I think the stigma of the south fighting for slavery has been ingrained in that particular flag. No matter the different versions it will always stand for racism in most peoples eyes here in the US. Personally I could give a shit as long as its not used towards me or mine specifically and my tax money doesnt go to have it fly on government grounds. To me its just another in a long line of micro aggressions Blacks have to deal with here in the US.
The USA.INC flag doesn't mean shit to me...it's nothing but a corporate banner. I would walk out of an event before I would ever stand and face it now knowing what I do now. Anyway, for all the bleeding hearts that believe that the union was fight on the behalf of ending slavery...think again. The abolitionists were the ones that did the heavy lifting. The sole mission of the civil war was to keep the union together. The Civil War wasn't just about slavery insomuch as it was about federal authority dictating what they can or cannot do. Here is another little known fact. Congress passed two laws during the war, one in 1864 (13 Stat. 11) and one in 1866 (14 Stat. 321) that allowed slave owners that had slaves that enlisted to file a claim against the federal government for loss of the slave's services. The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed slaves in the Southern or rebellious states but in border-states that were loyal to the union, slavery continued to be legal. If a slave ran away to join the military and the owner knew where and when he joined, the owner could file a compensation claim as long as he or she was loyal to the Union.
Here are some notable quotes by U.S Grant....
A letter written letter to the Chicago Tribune in 1863 :“The sole object of this war is to restore the Union. Should I be convinced it has any other object, or that the government designs using its soldiers to execute the wishes of the Abolitionists, I pledge to you on my honor as a man and a soldier, I would resign my commission and carry my sword to the other side.”
BTW, neither Grant or his wife freed their slaves until the passing of the 13th amendment...when asked he remarked Good help is hard to find.
Union General William T. Sherman said in 1864 "I am honest in my belief that it is not fair to my men to count negros as equals. Let us capture negros, of course, and use them to the best advantage."
So, to sum it up, the Civil War was instigated by subterfuge and political intrigue by an international banking cartel that used the Jesuits in order to sow the seeds of discontent and when a Jesuit adjudicator killed Lincoln and the greenback disappeared, the bankers got their foot in the door yet again and this led to the Act of 1871. The powers that be want to use this "flag" as a wedge issue...keeps the people divided. The Charleston shooting hoax was used to draw attention away from the debate of the TPP and did it ever work......for weeks that was all anyone talked about. Wake up, friends and neighbors.