supports white supremacy.”
Ed. note: The name of the smoke shop in this report is spelled differently on the sign at the store and on its social media pages. St. George News used the version on the store’s sign.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews | @SpencerRicks
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
You can’t ban the confederate flag, nor should you. Like or or not, it’s part of our history. The cotton picking statement, is of poor taste.
Well, in Haiti, the slaves killed ALL of the masters. The bumper sticker is a day late and a country off.
True. I do not know anyone who would actually put this on their vehicle, until now just to be crass. This is free speech that is not threatening anyone. If you wish to protest it, just don’t buy it, like everyone was already doing.
Not asking to ban the confederate flag.
The Confederate flag (a symbol representing nothing other than the traitorous losers of a war started to protect slavery) belongs in museums and history books, not on car bumpers.
Penrod will not ever shop at D&D. That assumes that he would have shopped there otherwise, which I really, really doubt. It takes a liberal to re-write American history and the slippery slope gets steeper all the time.
When you have Terminal TDS, you have nothing but empty threats.
He was literally shopping there when he saw this sign. What makes you say he wouldn’t shop their otherwise?
How are liberals “re-writing” American history by pointing out that the Civil War was about defending and maintaining slavery, a racist and inhumane institution?
Quote from the ‘story’.
T.J. Penrod, a history and social studies teacher at two private schools in Cedar City, said he first heard about the sticker Saturday when he received a text about it from a friend.
It does not say he was ‘literally shopping there, when he saw the sign’.
I would have shopped there. Been in, not great.
Sorry, they don’t sell weed yet.
I guess reading is not your strong point. “T.J. Penrod, a history and social studies teacher at two private schools in Cedar City, said he first heard about the sticker Saturday when he received a text about it from a friend. ”
Hence he was not a customer. He heard about it and went in to make a fuss. Well he made them a ton more money. I am glad to see they are getting a ton of support!!
If T.J. Penrod is so offended by these signs, how in the world does he get into a new bottle of aspirin when he gets a headache from being a looney leftist?
Is the idea of being a compassionate, caring human being so foreign to you that you imagine anybody who is must get headaches constantly?
Liberals heads exploding because people are expressing their 1st Amendment rights! Not a one can open their bottles of aspirin because they have to pick cotton to get to them ! hahahahahaha! Liberals are fun to watch, always wrong and just follow the MSM carrot!
Conservatives heads explode because liberals use their 1st Amendment rights too. What is this world coming to? By the way, I’m a liberal so I don’t take aspirin, I lie in my yard and let the Earth Goddess take care of it.
Haha!
“if I had know this I would have picked my own cotton”
the meaning is slightly ambiguous. It could have more to do with the civil war than some sort of blatantly racist statement. The “this” in the statement can be interpreted in a number of ways. But… the confederate flag and anything about cotton picking is probably gonna be racist tho. You wouldn’t want to stick that on your car and go driving around the bad parts of Atlanta, Oakland, etc…
oh, and Chicongo, IL. Can’t forget about Chicongo.
Pssstt…. “Chiraq”
Aspirin is racist too !
LMAO I love that joke. Now these morons will have to look the jokes up.
Anything having to do with the civil war is inherently going to carry racist connotations considering the war was fought for racist reasons. I’m interested to hear how the statement can be interpreted in multiple ways, though.
Forcing political correctness is stomping all over our rights as citizens to voice or protest concerns. Those who try to impose policing measures to thwart our American freedoms are fascist and will soon change all we as Americans hold dear in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. How soon people forget history and how soon people can become what they fear most.
That’s not how rights, nor the first amendment, work. This is someone exercising their political right to free speech to speak out against hatred and bigotry. How you can twist that to say they’re in the wrong is simply baffling.
Your’e the one doing the twisting. You are apparently another fact twisting liberal !
jaltair is “exercising their political right to free speech” Your words jheimendinger. Why is it right for the extreme leftist T.J. Penrod and wrong for sensible jaltair? Explain this please.
