Hank Sanders

Four Confederate flags were taken down from the grounds of the Alabama Capitol on Wednesday as Gov. Robert Bentley became the first southern governor to order the removal of Confederate banners since last week's massacre at an African-American church.

The Republican governor, explaining his order, said the Confederate flag is part of the state's history, but said its presence on the Capitol grounds was a "distraction" in a state dealing with a multitude of issues.

"It has become a distraction all over the country right now," Bentley said. "Off and on, it has always been a distraction," Bentley told reporters Wednesday.

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Four Confederate flags were taken down from the grounds of the Alabama Capitol on Wednesday as Gov. Robert Bentley became the first southern governor to order the removal of Confederate banners since last week's massacre at an African-American...