Battle flag at center of Supreme Court free speech case

AP ^ | March 22, 2015

[PROCON]

"In a free society, offensive speech should not just be tolerated, its regular presence should be celebrated as a symbol of democratic health -- however odorous the products of a democracy may be," Hentoff, O'Rourke and others said in a brief backing the group.

Exactly, too bad if your feelings get hurt.

[AnAmericanMother]

“I know it has a grand sound to say ye’ll accept no salvation which leaves even one creature in the dark outside. But watch that sophistry or you’ll make a Dog in a Manger the tyrant of the universe.”

- C. S. Lewis

[SWAMPSNIPER]

My ancestors fought in both armies. I am proud of them all.

[Salamander]

The Antietam Battlefield tour placards all now refer to the Confederates as “the enemy”.

[Reno89519]

This is the US where flying the US flag should be celebrated. The Confederate flag, in any form, is no different than flying the Nazi flag or Islamic flag. Those are fine in a museum to remind us of that past, or flown by enemies of the US. But aside from this, they are all equally offensive. If you'd fly the Nazi or Islamic flag, go for the Confederate as it is the same. Seriously, this is America and no upside to showing your racist side, or whatever. A conservative, an American, not a neo-Nazi, a skinhead or a traitor, should be flying the US flag. There is no honor in dissing America to fly a flag of hate, regardless of the excuses, a flag flown by over dead Americans.

And, yes, I know I'll get flamed here by a number of folks who will defend their offensive views, throw hate at me, call me names, etc. but that doesn't change the fact that the Confederate flag has no place outside a museum. Good, real American-loving conservatives, unlike others, should see this without being reminded. You never saw Reagan or, today, Cruz and any number of folks going around flying the Confederate flag, correct? Just say'in...

[SWAMPSNIPER]

My Southern ancestors weren’t slave owners, they just didn’t like yankees.

[Republican1795.]

I am just glad they actually call it the Confederate battle flag here instead of just the Confederate flag. Though technically the rectangular form was the naval flag.

[lentulusgracchus]

The Antietam Battlefield tour placards all now refer to the Confederates as “the enemy”.

That's Slick's political-warfare department at work. He called in Eric Foner and James McPherson to give authorial legitimacy to his own political derogation of the South, which was central to all his, and Obama's, efforts to "break the box": the Finkelstein Box.

The Box is a constellation of States from Florida to the Mountain West that the 'Rats have to break into to get at the baby. They have to demonize Southern conservatives as Them, and try to encourage Midwestern moderate conservatives to dissociate themselves from the ineffably horrid Them and vote for the nice Democrats.

[easternsky]

Sick Sick to even mention the confederate flag is the same as Nazi and islam. Still shaking my head.

[lentulusgracchus]

If you'd fly the Nazi or Islamic flag, go for the Confederate as it is the same. Seriously, this is America and no upside to showing your racist side, or whatever.

Exhibit A supporting my last: This is Clinton talking (and laughing) through the mouth of someone else, propagating the historical message he wanted to send to all the conservatives west of the Mississippi: Southerners are evil racist lynch mobs. (There hasn't been a lynching in the US since 1962; but there have been plenty of "flash mob" beatdowns that turned into murder, how 'bout that?)

But Clinton, at the end of his incumbency, sent that message to weak minds like this poster, to drive them away from Newt Gingrich and Allen West and Richard Shelby and Bobby Jindal and all the other racist Southerners who opposed the "Hillary cluster" values and politics.

And here pops up Exhibit A to my last. Gaze upon it, and marvel. Cthulhu walks among us, behold his works!

[abishai]

The Confederate flag, in any form, is no different than flying the Nazi flag or Islamic flag.

[Texan5]

I don’t make that comparison, since Texas never part of the Nazi empire. I may not agree with or like someone else’s expression of their opinion, but I will defend their right to that opinion-that is how “free speech” is intended to work.

The six flags that have flown over Texas since Europeans came in the 1500’s are the flag of Spain-two different versions-the flag of France, the flag of Mexico, the flag of the Republic of Texas-which is now our state flag-the US flag-for the first time-the flag of the confederate states, then the US flag again.

The Confederate flag most commonly flown in Texas then was the stars and bars-not the confederate battle flag, which I assume is the one you are referring to-but both were used.

My family has been in what is now Texas since the late 1700’s-some years before that, they came to Mexico from Spain. We are mestizos-some of my native American ancestors were no doubt slaves to the Spaniards-so the descendants had a dislike for slavery and didn’t own any.

I don’t care for being descended in most part from from slave holding Spaniards-but to pretend that Spanish flag-or any of the other five-never flew here, or forbid the display of it is not only forbidding free speech, it is also being in denial...

[Dacula]

Go away Newbie.

Consider yourself flamed.

While you are away, gather some intelligence and learn some historical facts about your Southern brethren.

[dainbramaged]

My ancestors fought in both armies. I am proud of them all.
Same here - I have the Confederate Battle flag, the Stars and Stripes, two Gadsden flags, POW/MIA flag, various state flags on the walls of my shop. They are American history.

[Joe Boucher]

The worthless supremes say it is ok to have a picture of Jesus in a jar of urine. The scum say it is art and is protected free speech.
That means it is ok to crap on a made up photo of muhammed.
The confederate battle flag is a symbol of Southern pride. If many don’t care for it, tough. It is protected free expression.get over it.,

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

If you aint southern,you aint.It was yankee aggression and what they did to our homes and land is unforgivable.

[icwhatudo]

I heard 1968 was the last confirmed lynching.

[lentulusgracchus]

The rectangular form was also the battle flag of the Army of Tennesee. Gen. Bragg originally had his flags designed by an officer with knowledge of heraldry, who consequently adorned the 1 X 2 proportioned flags with six-pointed "stars" rather than five-pointed "mullets" (as they are called in heraldry).

The Bragg flag was shown in 1862 and 1863, until later issues were reproportioned shorter and given five-pointed stars, which they carried in the desperate battles of 1864.

So the rectangular version was both a naval ensign and a battle flag.

West of the Mississippi, the flag lost its white fimbriations and sometimes (in Texas) was given an extra-large Lone Star in the center (as had been done there since the beginning of the war, also done with the 1861 "Stars and Bars"), and sometimes in Louisiana and Arkansas and Texas was displayed with colors reversed, a brilliant, highly-saturated shade of deep blue predominating.

There was also Gen. Polk's flag, displayed in the Army of Tennessee in his division (and also by Texas regiments in his commands), which also reversed the colors but used a Cross of St. George as its pattern (Polk was an Episcopal bishop).

[jmacusa]

How do they feel now?

[mad_as_he$$]

It is talking about the Confederate Battle Flag. I honor the brave men who fought under that flag. No different than I honor the brave men that fought under the Wehrmacht(and weren't Nazi's) flag or the Templar Flag. If it was the Confederate Flag that would be different.

I invoke Goodwin's Law and assert you already lost the discussion.

I don't expect much since you live in 519 - the Kalifornia part of Reno.