Why is it right for the shop owner and not TJ?
Read the question and answer it ! Typical liberal, never has a real answer for anything. And you wonder why free thinking Americans all think you are a bunch of puppets !
The first amendment does not include anything that incites violence. Although the flag itself does not support any specific violent group, the fact that the KKK and other white supremacist groups use this banner as a symbol for their little clubs can give authority to congress to see the speech as unconstitutional. The confederate flag belongs in history books and museums to remind us of our past, not to use as a symbol of hate and bigotry. After WWII, Germany outlawed the Nazis, their symbols, salutes & their flags. All confederate flags & statues should also be outlawed.
Black lives matter is a racist group ! they should be banned too MORON!
We wouldn’t need black lives matters if people like you weren’t such bigots.
“Pigs in a blanket, Fry em like Bacon”
Said at BLM rallies. No arrests. However, many cops have been assassinated in the past few years, esp when Obama was POTUS
OMG you are so right…
They also wear White bed sheets so ban white bed sheets also!!
How is bringing attention to something forcing political correctness? There is no twisting of anything here other than people trying to fit their own narrative.
I’m sure they will enjoy the extra foot traffic. BTW nasty Facebook posts made from mommies basement are from liberals who are shut ins anyway.
Correction, I made my post from my grandma’s basement. My parents left me because I’m a liberal.
The wife too? I’m so sorry!
I’m really sick and tired of people being offended by what is starting to be, everything. Its nauseating.
Why are you more interested in propping up white supremacist views than defending those who are anti-racism?
You have a very vivid imagination jheimendinger. The liberal programming is strong on you !
Ah yes the liberal programming of rural Minnesota sure has planted its roots deep within my brain
You are a perfect example of liberal programming. hahahahahahaha! Keep drinking that racist Kool-Aid !
Funny how john thinks your a racist for attacking white supremacist, I don’t think he knows what it means, I think he is just copying everyone else by using the word. It must suck to be that dumb.
If you reread my comment I said only that I’m sick of people being offended over what is starting to be, everything. You made my comment about race. You know what? Call me white, call me cracker, call me casper…..I’ll laugh with you cuz my legs have been covered up for 6 months and spring has not arrived yet in tulsa! I’m frick’n white! I was born that way. If you call me white, is that racist in your eyes? My maiden name I’d 200% German. You can call me back, but that doesn’t make it true. Stop making people weak. Stop being so damp offended about everything
I’m taking after mmsandie. I love that lady!
Not even going to correct it. But, nazi was suppose to be in there somewhere.
No thank you, we will not be combed until we are transvestite worshipping sheep.
Yo, Penrod, perhaps you were unaware of Abraham Lincoln’s efforts to repatriate blacks to Africa. Perhaps you should give some school lessons on how that went.
What they don’t teach in Penrod’s school:
3 Ways to Fail At Everything in Life
1. Blame your problems on others
2. Complain about Everything
3. Not be Grateful
Same goes for jheimendinger
You sound triggered, snowflake. The idea of someone standing up against racism really bugs you, doesn’t it?
There IS NO RACISM HERE, MORON! Just a wannabe leftist crybaby making a scene where there is NO ISSUE. You, my friend, are trying to defend the indefensible. Carefully read The Constitution sometime and use a dictionary while you read it. It will contradict everything you think you know about “The Bill of Rights”.
Man, did you get that from my syllabus? Haha!
So Penrod, three questions:
Do you think American blacks would have been better off, or not, if it wasn’t for slavery?
(IRT to slaves sent to the US – not the slaves sent to areas on the rest of the planet.)
Was the US evil for inventing the African slave trade?
Was it Republicans, or Democrats, who were the main political party who advocated for and benefitted from the slave trade?
A response to your 3 questions.
1. I think slavery is/was awful and inhumane. Are you implying slavery helped out the African Americans, or the Africans? Honestly I’m a little lost at your question. My most simple answer is no. I do not think slavery benefited African Americans.
