[mdman]

Gratuitous insults? It seems like more of an accurate description of this particular person. Expressing an aversion to somebody because of those bumper stickers and the 10 foot tall Confederate flag is understandable for non-Southerners. I have been to the South, and know some people there, and this guy seems pretty over the edge even for a Southerner, although some people might think all of them are like him.

"You know, for a racist jerk, my neighbor was not such a bad guy."

This really does seem to be the point of the article. If some political issue came up between them, he would probably turn into a much nastier person, but the point is that there was a person behind that 10 foot Confederate flag.

[RebelBanker]

Welcome to Free Republic!

Yes, gratuitous insults. How about:
"Our new neighbor is a crazy white supremacist!"
...that I'd heard Hitler had some very close friends, too.
...just like normal people...

Where I come from, those sound pretty insulting.