Like the war, flag fight finally over

Glory, hallelujah. The voters of Georgia have spoken loudly enough that the voices of those still complaining about the state flag will soon fade to disgruntled muttering.

Voters in Columbia County spoke even louder in favor of keeping the current state flag, a compromise banner approved by the Legislature in 2003. While Georgians overall approved the flag with 74 percent of the votes cast, 76 percent of Columbia County voters favored the new flag.

"I believe the people chose a beautiful banner, which reflects our history and heritage and I will be proud to see it continue to fly over Georgia," read a statement from Gov. Sonny Perdue, who ushered in the new flag's design last year.

Yes, we still hear complaints from members of some Southern heritage groups about the lack of a Confederate battle flag as an option on the straw poll. Those complaints would have a little more heft if the vote had been closer. Now, however, a 3-1 margin is big enough to say clearly that voters want an end to the controversy, to the bickering, to the pointless recriminations aimed at politicians who settled on a reasonable compromise in a fight that rambled longer than Sherman's march.

hose still inclined to protest would do well to focus their attention on substance such as a proposed Georgia school history curriculum revamp that skims too lightly over the importance of the War Between the States.

Studying that history will provide the sharpest reminder that the Civil War is over. Likewise, the battle over Georgia's flag must now come to a peaceful end.