My comments have been limited to the battle flag and they are quite clear. I stand by them.
What I find interesting is that the most brilliant strategic and tactical move by the Republican Party in leading the call for the removal of the flag is the source of so much angst.
I fully understand as rather eloquently and sincerely stated by several members here (Mannicher and Seafire come to mind immediately) that the flag is a source of pride and a connection to their ancestrial past. Unfortunately, that flag has been perverted and used as a graphic symbol of defiance to the equal rights of millions of people often by state sanctioned means to include intimidaion and looking the other way as citizens were beaten when peacefully exercising the right to protest while seeking the rights of full citizenship. Consequently, the ugliness of the usage of that flag has come to take on a meaning quite different than that expressed by the members mentioned earlier. The real issue is the duality of the flag - a source of geniune heart felt pride to many and the symbol of a hateful past and present that impedes our collective progress. The removal of the flag does not to my mind deny anyone their right to free speech - display it as you will. Does the removal of the flag fix all of our issues - by no means does it do that but it is a huge step forward.
Reasonable men can disagree and it is obvious that we do but the tide on this issue has turned. Alabama took down the flags yesterday. Time will tell what the other states will do but the combination of economic might and public opinion will weigh heavily in the decision making. I am pretty certain you will not like my response - that is ok. I understand that we are on different sides of this issue - 50 years ago or even 15 years ago this issue was heavily weighted to your view point - times change. I hold no personal animus to you or those that defend the flag but I stand by my opinion that I am equally right to hold and express as you are yours. Best regards.
