AMEN!! I was born a yankee but I have ancestors who fought on both sides. Half of them were IRISH, they fought on both sides. I love both flags the American and the Confederate and to say that is represents racism is just plain stupid to me. RACISM is people, peoples actions, peoples words, peoples hatred. The Confederate flag is a symbol of our ancestors. And thus should be honored as such. Until people stop using items as a reason for problems in this country it wont ever stop. The problem is the Blindness so many people in this world seem to have. I joined this list to learn about my Irish ancestors and the wars they fought in. Not to fight a new one So can this now end. I thank you kindly. I watched the boy scouts this past memorial day go out and place THOUSANDS, THOUSANDS of American Flags on the graves of soldiers at the Veterans cemetary's. You know what. I dont think anyone else in this country would have complained but the person who started all this. What an honor to do this. Who cares if it isn't regulation size. I mean hello, these soldiers died to give us freedom and you bicker over the size of a flag. I am sure we can just get thousands of regulation flags for those graves, now that would be tacky. I think this really needs to be thought about before its bashed to death on this list. Tonya & Ruth (Daughter & Mother Team) - Slan go foill My Family's Heart, Genealogy & Our Connections http://members.tripod.com/~cheysmom/Geneology.html - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - "Crazy" is a relative term in my family. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Desoto Joe" <joey@jcn1.com> I did read the post before I responded & the intent of the post was not to try to respond to Dennis, who started this discussion. It was to bash the flying of the Confederate flag by masking it around the logic that the dimensions never existed. I tried to respond within the scope of the list. The flying of the Confederate flag, regardless of what version or dimension, is a personal choice. When walking through a cemetery, you will see small flags in the ground on veterans graves. These flags are not regulation size, would you contact the cemetery director & complain that they never were authorized? Of course not, that would be silly, & the argument that by flying a flag of unauthorized dimensions is wrong? Well, that sounds a bit silly also. Most Confederate flags that are flown today are smaller in stature due to the respect shown the Nation flag of our country. The United States flag is correct in the dimensions while others are smaller out of respect. This list is Civil War Irish, so I do not want to get into an argument with you over unrelated topics, such as the current Confederate flag issue. (unless the administrator allows it, ) In America, I will defend the right of anyone to fly any flag they wish, to not do so, would vastly limit one's own freedom to choose to do so in the future. How would you feel if you were flying the Erin-go-bragh & was contacted by someone & told not to fly it because it offended them. I know what I would say. There were Irish that fought on both sides during the Civil War, this is a fact. To limit our country's acknowledgment to only those that fought on the side of the north is historically incorrect & offending to those who ancestors fought for what they believed in. The KKK is a hate group, plain & simple. They fly the American flag at their demonstrations as well as the Confederate one. Should we associate the American flag with a hate group because of this? The Confederate flag is a part of our history & if you choose not to acknowledge it as such, that's fine, but I hold "the rag" as you refer to it, with much more respect. Desoto Joe/The Record Man ----- Original Message ----- From: irish9 <irish9@adelphia.net> > Joe Go back and read the post correctly before you post. I said there were No 3 x 5 rectangular banners authorized by the Confederate Congress. 3 x 5 Joe 3 x 5. The racist banner hanging in South Carolina has no justification to be there.That is what the post is about. The only 3 x 5 flag authorized was the Naval jack which would dam sure not fly over a Goverment building. You can defend that rag all you want but it still dont belong there. If they were to put up the First or 2nd National I would support it being there. The flag you spoke of in the Museum of the Confederacy IS not 3 x 5. That of the 57th Georgia nor the First Florida. So please dont go on. There are specific dimensional for infanty artillery and cavalry on the battlefag and they are all square. But I dont have time to go on I have to go to Dennys for dinner. Joe