Compiled by Bill O'Neill

QUESTION: While recently campaigning in alabama, former mayor rudy giuliani said that it should be up to the state whether the confederate flag, which remains offensive to some americans, should fly over the capitol. Do you agree with him, or think it should be banned from government buildings as other southern states have done?

Bill O'Neill "I think it should be banned because it signifies slavery and racism. It should not be left up to the states but to the federal government. If it was left up to Alabama, which has a long history of segregation, it would never be banned." - Raymond Knight, Canarsie "The confederate flag should be tossed away because it represents something that is no longer in America - the confederacy. The federal government and the states should work together to ban the confederate flag." - Joseph Bologna, Canarsie "I don't agree with Giuliani. It's best to put the past in the past. The confederacy was not about unity. It was a diverse flag. And the one thing we need in America today is unity." - Ali Welch, Canarsie "I basically think it should be up to the state to decide whether they should have the confederate flag over the capitol. It should be done on a state by state basis. Some people do find it offensive. Then they can decide whether or not they want it in their state." - Schnelle Laing, Canarsie