Monuments and Myths By Hank Silverberg There it is again. My trip to work up and down I-95 takes me past a great big flagpole displaying the Stars and Bars--what most people call the Confederate Flag. It towers above the highway and with some irony is easier to see going southbound. The location of that oversized flag has been the subject of controversy for a few years now, but it’s not going anywhere. It’s displayed on private property and several attempts to have it removed have failed despite its offensive message for many people. The First Amendment protects the property owner's right to display it. If you visit Virginia’s state capital and travel down Monument Avenue you will find more tributes to the insurrection that led to four years of Civil War. There’s Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart and Jefferson Davis. Visit any courthouse in Virginia and throughout the south and you will see monuments to Confederate soldiers, privates or generals all.