Why is the Confederate Battle Flag offensive to you?

I have bumper stickers of the Confederate Flag all over my back window of my car. My saying is "Don't like, don't look at it." Until these naysayers start paying my car payments, car taxes, and insurance premiums, I'm not taking these stickers off. My heritage, my right, and the First Amendment to the Constitution does grant me the right to "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION." If no one has an issue with rappers recording "songs" that promotes the raping of young women, no one should have an issue with the Confederate Flag.

Edit: Have you ever seen pictures from the 1920's of the KKK when they were at the peak? Did you see which flag they were flying? The following links provide some clues to what flag those fools really flew.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Klan-sheet-musi...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kkk1928.jpg

http://www.assumption.edu/ahc/1920s/Eugenics/klan....

So, if one flag gets banned because of it's ties to the KKK than BOTH flags need to be banned and I can't see that happening. So, I guess the person who said that the Confederate Flag has "ties to the klan" needs to re-learn their American History and get the facts straight.

There's a difference between the battle flag, and the actual flag of the Confederate States. If they were flying the flag of the Confederate states, I think that would be extremely offensive because it's showing support for their cause and desire to seperate from the union in support of slavery. The only time I've ever seen that flag was at the memorial for Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, it wasn't officially there, but people had placed little one's around the base of the memorial.

The battle flag, which is NOT the flag of the Confederate states, is used to honor the Confederate soldiers who lost their lives in the war. Most of them were young men and not all of them wanted to go to war as the Confederate states used conscription. They were citizens of America too, just because they were soldiers of the south, it doesn’t mean we should ignore the fact that thousands of them died, they were humans too and had mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, etc just like the union soldiers did. Other countries that have had civil wars usually honor both sides as well.

I don't agree with those people who put "rebel flag" bumper stickers on their car (or even have them on their house), I think that's ridiculous, but I see nothing wrong with appropriately displaying the flag at a civil war memorial or heritage site as it's part of American history whether you like it or not, but it should be below the American flag.

People who fly the Confederate flag should know that the Confederate flag is the shame of south, not the pride of the south. They like the idea of the flag as a rebel symbol or "part of our history", but the truth is that it is the symbol of the people who wanted to split this nation. It is simply unpatriotic. Also, the flag of a defeated army, that's not something that I would be proud of. The main factor of the civil war was slavery, the very owning of another human being. Ask any rebel flag supporters if they themselves would like to be bought and sold today like a piece of equipment, if their confederate army had won that might had have been the case today.

I don't find it offensive at all...it's a piece of American history!

I fly an American flag in front of my house, as well as the Michigan state flag and the Norwegian flag (my primary heritage).

though it represents a hatred towards African Americans it is still a HUGE part of American History. I may not agree with the meaning, But I will support the flag being there.... Did you ever notice how it kinds resembles the flag of Great Britain??? I have always noticed this.

Edit: to the person talkin about the KKK... There just not a group, they are one of the oldest Terrorist Grups according to the US Goverment.

To be honest, I don't see why it's a big deal either but African Americans get offended because it is viewed as a sign of slavery. If several people get offended by something (As long as it is reasonable), then it shouldn't be around.

Most people are offended by it because they see it as a symbol of slavery. They're too stupid to see it as a piece of our nation's history. It's no different than the French flags that fly in Louisiana or the Mexican flags that fly everywhere in Texas.

I don't find the flag offensive. I believe that the citizens of the states that were in the Confederacy should themselves determine what, if any restrictions concerning the flying of the Stars and Bars.

it is apart of history, but it was also the flag flown for the Confederacy when they split from the rest of the country (Civil War era) because among other things, they wanted to keep slavery. and it is the vision of said slavery that people find it offensive.

it's the same thing as asking why do people dislike the KKK? they're just an organization...

I think the south stood for a lot more than slavery, even if it fell because of it. It doesn't personally bother me.