2. The slave trade was an evil enterprise, yes. The U.S. did not start the slave trade, but the U.S. did not do anything about it for a very long time. It is a shameful part of U.S. history.
3. So, this is a multi part question. The Republican party and the Democratic party did not exist at the time asit dies today. In fact there was a big shift politically in the US during the 20th century that is responsible for the party ‘s being as they are today.
During that time period a majority of both parties were in favor of slavery. Its not as simple as saying that one party was in favor and one wasn’t. Lincoln was a Republican, but several years before Lincoln, the federalist party was against slavery. So, I guess…go federalists?
Who benefited most? How do you contextualize that question? Both parties unfortunately benefited from slavery?
TJ I would like to expand on your 3rd answer a little bit.
The Democratic party from it’s creation until about 1950 was the CONSERVATIVE party. Many Democrats in the past advocated for atrocious things like slavery and, later, segregation. Republicans, back then, would have been considered the liberal party by todays standards. That’s not a past we try to hide from.
Sometime around 1950 a paradigm shift occurred within the 2 major parties. Over time, the democrats became liberal and the republicans became conservative. Many famous Republicans, Ronald Reagan for example, started as Democrats. President Reagan, who converted in 1962, famously said, “I didn’t leave the Democratic party, the Democratic Party left me.”
1. So “African Americans” today, who themselves, their parents and grandparents were never slaves, did not benefit? Really? Just imagine if their boat went to Venezuela or Haiti instead. Personally, I thank my lucky stars my ancestors immigrated here… and while their ancestors suffered some, those that came to the US have offspring that enjoys opportunity like no other place. Not surprised they, and you, still find it a disaster for themselves however.
See the “three rules of how to fail at life”. :/
2. Correct, the US did not invent the slave trade, it was going on for millennia before we were a Country, but you knew that. And we did stop it in our Country… We have now been without slaves longer than we had them. It’s a shameful part of WORLD history, of which we only dabbled in. The trade was worldwide and going strong. It’s NOT our fault this happened to the weaker African tribes. Other African tribes were the ones who started to exploit each other, even before there was a worldwide trade.
3. Did you know that the Democratic Party defended slavery, started the Civil War, founded the KKK, and fought against every major civil rights act in U.S. history? Watch as Carol Swain, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, shares the inconvenient history of the Democratic Party.
https://www.prageru.com/videos/inconvenient-truth-about-democratic-party
(BTW don’t bore us with how wishy washy Democrats are… WE KNOW… Both Obama and Hillary are on record as being against gay marriage)
The genocide of native Americans is also a shameful part of US history, but they always get left out of the “stand up against racism” that’s a current US shame!
You ended your list too soon ! 4. Be a liberal
Haha! Good one…… wait what?!
3 Ways to Fail At Everything in Life
1. Blame your problems on others
2. Complain about Everything
3. Not be Grateful
4. Be a liberal
5. Believe everything you hear from the MSM
Although I agree it is in bad taste, it’s a smoke shop people. I see those kind of stickers all over Wal-marts and other mainstream stores back east. The problem is not the store that sells them, it is the people who buy them. Stores only sell them because people buy them, which in Cedar City does not surprise me at all. Also that BS line about buying them from a African American salesman doesn’t fly, stop trying to cover your ass.
Liberals just know so much that isn’t so! It’s funny but sad! But you gotta give them credit. They do what they are told. There was no racism at the store. The liberal who got a text about it got his panties all in a pucker and the rest of you lemming liberals decided again to make nothing into something again! You are all a bunch of media controlled meat puppets ! If somebody wants to sell abortions it’s their right! If somebody wants to sell bibles, it’s their right ! If i call liberals idiots, it’s my right ! Freedom of expression ! Put that in your bong and smoke it clogged filter !
I am truly fascinated by this world you inhabit where Black Lives Matter is a racist organization but the Confederacy isn’t. It’s like looking through a pane of glass made of ignorance.
The confederacy was disbanded over 150 years ago. Keep chasing those unicorns, and also it’s not against any law to be a racist if that’s what floats your boat !
