O77, I think I understand what your saying. The salute and flag in and of themselves do not crack heads or physically put people in gas chambers. And people, even the Nazi's, are protected under the First Amendment. But given the history of Nazism, those symbols can and do menace and intimidate people (as do the KKK wearing bed sheets) in a community, particularly if your Jewish and/or non-white. So I think you can understand why a large number of people may not think its just a bunch of harmless kooks with torches marching down the street. 
Yeah, they want attention. And they know they are going to get it looking and behaving like Nazis - which, I guess, makes them Nazis.