Prattville Dragoons Commander's Column July 2015

                               Confederate Counterattacks

June started wonderfully for our camp and the Alabama Division.  The Tallassee Division Reunion was a great success and an opportunity to celebrate with compatriots. But the sudden passing of 2^nd Lt. Benny Harris was a shock to us all and was accompanied the same day by the appalling news that Governor Bentley had removed the flags from the Confederate monument at the state capitol.  The Division came together quickly in a big way and held a rally the following Saturday attracting nearly 1000 on the steps of the state house overlooking the monument.  Politicians and race baiting radicals across the country posturing for political correctness are scrambling to remove what they maintain are offensive Confederate flags and symbols from public view. Confederate monuments are being vandalized. These are proving to be trying times for the Sons of Confederate Veterans but no other organization has taken or can better take the lead on preserving the Battle Flag and Confederate monuments and memorials. The opposition declares that our beloved venerated Confederate Battle Flag is a symbol of hate but we in the SCV know full well it is an object of hate for ignorant politically correct bigots.  Those haters fear we know the truth of our ancestor’s valiant struggle and that we take pride in our Southern heritage and are determined to defend it.  We cannot afford in this tumultuous time to capitulate and compromise or surrender.

Our Confederate heroes are shedding one more tear from heaven seeing their revered flag furled once again.  Current events sadly reflect the Sesquicentennial of Reconstruction when it was prohibited by the oppressive federal and puppet state governmental authorities to display the Battle flag.  Our ancestors weathered that tyranny and suppression and we must also.  At a Division and at a camp level we must go on the offensive.  To address the wrong of removal of the Confederate flags from the monument at the Alabama state capitol, every SCV member needs to write the governor and their state legislature representatives beseeching them to replace the flags and protect the monuments. Call them and have your family call also; Governor Bentley’s office phone is 334-242-7100.  We need to take whatever legal action is possible at the local and state levels to block or reverse these unilateral partisan actions and introduce legislation to protect our vestiges of Confederate history and Southern heritage.   Attend the next Confederate heritage rally tentatively scheduled for the start of the state legislature’s special session in August. Attend local county and city commission meetings.  Help flag the Confederate monument at the state capitol. 

These intolerant PC extremists have taken to heart Rahm Emanuel’s creed to never “allow a serious crisis to go to waste, an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."  They seized the unfortunate tragedy of the Charleston AME church shootings to attack all things Confederate as racist.  It is not coincidental that in the same news week, the SCOTUS passed down their ruling legalizing gay marriage while our founders including Washington and Jefferson and our Confederate heroes including Davis, Lee and Jackson were demonized as racists. Southern heritage and ideals and Christian beliefs are under relentless attack.  We need to take solace and strength in the Bible though which says, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness.”  We need to maintain and strengthen our vigilance, resolve and diligence.  We need to continue to participate in community and service activities to educate our neighbors in our good work and the Cause.  We need to step forward at a camp, state and national level to be a source for Confederate information but also for memorabilia, to get thousands more Battle flags into the hands of those scrambling to get them fearing they will disappear.  We need to seize the opportunity to swell our ranks, to commission new soldiers to carry forth the Charge.  Take action!