The Internet went crazy yesterday over a story from the National Report stating that Republican presidential candidate and scientist/science-denier Bobby Jindal publically stated an allegiance to the Confederate flag:
"Like many others who hail from the great Creole state, the Confederate flag is a symbol of my heritage, and that heritage has nothing to do with racism or hate.”
As it turns out, the story, like all from the National Report, was satirical. But that didn’t stop various respected political commentators from all corners of the media world from believing it was true, as these tweets from Hari Kondabolu and Ta-Neshi Coates attest:
Bobby Jindal said "the confederate flag is a symbol of my heritage." Apparently, his mouth has seceded from his brain.
— Hari Kondabolu (@harikondabolu) July 8, 2015
Deleting original tweet. Not cause I want to hide my error. Just don’t want it retweeted.
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) July 9, 2015
But they got me. Gotta check. My apologies everyone. And my apologies to the governor. https://t.co/s0BQ6DKxHL
— Ta-Nehisi Coates (@tanehisicoates) July 9, 2015
All of that said, the right-wing Louisiana governor actually did speak on the Stars and Bars. In the aftermath of the massacre in Charleston, Jindal told ABC News:
"We’ll let the states decide that. But again, just like with the gun issue, let’s have that debate at the right time. I mean, right now, we should all be in mourning. I think that flags should be at half-mast across our states, across our country. Now is a time for mourning. Now is a time to tell our kids it really doesn’t matter, we’re all brothers and sisters with those folk- I happen to be a Christian, and those are brothers and sisters of mine, and my faith. Whether you’re a Christian or not, whatever your beliefs, those are our brothers and sisters. Doesn’t matter if you’re from South Carolina, doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white, young or old, those are our brothers and sisters who were killed in that church."
Check out the video of him speaking above.