The Mosque, The Confederate Flag ... And "Offense"

A reader writes:

When there was a debate in South Carolina over whether itsstatehouse should fly the Confederate battle flag, African-Americans said theywere offended by the state's honoring a flag that stood for theenslavement of their ancestors.  Many white southerners responded bysaying that they should not be held responsible for the misdeeds of theirpredecessors, that not all southerners were racist, and that they had a rightto honor their heritage, even if some chose to be offended.  In ...