Ben Jones: ‘Dukes Of Hazzard’ ‘Cooter’ Actor Supports Confederate Flag
Ben Jones, the actor who played “Cooter” on Dukes of Hazzard, emphatically defended the Confederate flag during a heated CNN interview and on Facebook. Jones, a former Democratic Congressman, also owns a chain of Cooter’s Place stores in the South.
The Dukes of Hazzard star said he would stop selling Confederate Flag item when “h**l freezes over.” Ben Jones also noted that he believes the Southern Cross represents the heritage of the South and the values of the rural South, which include “courage, family, and good times.” Jones co-owns the Cooter’s Place stores in Tennessee and Virginia with his wife, Alma Viator. The stores celebrate the hit television show and the fictional Hazzard County.
Warner Brothers, who produced the television series, has opted to remove the Confederate Flag from all merchandise representing the series. As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Walmart, Sears, and Amazon have now all decided to yank Confederate Flag items from their store shelves, even though a steady market existed for the items. A steep increase in sales was experienced by retailers after flag ban protests began. Like Jones, many of the people buying the items said they are doing so to combat a “wave of political correctness” sweeping through America.
An excerpt from the Ben Jones Cooter’s Place website follows.
“After the ‘Dukes of Hazzard,’ Ben Jones was selected to the United States Congress from the Fourth District of Georgia and served two terms before redistricting took his seat. Although he then returned to his entertainment career, Jones keeps up with his political interests by appearing as a regular ‘pundit’ on shows such as O’Reilly and Hardball. He is also a writer, contributing opinion pieces and columns to newspapers and magazines including the Washington Post, USA Today, and the Weekly Standard. Also a singer, Jones and his Cooter’s Garage Band have appeared throughout the United States at concerts, fairs, and festivals.”
Ben Jones and his wife, Alma, live in a frontier log home which was built before the Revolutionary War in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Jones’ memoir, Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, was published by Harmony Books of Random House in 2008.
What do you think of Dukes of Hazzard star Ben Jones’ Confederate Flag comments and all of the store removals and related bans currently being discussed across the United States?
[Image via Erin Cadigan/Shutterstock]
