Symbolism is not interchangeable with substance.  The murderous act of a 21 year old mad-man somehow equating to a 150 year old battle flag is simply emotional justification to find cause without effect.  If this psychopath was wearing an NPR tee shirt, these same critics would be silent.  Of course, shifting the focus to an old flag steers thinking away from the real issues of the mentally ill being allowed to roam free.

And now, thanks to complacency, fear and the threat of running afoul of the self-anointed politically correct secret police, a historically significant symbol of the south and of the history of the United States, will forever be maligned for being as offensive as the swastika, not because it is true or just, but because the many who see this as asinine will do nothing to defeat the few who wish to force everyone into the same restrictive cubby-hole they view as the only correct way in which to see the world and subscribe to you how you live your life.  Your thoughts are not your own; conform or be marginalized.