Symbols are for the symbol minded...

The people who want to do this feel there is nothing wrong with this, and that the flag symbolizes Southern heritage. Those who oppose the flag see it as a sign of repression, slavery and hatred, which is also what some who support it believe (the Klan). To me it's a piece of fabric, but I can understand why it causes such grief. If it offends a group of people so much, why would you do it?

Damn, how old is this flag now? I have no idea why people are still hanging on to it. Heck, why doesn't Germany just throw up the Reichs flag with the Swastika for old times sake?

I think the groups are doing it because they're making a political statement about freedom of speech mixed with their connection to some of the states rights values of the confederacy and the anti-federalists of the founding fathers.

While they may have a right and all, it's really a crap item to push freedom of speech on, and it only makes them seem like hillbillies in denial. I'm from Alabama and I would hear this nonsense all the time when I was growing up. "It's not about slavery. It's about our heritage and belief in freedom from federal invasion." Oh give me a break. It's about our heritage of making slavery a cornerstone of our economic system and freedom from federal invasion to make us stop using slavery as a cornerstone of our economic system. Everything else is just an excuse.

It's like saying that Germans should celebrate the Swastika because the Nazi period was not about horrible abuse, but German unification and strength, values they wish to amplify. Blaaaaah.

The freedom of speech thing may be a freedom, but it's like Dennis Miller said when 2Live Crew were the groundbreaking case for freedom of speech in music. He said, "But come on, it's really a bad record. Couldn't we have had this case and debate be about Hendrix or the Beatles?"