Opinion: Confederate memorials and symbols

Those who look to the South as "dear old Dixie" may balk at removing their monuments.  They may feel that their flags aren't symbols of racism or white supremacy.  And maybe, at one time they weren't.  Maybe there was a time when the Duke boys wandered through the roads of Hazzard county. fighting against local corruption while only slightly breaking the law.  Always to do good in the end, of course.  But that isn't real, never was.  The battle flag, the monuments are now used as a tool by the neo-nazis, KKK members and their ilk to terrorize those for whom they have no respect.  They seek to divide.  These are not the sentiments condoned by the mythical "Southern Gentlemen" or that utopia of bygone times known as "Dixie".  Confederate symbols and memories belong in the history books, classrooms and graveyards.  Understanding the mistakes both sides made, the beliefs that both sides had that were so wrong, the disrespect that man had and has for their fellow man based on their differences should not be glorified.