"You're either a part of the United States or you're not. You can't have it both ways."
Nonsense. I'm American and Southern. Proud to be both. The old, "American by birth, Southern by the grace of God" reflects a true sentiment."
No, it's not nonsense. It's great to be Southern, but being Southern doesn't mean you deny being a part of the United States. That's the issue - the Confederate flag represents a sovereign nation outside the United States. Now are you a part of the United States, or are you still a part of the Confederacy (which ended a LONG time ago??)
"That's the issue - the Confederate flag represents a sovereign nation outside the United States."
If you could only jump into the wayback machine and convince Abraham Lincoln of that, you might have a point.
"That's the issue - the Confederate flag represents a sovereign nation outside the United States."
No offense, but you don't know much about US history, do you? We are discussing the Confederate Battle Flag, not the flag of the Confederacy (Bonnie Blue) which I have only seen flown in one place.
In the park in my homtown, seven flags fly, one for every nation that that ruled that territory. Bonnie Blue is one of them. The CBF is not there.
Nobody here is denying being part of the US. We just don't mind letting you know what part.
We catch hell in the South. Some folks accuse us of being jingoistic, flag-waving, hayper-patriotic US nationalists and others accuse us of denying the United States.
Why don't you people make up your minds? ;-)