The confederate flag has always stood for something in American politics. Many people have very strong feelings about this issue in one way or another. To some it is a symbol of racism, and to others it's a symbol of southern pride or rural freedom against the tyrancy of industrial democracy. In many ways the confederate flag is a referendum on the civil war—an explanation of feelings on what that war was really about.

To argue that the flag is about racism and the oppression of blacks is silly. In many ways the modern American flag is more about such oppression of blacks as witnessed in the intercity. Cities have tough laws that restrict human freedom to such a degree that it encourages criminality and eventually the imprisonment of African Americans, much like what existed before the civil war. In contrast, many planations offered a good quality of life in comparison to modern intercities. Someways you could say that the confederate flag is actually pro-black.

Moreover, the civil war is long over as is the debate over civil rights. Yet, we still see confederate flags for sale at fairs and hanging high at tractor pulls and other rural events. It is a symbol of rural freedom against the tyrancy of the big city that oppresses the individual. It is a fundamental rejection of the industrialized and technological society that no longer can afford such values. It says no to outside liberal control.

We should not be opposed to the confederate flag on grounds of racism, but we should embrace it as a symbol of rural freedom, and a rebellion against urban liberalism that seeks not only to impress a certain type of values on people. The confederate flag is not only good for the rural white, but also for all Americans who oppose the imposition of urban values on them.