A few recent news items that are worth a mention but not a full post:
The Greensboro News & Record mentions the results of a survey ranking the Triad low on how its residents feel about their own well-being. “Maybe it’s time to drown our sorrows in more barbecue,” offers the article. Sage advice.
Maurice’s Gourmet Barbeque, the South Carolina restaurant chain known equally for its ‘cue and its owner’s racist views, has decided to remove the Confederate flag from outside most of its locations. According to this article from WLTX 19, owner (and former gubernatorial candidate) Maurice Bessinger “says a bad economy has forced him to take down some of those flags” and that the flags cost too much to maintain. An odd explanation to say the least. Bessinger decided to place Confederate flags outside his restaurants roughly a decade ago when South Carolina lawmakers decided to remove the stars and bars from the capitol dome.
A University of Pittsburgh study concludes that the ancient people of Carthage did not barbecue their babies after all.
Filed under: BBQ in the News | Tagged: Confederate flag, Greensboro, Guilford County, Outside NC |
BBQ Jew 
Porky, just to be particular — the flag Maurice flies (flew?) is not the “Stars and Bars”; rather, it is the Battle Flag of the Army of Tennessee — the so-called Southern Cross, featuring a blue cross saltire, outlined in white, with white stars, on a red field –, which was based on the Battle Flag of the Army of Northern Virginia (the difference between the two battle flags being that the Virginia flag was square and had a border of fringe, while the Tennessee design was rectangular, without fringe).
The Stars and Bars is properly a reference to the first national flag of the Confederacy. In contrast to the Battle Flags, the national flag has no cross. Rather, it is three large stripes, alternating red (top and bottom) and white (middle), with a blue field in the top left corner with a circle of white stars — initially seven, but eventually increased thirteen, as states joined the Confederacy.
IMHO, Maurice’s ‘cue is nothing to write home about. I’m not a fan of SC mustard-style.
I stand corrected, thanks BBQ Dave.
Actually, the restaurants only flew the battle flag at first, starting after the statehouse flag controversy in 2000; Bessinger compromised at least sometime before 2009 when I moved to SC, because all his flags since then have in fact been the first national Stars and Bars. Interestingly, I have seen these flags at his other locations in Columbia on and off since March.
I still cannot seem to find conclusive evidence on whether he is specifically racist or also anti-semitic, not that it would be ok if he were “only” racist.