[ZULU]

I think Lincoln set the stage for the destruction of Constitutional rights and strict interpretation and states' rights - an evil precedent whose fruits we are witnessing today in the federal courts. He suspended habeas corpus, he "created" an constitutional concept that a state could not seceed, and he and his generals waged a vicious war against an unarmed civilian population. This set the stage for the concept of "total war" by attacking civilian populations in an effort to undermine the will of your opponent, rather than limiting violence to defeating your enemy's military force in the field. This led to the atrocities of the Boer War and WW1 and WW2.

Having said that, that occurred nearly 150 years ago. For some of today's Southerners to feel that they are "rebels" and not Americans is as nonesensical as modern black Americans demanding "reparations" for what was done to their great-great-grandfathers by people no longer alive.

The crew of the Hunley SHOULD be buried under two flags - the Confederate Flag for which they fought and died, and the American Flag, because after the war ended, nearly all Southerners were again considered Americans.

Southerners have fought with loyalty and distinction for America in all its many post-civil war conflcits - the Indian Wars out west, the Spanish American War, WW1, WW2, Korea, Viet Nam and in the Persian Gulf, to name a few. For anyone, North or South, to assert Southerners are not really "Americans" is the height of stupidity, or the fruit of treason.

The orderly and constitutional secession of a state by the action of its legislature is no way equivalent to anti-government action by individuals or groups of individuals which is truly treason.

(This should aggrevate people on both sides of the issue while pleasing no one - but its the truth.)

[Question_Assumptions]

The crew of the Hunley SHOULD be buried under two flags - the Confederate Flag for which they fought and died, and the American Flag, because after the war ended, nearly all Southerners were again considered Americans.

I think that's a good idea but I would suggest that it would be even better to use the CSA flag and not the battle flag (the battle is over and the battle flag, alas, has become associated with racism) or, even better, the state flags of those men who died.

[archy]

For anyone, North or South, to assert Southerners are not really "Americans" is the height of stupidity, or the fruit of treason.

Anyone making such a statement would clearly be making a statement that would give propagandistic aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States, now waging war on it and its citizens.

Of course, I would not force the flight of the United States flag on those who might not have wanted flown over their [hopefully] final resting place. But in most cases, we can only guess at what they themselves might have so wished.

-archy-/-