The battle flag is not to be confused with the official flag of the Confederate government; the “Stars and Bars” was simply the banner, the battle flag, of the Confederate soldier. It was born on the battlefield when General Beauregard determined that the Confederate soldier must have a flag so distinct from that of the enemy that no doubt should ever endanger his cause on the field of battle. Slavery had absolutely nothing to do with it.

It is not only flown to commemorate the memory, valor and fighting ability of the Confederate soldier whom Theodore Roosevelt called “the finest soldiers the world has ever seen,” but it is also flown in remembrance of the thousands of women who often alone with their children exhibited exemplary courage and bravery when confronted with the devil incarnate — Sherman. They were forced from their homes at bayonet point and then forced to watch while they were being looted and burned before their very eyes. They were only allowed to save what they had on their backs. According to General Wade Hampton, this caused many to suffer a fate far worse than death. Sherman called it strategy — Southerners called it wanton vandalism and regional hatred.

Many Southerners feel they are approved for discrimination. They feel they can be insulted, ridiculed and abused with impunity. They feel they are denied their rights to use songs and symbols that represent their cultural and regional heritage. They know that professors, professional historians, print and television media take delight in distorting their history in an attempt to instill shame in their children about their ancestors. They know that blacks, Native Americans etc. celebrate their history and culture while their children are being denied theirs. When is the last time you heard “Dixie?” In attempting to honor their ancestors by preserving their songs and symbols under which they fought, they are labeled racists. In other words, if you are a white Southerner, you are fair game for any abuse others decide to heap on you. And last but not least, they know not to expect redress from the outside-owned liberal Southern media.

I would like to state most emphatically that Southerners do not condone the desecration of the battle flag by the Klan. Hundreds of thousands of honorable men fought, bled and died for it — giving new meaning to the word heroism. They did not hide under bedsheets! They also carry the Stars and Stripes but mention is never made of that fact.

I personally have two ancestors who made the supreme sacrifice for the Confederate States of America of whom I couldn’t be prouder — and neither owned a slave or ever hoped to.