And you look through that pain of glass so intently, Ignorance sums you up pretty well jimminy crock of it !
So you admit you live on the other side of that ignorant pane of glass? Interesting. It’s refreshing to see someone willing to admit their lack of knowledge.
As to why I might stare so intently: one must know thine enemy in order to combat it.
Pursuit of knowledge, by the way, is the exact opposite of ignorance. So, if anything, you pointing out my intense study of people like you is evidence of me trying to do away with my own ignorance of how people like you think.
Why do we have people who know nothing about history trying to change it? If you are getting your information from the Internet you can be mislead easily because the Internet can be changed very easily by changing the data. If you want to learn more about history go to your local Library an find some older history books to read.
Penrod is an extreme liberal who would claim to be a history teacher, when actually he fell into the position because of short staffing at a residential treatment center for teenage girls. Hardly what I would call being a history teacher. More of having your pantys twisted and “must take to social media” because you were offended.
Max, that was my qualification for getting my job. How twisted my panties can be. Not the licensing, or my education, or experience, or my interview, or my love of history. I fell into it.
Mr. Penrod needs to pull up his big girl panties and get a life. So he, and others have chosen to be offended, so what! They all have the right to be offended. Let them all whine and snivel!
Meanwhile, life will go on, the sun will still rise and set, etc.
And look at all this free publicity that this store is getting. If Penrod’s idea was to hurt the store’s business, he is a miserable failure.
The Confederate was nothing but a failed experiment. Crawl back into your hole.
Confederacy*, thanks autocorrect.
Same can be said for sex change experiments.
Not sure how you managed to jump from the Confederacy to sex changes but I’m sure it made sense to your two brain cells.
Democrats went from wanting to control slaves to wanting to control their sex. Failures all around, no two ways about it.
I’ll stop by and get a few.
With Penrod’s free publicity, they will probably be sold out!
“Davis also said he initially bought the sticker from an African-American sales representative — a fact Davis said helps prove the stickers are not inherently racist.” How does THAT they aren’t racist?
“Ed. note: The name of the smoke shop in this report is spelled differently on the sign at the store and on its social media pages. St. George News used the version on the store’s sign.” Snicker.
There is free speech and then there is hate speech. It’s my right to use the “N” word, but I don’t use it out of respect, just as I don’t fly a confederate flag to show southern pride. You stupid people in Utah need to use those morals you guys always talk about. Wait I forgot you didn’t even allow black men to the priesthood or temple until 1978. You guys are still living in the 50’s. And the fact that you are defending a smoke shop is crazy, I thought god told you not to smoke or drink? You guys must be descendants of Southern Utah cotton growers. Read your history, Utah had African American slaves and Indian slaves until it was abolished after the civil war. Sounds very christian to me, how about the rest of you?
wow what a load of garbage you actually eat with that mouth ?
Someone has to call out these right wing lunatics like yourself. Just because there was slavery in the bible doesn’t make it alright. The book is a fairy tale, not a history book.
You’re full of a lot of whoppers in that one post. Very weak argument for you to make. You can find these types of stickers all across the U.S. Then you respond to another poster with ad hominem.
Weak.
Point taken about the ad hominem. I 100% agree, you are right, although when initially writing my comment I never meant to make it sound like I agreed with selling the stickers of the confederate flag. I will except my mistake in conflicting messages and state that I don’t agree with stores selling them, or people buying them. Symbols like that should only be in history books and museums just like the Nazi flags.
Nobody is defending the smokeshop you unfiltered moron ! Just making the point that T.J. Penrod, a history and social studies teacher at two private schools in Cedar City, said he first heard about the sticker Saturday when he received a text about it from a friend. He then took to Facebook to voice his concerns about the sticker. Did not even physically see the stickers. Just a post from a friend? Proves he is a bigger liberal jerk than you are clogged filter !
I’m just going to have a beer.
Or… do as Penrod does and light one up, and invent your own history class.
