These organizations have stolen the use of the Confederate flag and use it inappropriately. We deplore their use of our emblems and what they stand for.

There is a faction in this community, that is following a nationwide, well-organized movement of bias, bigotry and racial prejudice toward their fellow citizens. This group is attempting to instill their bigoted line of thinking on the majority of people by using slanted and miss-information. Presently they are attempting to discredit and take away the heritage of thousands of people, of all races, whose ancestors served, lived, and died for what they believed in.

Merely because one segment views the Confederate battle flag as being a sign of hatred and slavery it does not make it so.

It is the same old song and dance of "slavery, oppression, and racism" as their excuse for their opposition to flying the flag.

The Klan flew plenty of U.S. flags at its rallies and marches. Why is that flag not "divisive"?

It is true that certain groups, such as the KKK, have perverted the Confederate battle flag for their own vile uses. One of the reasons the KKK appropriated the battle flag is to use this beloved Southern symbol as a tool to win local support for their odious activities.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans brought suit to prevent such uses of the flag. Unfortunately, the courts have ruled that the battle flag is in the "public domain." Isn't it time to take it back from those who have perverted its meaning and re-establish it as the noble symbol of Southern heritage that it truly is?

When an individual or group raises the specter of racism over the selection of a name for a school, they certainly have an obligation to their supporters, to the community, and to the descendants of the accused, to provide documented evidence of allegations so represented. To raise the specter of racism is a very serious charge, and to do so without evidential proof is irresponsible, unconscionable, and definitely counter productive to improving ethnic relations.

The questions to ask some of our opponents, who just recently purported in the press to be the "standard-bearer of justice and social equality," is: What litmus test does your organization use to determine racism? So far these accusatory public statements purporting the existence of racial overtones have been supported by nothing more than rhetoric based upon supposition, innuendo, or assumption. Quite frankly this form of public guileful behavior is an affront to the decision making process of the Board of Education, and it exhibits contempt toward people with a more egalitarian perspective or acquired sense of fair play.