Forest,
I am happy we in the US celebrate Lincoln's birthday and not Jefferson Davis'.
As far as the confederate flag, I think it is not a necessarily a racist symbol or rather it is only one when interpreted as such. It obviously is to many people but the "South" is also symbolic to some people of a way of life. [Lynyrd Skynyrd, cheap beer, and a pickup truck?].
Here's a pre-world war II symbol used by Coca Cola. What do you think?