I’m a bit amused by all the constitutional lawyers commenting here citing the store’s first amendment rights. Now I aint no fancy big city lawyer, but as I recall it the first amendment guarantees freedom of speech, not freedom from consequences, and merely protects against government censorship, not from kind locals asking you to please stop selling hate speech as it makes Cedar and its residents look like a town full of meth-cooking white-trash bigots.
Well you can bet that Cedar City isn’t a town full of transvestites waving repatriation placards. Vote with your feet and move.
Are you Jason Gotfried? A lot of similarities.
I can be whoever you want me to be.
Similar writing style, similar ego, similar talking points. If it walks like a duck? Wouldn’t put it past him to anonymously harass users on a competitors website.
You never know.
Not getting enough attention over at the Indy?
For someone who claims to be all wrapped up in the cloak of ‘equality’ and fair play, he sure spends a lot of time trying to curb the 1st Amendment rights to free speech of a fellow citizen. This is why you can NEVER take liberal arguments seriously. They live by the double standard. Hypocrites. He even says it in the article. He’s ‘concerned’ about the message. A message the store owner is allowed to have and express. He’s so concerned about it, he goes to the store and has a heated exchange with the owner while demanding the removal of the message. That’s censorship. Who’s are the fascists, again?
You clearly don’t understand what the first amendment ACTUALLY protects if you think a private citizen asking a business to not endorse racist messaging is a violation or attempt to curb it. Nobody is asking Congress to pass a law requiring the removal of this bumper sticker.
This is why you can never take conservative arguments seriously. They claim to defend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights while being awfully ignorant of what freedoms they’re actually trying to defend actually entail.
Bull pucky, “Trying to curb his 1st” by being a bully with threats to take it to social media, which Penrod the SJW actually did.
Too bad it blew up in his face like it did to Caren Turner, the Port Authority Commissioner. She attempted to threaten cops, flashed her badge, but then lost her $200,000 salary job.
The 1st gave her enough rope to hang herself, and Penrod’s attempt was an equal failure as the Smoke Shop sales have gone up! TYVM
You don’t know how the first amendment actually works.
You obviously know how a bong works.
Yup, it appears Penrod has an Antifa streak running up his back. Which is exhibited by fits of fascism.
Gabe,
TJ voiced his concern to D&D owners that he found some of the products he carried in his store to be offensive. Not a violation of the first amendment.
The store owner refused to remove said products. Again, not a violation of the first amendment. The store owner has a right to sell whatever he wants, IMO.
When the owner refused, TJ recommended via social media that people stop patronising D&D and why. Not a violation of the First amendment.
Why do you right -wingers think everyone who disagrees with you is violating your first amendment rights? The first Amendment applies to everyone, not just you.
Again, it’s the matter of bullying and threatening. Coming into the store and making a scene. A complete cowardly Antifa type of maneuver. Trump 2020!
I’m a little confused. Who is bullying who? TJ went into the store, brought his concern to the store owner and they talked about it. That’s all. If the store owner felt bullied or threatened, why didn’t he call the police? How is what TJ did ‘censorship’?
Why are you confused? Penrod marched into the store with the sole purpose of arguing his point and making a scene (Article mentions it was “heated”, but he forgot about that part when he tried to weasel out of it in his latest post). When you aren’t even a customer and do this, or post negative reviews on Yelp / Facebook etc because you “feel offended”, this is harassment and bullying in an attempt to censor. The negative reviews are… mostly from California! Guess that’s where Penrod’s followers are from. They vote with their feet and can stay there.
” Penrod marched into the store with the sole purpose of arguing his point…” of course he did. That’s what you do when you have a concern.
“When you aren’t even a customer and do this, or post negative reviews on Yelp / Facebook etc because you “feel offended”, this is harassment and bullying in an attempt to censor.” No. It’s called Freedom of speech. If the shop owner felt that he was being bullied, harassed, or threatened why didn’t he call the police? Regarding your claim that it was an attempt to censor…
While Penrod was discussing the sticker with the store owners, customers called him names and bought out the rest of the stickers to support the store.
