Confederate Flag Hung From Long Island Fire Truck

This article is from a local online news site near where I live on Long Island, NY. Here is my comment on the post:

Yikes! Born and raised a Yankee with plenty of union soldier ancestors, but why is everyone all of the sudden treating the Confederate Battle Flag like Superman's kryptonite? It's part of American history and of course does not belong on a publicly funded fire truck, but instead of tar and feathers, how about an intervention for the poor fellow who thought it was a good idea? The reactions are apoplectic. Does everyone realize that the flag is included in the Constitution's First Amendment, guaranteeing free speech? Free speech can be regulated, and should be, but wrong place, wrong time should not rain down Hades on a person. After Lee's surrender to Grant at the end of the Civil War, Grant told his troops to "refrain from celebrations in the field," and "the war is over, and the Rebels are our countrymen again." Our countrymen again. That profound statement seems lost on a society too willing to fight the war again at the drop of a hat. Get a hold of yourselves, people. We are ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Let's act like it.