TexasCHLforum.com

I recall being in high school on a band trip. As a joke, some friends covered another black friend's eyes and held up a confederate flag behind him. When he saw it he jokingly tore it out of their hands, laughing the whole time. I remember wondering what the joke was. I had a confederate flag hanging in my room, and never once considered it a statement on race (and I grew up in a very racist home). It was always a symbol of southern pride to me. Still is today. I do choose not to put one on my vehicle because I don't want to be perceived as something I'm not, but I think people are creating a problem where there mostly isn't one.

Similarly, I am a Cajun. Not just a guy from South Louisiana, but my grandparents were French speaking, true decedents of Nova Scotia. There is a slang term that Cajuns use referring to each other - coonass. I wear that name as a badge of honor as as it is my heritage as a Cajun. Admittedly, it's an odd sounding name, but nothing that any Cajun I know is offended by. If there were a Cajun flag, I'd fly it with pride too.