SOUTHERN COMFORT
Confed outrage no worry to NJ pol
New Jersey Assemblyman Parker Space is a farmer, a country-music lover and the proud owner of a groundhog named Stonewall Jackson. But there’s one thing Space is not.
“I’m not a politically correct person,” Space said. “I am who I am.”
Space’s 89-year-old father, Fred Space, began naming the groundhogs at the family’s Space Farms Zoo and Museum in northwestern New Jersey after the notorious Confederate general more than 25 years ago, and Space has continued the curious custom.
“Dad named it, not me,” he told The Post. “This one is like the fifth [groundhog named Stonewall].”
The Republican lawmaker found himself in a hole last week after he posted on Facebook a photo of him and his wife standing in front of a Confederate battle flag superimposed with the face of country singer Hank Williams Jr. and featuring the lyrics, “If the South would’ve won, we would’ve had it made.”
The couple was at a Williams/ Lynyrd Skynyrd concert at Bethel Woods, and the rebel flag — official Hank Williams Jr. merchandise — was being flown by a fellow tailgater.
“Tailgating waiting for Hank. Hope no one is offended! Lol,” Space captioned the post.
That hope was quickly dashed. Outraged observers, and his political opponents, instantly ripped the 48-year-old lawmaker, and reminded the public of his racially charged rodent.
Space remains unapologetic, and refuses to take down the Facebook photo, which is still up on his private page. He did remove the “Lol.”
“It could have said anything on the flag,” he said. “I got the picture, because I thought it looked cool with Hank on it.”
But critics say it’s part of a troubling pattern that includes the groundhog moniker and his voting record.
“I think it’s ridiculous they are making a big deal out of a groundhog,” Space said.
In 2015, Space was the only one of 74 Assembly members to abstain from a vote condemning Confederate flag displays. Space said he didn’t vote because he thinks New Jersey shouldn’t tell other states what to do. He said he doesn't own any Confederate flags, but suggested they are not uncommon in his rural corner of New Jersey.
“I think the Confederate flag is part of history,” he said. “I live in Beemerville, New Jersey. Every once in a while you see kids with a flag on their truck.
“I am sorry if you dondon’tt under-understand our sense of humor,” Space said last week. “Maybe you have to bale hay to get it."