It was and is such a symbol, but that usage does not fit the media paradigm, ergo, you never hear about it from them. Klansmen and skinheads sell papers (and ads); reasoned discussions of history and heritage do not.
That's the economic reason you never heard of those defenders. But there is an ideological reason also.
The media, in collusion with the left, have redefined all manner of terms in order to stop any discussion before it starts. The very term "states' rights" is recast in the media as a code for racism, which in its turn is recast so that a guy like me is racist by nature ("institutional" racism), whereas Rev. Jeremiah Wright is incapable of it.
So even if you try to assert that display of the flag is in support of states' rights and federalism, you're still supporting racism, according to the media. And to decide if a certain speaker is supporting racism, you only need to look at his complexion. He could be reading multiplication tables, but, hey, that is racist!
I reject the very premises on which the current media/cultural climate is based. Let them bring those into the open and defend them if they will.
Exactly. Good summary.