Customers were purchasing them WHILE HE WAS THERE. At what point did Penrod try to stop them? Before you answer, discussing the stickers with the owner while others buy them isn’t “censorship”. And you want to talk about Bullying and harrassment? What about the customers who called him names? You love to point out that the debate got heated but you fail to mention them. That conversation was no business of their so what was their point? Oh that’s right, they agree with your point of view so they get a pass.
“What about the customers who called him names? You love to point out that the debate got heated but you fail to mention them. That conversation was no business of their so what was their point?”
They were actual “REAL CUSTOMERS” who were OFFENDED by Penrod’s lame attempt to censure them right in FRONT OF THEM. Kudos to them for calling him out! As for Penrod’s attempt to prevent this from shining a bad light on the City, well this is a “LESSON” ding ding ding on how to have it backfire in your face. He may find future interviews uncomfortable when his SJW activities pop up… you realize employers often have an issue with it. Jemelle Hill, Mizzou prof, Colin Kap, to name just a few.
if all it takes to “offend” a conservative is for someone in another conversation to express a view that is different than their own then conservatives need to buck up and mind their own business.
You realize that “Antifa” is short for Anti-fascist, right?
You know what a Fascist is right? If not here’s the dictionary definition.
Not sure why that link isn’t working. here it is in plain text:
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/fascist
Yes I do, and ironically, Antifa antics fit the narrative.
Funny how you mention conservative should mind their own business since this whole thing started because a libtard couldnt mind his.
Some points of clarification. I did get a text with a photo of the sticker from my friend. I did post on Facebook the next day because it didn’t sit well with me. I messaged the store owner asking if he would remove the one sicker from being sold. He refused, I left a bad review. After that, it snowballed. I didn’t push for it to be on the news, I didn’t push for it to go national. That happened on its own. I did ask that my friends and family not support the store. Most agreed because they disagreed with the message being presented. So. Here we are. The store owner used his freedom of speech to continue to sell the sticker. I used my freedom of speech. I even talked to the store owner in person and said that I’d be ok with the sticker being sold if he had a sticker representing the other side of the coin, for example, a “black lives matter” sticker being sold in his shop so he had representation of both sides. He said he’d think about that. We shook hands and left on decent terms. My push now isn’t even about the shop. Its about bringing awareness to my community about racism and bigotry. I don’t want the shop shut down, never did. He can sell what he wants and I or anyone else can choose to speak out against that. Hell, look at yelp or any business rating forum. People ask that restaurants get shut down and give one star reviews for putting pickles on hamburgers when they asked for no pickles and no one calls them out for infringing on the restaurant owners freedom to sell hamburgers. I see this very similarly except I think racism is a much bigger deal. Trolls will be trolls. We got em in spades here. Twist my words and make up narratives as you will. Call me names and what not. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that this got way more traction than I ever anticipated and I’m getting more and more support as it goes. So, the point, freedom of speech is powerful and works.
Oh, OK, so you telling the reporter your visit to the store was “heated at times” was fake news then? And why would he want to ying and yang with a RACIST organization aka BLM? That nonsense was encouraged by race baiters Deray, NNNNetta, Crump and others and Obama had them to the White House for grooming sessions. Obama even sent 40 FBI to Ferguson to rifle through and roust the PD when thug Mike Brown got himself terminated. Thankfully that nonsense is being exposed for what it is, and Kanye West and other blacks are speaking up about it.
Trump 2020!
BLM: racist
The Confederate South: not racist
Just to be clear, this is the world you live in.
A lot of blacks moved up to Detroit and Chicago from the South to escape “racism”… How’s that working out?
At some point people need to take responsibility for themselves. Chasing statues and bumper stickers never earned anyone a dollar. Make a life for yourself and quit blaming others.
