So after immersing yourself in Civil War and racial history, may I respectfully--suggest that you also attempt to get a more current reality check on the South? Because your attitudes formed by those readings seem somewhat skewed and out of date. The confederate flag is not revered by MOST Southerners. It is everywhere understood to be an emblem of racism, and MOST Southerners would not think of flying it. It has long been relegated to an historical artifact in the South.
I am a southerner, born & raised (though I have lived outside the country and other parts of the US). The people that I knew and grew up with never had any confederate flags and would certainly not support its use today --they consider it a clear symbol of right wing hate in general. Since MOST Southerners do not support the flag and are not racist, can we get over being tarred and feathered by it? The younger generations especially have no reason to be tarred by such a broad brush misconception of the South. It is unfair stereotyping (of a type that reminds me of racial profiling in fact). Regional profiling is not reality-based.
Re. the current voter ID movement--can you understand that this is all part of the
cynical right Koch fueled master plan for America? Take NC for example--are you aware that North Carolina has been hijacked and jerked sideways from the more progressive state it was just a few years ago? The corporatists are taking every advantage of the urban-rural divide in NC and fanning the flames of latent racism in conservative areas to their own economic advantage. Other states are vulnerable to these tactics as well.
Since you are a reader please read this:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/10/10/111010fa_fact_mayer?currentPage=all
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A good idea would be for you to talk to Yankees who have lived in the South for awhile (they can be found in large numbers) if you don't want to believe a southerner.
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