1. I do not believe the Confederate flag is a harmless symbol. No flag is. Wave the Danish flag in an intimidating way, perhaps in Galway, as if to say we got you once and we will get you again, and that is intimidating. Most people would find the Danish flag to be non-intimidating. Waving the flag at a particular person is an act of intimidation at times. I think a better analogy would be waving the German flag at someone in a hostile way. The Nazi flag should be banned forever, as should the Nazi salute, which a version of was done in my church until recently, calling it a blessing. I would point out to them that the blessing was identical in appearance to the Nazi salute but they went by intention more than obviously what it looked like..but I think they were dead wrong to permit this. Germans did some horrible things in WWII..but not all of them, and I would permit the German flag to be flown and put on graves etc. It is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, the baby from the bathwater more often than not..to separate people who loved their farms and mountains and fellow countrymen and those who did awful things..and the two groups could be composed of the exact same people.

2. As I said before, I would not permit the Confederate flag to be flown on public lands..with the exception of small ones on the graves of the fallen. It is the least we can do. The flag has multiple meanings and symbolism. There is a lot of gray area..perhaps there should be a permit as to where it can be flown..I think on Memorial Day, which was spread by the ladies of the post-Confederacy honoring all the fallen, North and South.

The bitterness and anger that is behind the use of the Confederate flag is often against the Yankees..or some would say the Damn Yankees. There were terrible abuses in the war and in reconstruction, and an abused people do not easily forget. How we treat our vanquished is a good measure of who we are as a country. Stripping them of all heritage, dignity, ways to earn a living etc. has repurcussions far into the future.

There are families who still revere their ancestors, probably more in the South than elsewhere. That is a huge factor.

And a factor, that no one is denying, is that there are racist and violent people who have always used that flag to stir things up and do bad things, and new groups who have appropriated it.

You have this whole murky mess. Some feelings are noble and some are inhuman.

Perhaps there should be a disclaimer on it that says this is meant to honor our dead and our heritage, which has admittedly shameful aspects to it. It is not meant to approve of racism, prejudice, violence, etc. etc....and then really limit how it can be used...

I don't have all the answers except no to use in public arenas, yes to small flags on graveyards of the fallen and to certain groups in Memorial Day parades and probably no to most other considerations. mg

It is very important to get what people are actually saying in these cases. I get mightily irritated when words are put in my mouth (I am not saying they have been here).