OH BOY! Here we go!! Not only am I black, but I am also from Georgia. Georgia is a States that was actually one of the original 13 colonies. i.e. THE STARS AND BARS. That was a bit of knowledge for the ignorant “hicks” from the hills have eyes. You people are wanna be Rednecks! I 100% support the Confederate History. I was Born under the Confederate Gens. Stone Mountain Georgia. I fly the original state flag of Georgia in my garage. The Stars and bars is on this flag! THESE STICKERS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM! As a matter a fact, I want one for my car! I know good and well white folks cant grow or maintain a cotton field! Not to mention the person complaining is not of color! Long live the Souf! GO FALCONS!
Great post! Now that we have passed the Obama test, we can all get back to being normal!
Oh oh cotton days is coming up ! LOL
And…. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts that child labor was involved. Reparations, anyone?
Southern delegates and politicians met and discussed that plantation owners wanting to keep slavery were causing rifts they were however upset the federal govt was over teaching their constitutional boundaries by punishing the states. So they went to war to fight the over zealous illegal federal restrictions. TJ ! Your a scrappy historian and you need your certifications check ed. Who checks this stuff with the county? He’s teaching history to kids and he doesn’t know this. He might need his teaching cert. Removed.
Should say over teaching not over teaching edit requested.
Over Reaching !!
Unfortunately schools typically push the liberal bent so Penrod is ok with whatever nonsense he wants to brainwash children with.
You should read the SLTrib also. OMG perhaps not.
I’m from the south (fla) was born in Virginia and the great abolitionist John Brown was a relative. I had to learn this history as a real historical lesson.. There were hundreds of not thousands of hero’s in the south constantly working to save slaves. It was a touchy subject in the south. There were evenly numbered warring factions among the wealthy about stopping slavery. Many plantation owners harbored runaway slaves to protect them from file plantation owners. States were often at odds with themselves with thjs. The federal govt decided to over reach their authorit y and break with the constitution and threatened states rights as protected by law. The south took up arms against the illegal fed move TO PROTECT THEIR STATES SOVEREIGN RIGHTS. The south failed and that set the precidence imposed til this day that states will be attacked by the red govt if they act alone\soverign of the red govt. Forefathers were against the very notion of a rogue fed power against individual protected states. That was never a war over slavery but slavery was used as a justification to chain states to red rule. Many believe the south was already trying to end slavery and was on its way to ending it..
I suggest you read the “Cornerstone Speech” given by Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephans on March 21st, 1861. I’ll let you argue with the words of a Confederate leader himself. This is just an excerpt but you can read the whole thing on your own.
“But not to be tedious in enumerating the numerous changes for the better, allow me to allude to one other — though last, not least. The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution — African slavery as it exists amongst us — the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution. Jefferson in his forecast, had anticipated this, as the “rock upon which the old Union would split.” He was right. What was conjecture with him, is now a realized fact. But whether he fully comprehended the great truth upon which that rock stood and stands, may be doubted. The prevailing ideas entertained by him and most of the leading statesmen at the time of the formation of the old constitution, were that the enslavement of the African was in violation of the laws of nature; that it was wrong in principle, socially, morally, and politically. It was an evil they knew not well how to deal with, but the general opinion of the men of that day was that, somehow or other in the order of Providence, the institution would be evanescent and pass away. This idea, though not incorporated in the constitution, was the prevailing idea at that time. The constitution, it is true, secured every essential guarantee to the institution while it should last, and hence no argument can be justly urged against the constitutional guarantees thus secured, because of the common sentiment of the day. Those ideas, however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an error. It was a sandy foundation, and the government built upon it fell when the “storm came and the wind blew.”
Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition. [Applause.] This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth. This truth has been slow in the process of its development, like all other truths in the various departments of science. It has been so even amongst us. Many who hear me, perhaps, can recollect well, that this truth was not generally admitted, even within their day. The errors of the past generation still clung to many as late as twenty years ago. Those at the North, who still cling to these errors, with a zeal above knowledge, we justly denominate fanatics. All fanaticism springs from an aberration of the mind-from a defect in reasoning. It is a species of insanity. One of the most striking characteristics of insanity, in many instances, is forming correct conclusions from fancied or erroneous premises; so with the anti-slavery fanatics; their conclusions are right if their premises were. They assume that the negro is equal, and hence conclude that he is entitled to equal privileges and rights with the white man. If their premises were correct, their conclusions would be logical and just-but their premise being wrong, their whole argument fails. I recollect once of having heard a gentleman from one of the northern States, of great power and ability, announce in the House of Representatives, with imposing effect, that we of the South would be compelled, ultimately, to yield upon this subject of slavery, that it was as impossible to war successfully against a principle in politics, as it was in physics or mechanics. That the principle would ultimately prevail. That we, in maintaining slavery as it exists with us, were warring against a principle, a principle founded in nature, the principle of the equality of men. The reply I made to him was, that upon his own grounds, we should, ultimately, succeed, and that he and his associates, in this crusade against our institutions, would ultimately fail. The truth announced, that it was as impossible to war successfully against a principle in politics as it was in physics and mechanics, I admitted; but told him that it was he, and those acting with him, who were warring against a principle. They were attempting to make things equal which the Creator had made unequal.
In the conflict thus far, success has been on our side, complete throughout the length and breadth of the Confederate States. It is upon this, as I have stated, our social fabric is firmly planted; and I cannot permit myself to doubt the ultimate success of a full recognition of this principle throughout the civilized and enlightened world.
As I have stated, the truth of this principle may be slow in development, as all truths are and ever have been, in the various branches of science. It was so with the principles announced by Galileo-it was so with Adam Smith and his principles of political economy. It was so with Harvey, and his theory of the circulation of the blood. It is stated that not a single one of the medical profession, living at the time of the announcement of the truths made by him, admitted them. Now, they are universally acknowledged. May we not, therefore, look with confidence to the ultimate universal acknowledgment of the truths upon which our system rests? It is the first government ever instituted upon the principles in strict conformity to nature, and the ordination of Providence, in furnishing the materials of human society. Many governments have been founded upon the principle of the subordination and serfdom of certain classes of the same race; such were and are in violation of the laws of nature. Our system commits no such violation of nature’s laws. With us, all of the white race, however high or low, rich or poor, are equal in the eye of the law. Not so with the negro. Subordination is his place. He, by nature, or by the curse against Canaan, is fitted for that condition which he occupies in our system. The architect, in the construction of buildings, lays the foundation with the proper material-the granite; then comes the brick or the marble. The substratum of our society is made of the material fitted by nature for it, and by experience we know that it is best, not only for the superior, but for the inferior race, that it should be so. It is, indeed, in conformity with the ordinance of the Creator. It is not for us to inquire into the wisdom of his ordinances, or to question them. For his own purposes, he has made one race to differ from another, as he has made “one star to differ from another star in glory.”
The Civil War was fought over States’ Rights, sure, however the main right the Confederacy was fighting for was the right to own slaves. Did everyone in the South support slavery, no, but read the speech above. Equality of the races was definitely not part of the Confederate plan.
“Equality of the races was definitely not part of the Confederate plan.”
It’s also not part of the AA plan. Did you not know, that the White Man is responsible for all of the AA woes? 150 years after they were freed?
Take a knee, Penrod, like the NFL champs! As you said above, the AA would have been better off if never brought here in slavery, so that now their descendants would be living in Brazil, Haiti, KSA, anywhere else but here.
*fed govt not ‘red’ govt ….
Anyone else find it hilarious that TJ Penrod is on here commenting and defending himself… This is ridiculous… Liberals need to mind their own business.
Anyone else find it hilarious that conservatives (who supposedly love the Constitution) are on here berating a man for using his first amendment right… This is ridiculous… Conservatives need to read the Constitution they love so much.
You contradict your own statement. He is trying to eliminate the stores 1st amendment right. Way to go libtard!
“He is trying to eliminate the stores 1st amendment right”
Nope. Read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights again Tyler. Nowhere does it say that expesssing an opinion is akin to censorship.
However you have to spin it to sleep at night…