Not MY Flag!

From Yahoo:
"Amazon, eBay, Etsy ban sales of Confederate flag merchandise"

 

Amazon, eBay and Etsy -- three of the most prominent online retailers in the US -- decided Tuesday to ban sales of the Confederate flag and related merchandise on their sites. The companies made the change as a quick response to a groundswell of public complaints that the companies were allowing sales of the controversial symbol. Their decisions follow similar bans from retailers Walmart and Sears on Monday. Both eBay and Etsy sent out emails confirming the change. Amazon also confirmed it is pulling down Confederate flag merchandise.  Calls to get rid of images of the Confederate flag -- an often controversial symbol, for some of black slavery and for others of Southern history -- have surged in recent days. The public outrage follows a shooting last week in a historic African-American church in South Carolina that left nine people dead and is believed to be racially motivated. The accused shooter, Dylann Roof, was seen in at least one picture found online holding a gun and the Confederate flag. "We believe it has become a contemporary symbol of divisiveness and racism," eBay spokeswoman Johnna Hoff said in a statement Tuesday about the flag. "This decision is consistent with our long-standing policy that prohibits items that promote or glorify hatred, violence and racial intolerance." An Amazon webpage showing Confederate flags for sale. Etsy echoed that position in its own statement Tuesday "Today, we are removing confederate flag items from our marketplace," the company said. "Etsy's policies prohibit items or listings that promote, support or glorify hatred and these items fall squarely into that category." On Monday, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called for the removal of the Confederate flag from the state capitol grounds, a move that appears to have built momentum for the cause to have retailers stop selling Confederate-themed merchandise. Soon after, both Walmart and Sears -- which operates both Kmart and Sears stores -- said they would stop selling Confederate flags and related merchandise, such as T-shirts, hats and belt buckles. "We have a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell," Brian Nick, a Walmart spokesman said in a statement. "Still, at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly -- this is one of those instances."

Calls on social media for other retailers to follow suit rapidly picked up steam, with people requesting eBay, Amazon and Etsy stop selling items -- from lighters to coffee mugs to bikinis -- with the Confederate flag.

 

^ I have believed that the Confederate flag and all Confederate symbols should be banned before this recent trend. There are people who say the Confederate symbol isn't racist and doesn't promote violence yet even the racist, segregationists of the 1950s-1960s saw the Confederate flag as a symbol to oppress and carried it as their banner against Civil Rights. Confederate symbols need to be banned the same way the Hammer and Sickle and the Swastika should be. It's not a question of freedom of speech, but a question of doing what is right. At least the first step: getting people aware of the issue is starting. ^

http://news.yahoo.com/ebay-bans-sales-confederate-flags-181004262.html;_ylt=AwrXnCWv64lV8yIA4UDQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTByYnR1