Friday, August 12, 2011

Open Letter to SC Gov. Nikki Haley

Gov. Haley,
I wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your support for the appropriate flying of the Confederate flag on the grounds of the SC State Capital.  I read with interest the article on FoxNews.com "South Carolina Governor Rejects NAACP Push to Remove Confederate Flag".  As you rightly observed, this issue was resolved some years ago when the flag was lowered from the top of the Capital building and moved to an appropriate spot with a Confederate memorial monument.  I had wanted to get one of the flags which flew atop the State Capital building but was too late as this move or “compromise” was enacted before I had the opportunity.  But, as the NAACP pressured the citizens of SC and the state legislature to cow down to their demands then, we knew it would never stop there and won't stop unless we take a stand for recognizing the history of our state and the honor that many of our ancestors exhibited in defending their homes against what they perceived as an invading aggressive force during that War Between the States.  I recently joined the Sons of Confederate Veterans and have learned much about the true causes of that terrible conflict and have grown to appreciate and revere the service my ancestors made in fighting and dying for the Confederacy.  Neither of my great great grandfathers who I have traced back as veterans were slave owners and these ignorant NAACP blow hards choose to ignore what should be more apparent every day to anyone who is observing the ramifications of the over reaching, over spending and intrusion of federal government in current events.  States rights are very evident and relevant today.  Just as the NAACP members consider themselves African Americans in remembering from where they descended and their culture from the African continent, I am proud of my ancestry and those that helped found this country from the 17th century thru the Revolutionary War as well as those who helped defend the Confederacy and their homeland.  Thank you for your support and respect for the Confederate Battle Flag as it flies over the hallowed grounds of the South Carolina capital and the Confederate memorial there.  I have encouraged my fellow SCV members to show their support for your position and to spend some of their vacation dollars in the state of South Carolina to endorse your leadership. 
Sincerely,
Stuart Waldo

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Forrest Cavalry Breakfast at the SCV Convention

The Forrest Cavalry Breakfast was held the morning of the first full day of the Sons of Confederate Veterans annual convention in Montgomery AL at 8am on Thursday July 14, 2011.  Joseph Wyatt Willis, Commander of the Forrest Cavalry and Jim Barr, Adjutant made opening remarks and introduced the guest speaker, Lee Millar of Memphis TN.  Lee is a veteran having served as a Captain in the US Army in Vietnam and is employed with the Shelby County TN Sherriff’s office in systems and holds two post-graduate degrees.  He served as past Commander of the N. B. Forrest Camp 215, Lt Cmdr of Tennessee Division, SCV and three terms as Chief of Protocol for National SCV.  Lee’s speech presented a little known fact that Forrest had a hand in saving or creating four universities during and after the War Between the States.  The Memphis Teachers College was the first.  In Oxford Mississippi his troops captured a telegraph office and impersonated Union troops sending wires to the Federal army leading them to withdraw before they burned the University of Mississippi there.  In April 1865 as Union troops occupied Tuscaloosa they received orders to leave to pursue Forrest down in Selma before they had entirely destroyed the town and the University of Alabama. Following the War Between the States, the Morrill Act established Land Grant Colleges and partly because of the damage to the University of Alabama, the small East Alabama Male Institute was funded thru the Morrill Act as a Land Grant College to teach agriculture, science and engineering. This school became Alabama A&M, then Alabama Polytechnic and finally Auburn University which it is today.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Prattville Dragoons Annual Dixie Butt Fundraiser

On Saturday August 6th from 7-9am, at Fatmans BBQ on the corner of Hwy 31 and Main Street in Prattville, the Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 1524 Prattville Dragoons will be selling smoked "Dixie" butts as part of their annual fundraiser.  Most of these butts are presold but some are also available for folks who just drive up that morning and want to enjoy a delicious smoked butt from Fatman's BBQ and to support the local Prattville Dragoons SCV Camp.  The Dixie Butt Sale is the primary fundraising activity for the Dragoons.  The SCV is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the true history of the Southern Cause which led to the founding of the Confederate States of America and the War Between the States and honoring our Confederate ancestors thru memorial preservation work, marking gravesites, historical reenactments, scholarly publications, state and national conventions and symposiums as well as sponsoring undergraduate and ROTC scholarships and medical research grants.  A donation through the purchase of a smoked butt on Saturday helps the local Prattville Dragoons SCV chapter which is involved with flag preservation at the Alabama state archives, volunteer work at the Confederate Memorial Park library and museum, marking graves at the Memorial Park and Prattville’s Oak Hill and Old Kingston cemetaries, an annual commemoration of the Dragoons departure from Prattville in 1861, a camp website and blog, monthly meetings/lectures and newsletters, and various other community activities including participation in holiday parades.