The battle flag of the Confederate States of America does not deserve any official or quasi-official standing in the United States.
The fact is that it grew out of a treasonous rebellion against our country.
Those who say that the flag had nothing to do with slavery are deluding themselves. Without slavery, we would have never gotten to the American Civil War.
Those who would see the Civil War as a conflict over states’ rights miss the fact that the right at the core of the dispute was the continuation of slavery. The historical nature of such an artifact does not cleanse it of its tainted past.
What the Confederate battle flag does stand for is the right of free expression enjoyed by all Americans under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Every person desiring to display or fly the Confederate battle flag in a private venue is welcome to do so. Let us celebrate that freedom and not the history of the battle flag.
James Hilly
Portland
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