I'm offended by those Malcolm X shirts that were popular a few years ago, did I complain, no, I didn't. As for me personally, the "Confederate Flag" is a way of tying into my ancestors who fought in the Civil War (on both sides). How about this: You wear your 'X', I'll wear mine, and we'll respect each other's point of view...Nah, that'll never work...

Yeah I'd ban the confederate flag because well, I don't think it's a very good symbol of America. I mean the Nazi's didn't keep the Swastika on retail shelves as T shirts.
Those other emblems don't represent hate and the currently popular word of intolerance. I'd gladly ban it but I'll never be president. But I'm just a north state Yankee I guess.

None of those things I mentioned are offensive to anyone?
Bullshit, every one of then is offensive to someone. As a matter of fact, everything is offensive to someone.

I put up a lights to celebrate Christmas.
Someone will be pissed because they think the lights represent Christian oppression of non-Christians.
Someone will be pissed because they think the lights represent a waste of the Earth's precious energy resources.
Someone will be pissed because they think the lights represent ruining the Dark Night Sky movement.
Someone will be pissed because they think the lights represent all the unnecessary crap coming in from offshore slave labor.

So, since you can't please everyone,.....

But none of those come even close to the slavery. There is a difference between being offended about Christmas lights and being offended about a symbol (supposedly) of one of the worst human rights crimes in history.

That's the god damn point. It's only a symbol of slavery to those that are offended, nobody else. It's only a symbol of slavery to those that choose to make it so. It's their problem.... and one of their own making.

Bruce do you think it represents slavery? Just wondering. If not, then what does it represent.

For the record, it wasn't "one of the worst human rights crimes in history" it was about par for the course, that is to say: atrocious, mind-numbing, and unforgivable. Yet, more or less typical of human behavior. Africans enslaved Africans, Native Americans enslaved Native Americans, etc. etc.

I'd look to Christopher Columbus, and the native Arawak people of Haiti, as one quick example of a more shocking human rights crime.

Very true, Flint, very true. Slavery has and was everywhere.

But why should we embrace such savage and uncivilized ideals and philosophies? By still holding onto this confederate flag we hold onto the savage and uncivilized.

We are "post" modern man, and I'd rather not be associated with such a backwards way of life such as slavery. Especially when it brews up racism, hate, intolerance and violence which are such unsophisticated problems in society.

The Stars and Bars, the Rebel Flag, represents different things to different people. As for what it represents, in an accurate historical sense, almost nothing about the history of this country is dealt with in an honset, scholarly way. We basically assign meanings to historical events and symbols based on what our current political beliefs are. The past is rewritten on a regular basis, to suit our short-term purposes.

The rebel flag is NOT a symbol of slavery , it was a flag when slavery Was , it was a flag of folks that didn't like they way things were going and desided to do something about it , they lost , but they still exist ( or their ansesters still exist ) , every body dissagrees about something , Black , White , Brown , Tan , Yellow , etc,,,, ( if these are the correct term now a days , if I ain't being to UN PC ! )
I beleve the saying goes if you forget history you are doomed to relive it ,
Fucking skin heads are RAMPENT in germany now a days , Hows THAT for swasticas !!!
The French Hate every body that ain't french , But no body cares , we could take them with a can of lighter fluid and a Zipo lighter !!!
the Chinese Hate the Koreans , etc,,,,,,
In other countrys folks are cutting the heads off of other folks Just because they are from another country , or are another religion !!

so SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT BANNING THE REBEL FLAG !!!!!!

States rights. Unless its being waved around by a racist.

There is a feeling of Southern Pride, which is independent of the more inflammatory aspects of the...
...hey I just did a Google search for "euphemisms + Civil War" and I found this:

;)

What does it represent? Go back to the beginning of this post...belly flopping in GA red clay, beer, bobbin' for pig's knuckles, beer, toilet seat horseshoes, beer, NASCAR, beer, the General Lee, Beer, good ol' boys, beer, etc, etc, etc.

If you want to be disturbed by something why don't you be disturbed by the confederate flag. And don't be so naive as to think the civil war was about slavery. Slavery was a footnote.

No, slavery was not a footnote. Slavery was one of the primary political issues of the day. A state couldn't join the Union if there wasn't another state with the opposite stance on slavery available to join at the same time. There were massacres in Kansas to decide whether it would be a slave state or a free state.

Slavery wasn't the only issue, but it is just as silly to pretend it wasn't a major one.