Confederate flag-flying CRD Metalworks disinvited from Cummington Fair

[struggle4progress]

By Mary Serreze
Special to The Republican
on August 15, 2015 at 10:00 AM
updated August 15, 2015 at 10:03 AM

WILLIAMSBURG — CRD Metalworks, which famously flew the Confederate battle flag in the weeks after the Charleston AME church massacre, has been told it may not participate in the Cummington Fair ...

CRD last year had a place of honor at the fair, where it conducted educational demonstrations of its machinery and its capabilities, said Bill Perlman, a member of the fair's governing board.

This year, CRD won't be welcome, said Perlman, citing a recent vote of the non-profit Hillside Agricultural Society, which has been running the fair for nearly 150 years.

"It was unanimous," said Perlman of the 16-member board. "While we all agreed that (CRD owner Chris Duval) has the right to display whatever he wants on his own property, we felt that he himself had become too hot of a topic, and we didn't want that type of controversy at the fair" ...

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/08/rebel_flag-flying_crd_metalwor.html

[struggle4progress]

1. Rebel flag waver should not be surprised

By Ron Chimelis
on August 15, 2015 at 1:07 PM
updated August 15, 2015 at 1:27 PM

... As a private citizen who runs a private business (CRD Metalworks), Duval should have the right to fly his flag. Everyone else has the right to ignore him, which is what the fair did.

It's a shame, because CRD Metalworks was a positive part of last year's fair, with educational displays of their machinery. Duval sounds offended at being told not to show up.

"The Cummington Fair, in a display of fear mongering, assumption based censorship told our company that we would not be welcome to attend or display our products at the fair this year," Duval wrote in a letter to the editor ...

Like all self-appointed martyrs, Duval has invoked the Constitution as he defends his rights. Fine. But I don't recall the Founding Fathers making any mention of the right to be invited to the Cummington Fair ...

http://www.masslive.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/08/rebel_flag_waver_should_not_be.html