Friday, August 21, 2015

Prattville Dragoons Commander's Column for August 2015

A Symbol of Resistance, Liberty, and Self-determination
Compatriot Paul Whaley penned an exceptional letter to the editor of the State Newspaper of Columbia SC exclaiming, “If…removing the Confederate flag from the grounds of the capitol would change one mind, stop one act of violence, save one life… I would be in the forefront of such an effort.  All focus on the craven coward who… committed this appalling crime (murdering those at the Charleston AME church) has disappeared. Instead, those who laud diversity and inclusivity have demonstrated their own bigotry and intolerance by attacking the lowest hanging fruit, the Confederate flag.  The flag killed no one, a person did. Adults surely know the root causes of pure evil come from something far deeper in the minds of those who commit such acts than merely posing with any flag?”  Unfortunately, this tragic event just served as a convenient excuse, an opportunity to exploit the grieving black parishioners.  Politically correct politicians, certainly a farcical non sequitur excepting it acknowledges their unrelenting PC pandering, took advantage as politically expedient. I watched in amazement at the following tragic national event when Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez gunned down four Marines at a recruiting office.  All focus was on the victims as it appropriately should have been but evidence that Abdulazeez traveled to the Mideast including Yemen and blogged about Allah and Islam was dismissed in favor of the preferred PC observations that he was a depressed drug abuser.  But wait, didn’t the Charleston shooter have a history of mental illness and drug abuse also?   Obviously irrelevant when the Confederate flag could be the primary focus.  The Islamic star and crescent is a flag of peace, not hateful racism like the venerable Battle flag of the Confederacy, right? 
I recently tweeted a link to a column by Sylvia Thompson of renewamerica.com where she stated, “If Governor Nikki Haley thinks that removing a flag from a capitol building will do anything to alleviate the racial hatred fomented by …the Left throughout the country's history, she is sadly mistaken. Governor Haley has fallen into the web of deceit that the Left always uses to entrap the gullible. Governor Haley is not part of the black-white heritage of this country (being a second generation Indian immigrant), so I don't expect her to understand more than that a heinous crime has been committed in her state. She, however, is being used big time. So are all the others clamoring for the removal and destruction of flags and Civil War monuments in southern states. History happened folks, that's what makes it history. You can hide it and distort it, but you will never do away with it.  Since the end of the Civil War, many on the side of the Northern faction of the fight have done their best to demean, denigrate and punish white people of the South. I know this because I was born and reared in the South (and recognize) the sneering at and looking down upon Southerners, black and white. President Andrew Johnson, the successor to the assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, succeeded in making Reconstruction a vindictive program that hurt even repentant Southerners while benefiting northern opportunists (Carpetbaggers) and cynical white Southerners (Scalawags). All of whom exploited alliances with blacks for political gain. This acerbation of wounds bred a hatred and resentment among defeated Southerners that played out against freed slaves. And so it goes even to this twenty-first century, capitalizing on old hatreds. A primary goal of the Left is to ensure that the age-old rift between American blacks and whites is never resolved, because blacks will no longer be enslaved to them if it is resolved.”  To be a progressive liberal is evidently to be an angry intolerant bigot.  The elimination of the Confederate flag is the goal for those who wish to control the populace, to eliminate this living vibrant symbol of resistance, liberty, and self-determination.

It is clear that we as Southerners embracing our noble Confederate heritage face an entrenched enemy determined to slander our culture and history while exacerbating racial tensions and divisions.  The public has an ingrained misunderstanding of this pivotal period in our nation’s history and the drivers which were the impetus for our ancestors to establish the Confederate States of America and “the ideals which made (the Confederate soldier) glorious”, why we revere and honor these heroes.  We may blame our public (and private schooling) for this indoctrination of a false education of history as General Cleburne warned.  But as the Charge implores us, it is our duty particularly in this challenging current period to vindicate the Cause, defend “the Confederate soldier’s good name”, guard his history, “perpetuate those principles which he loved” and “see that the true history of the South is presented to future generations.”  This is a tumultuous time but we have an opportunity to stand with our grandfathers, to make a difference for perpetuity.  The removal of the Confederate flags and desecration of memorial monuments has been a rallying cry for the bigoted PC crowd but it should be a rallying cry for the Sons of Confederate Veterans likewise excepting, we must defend these sacred vestiges of our Southern history and heritage. Paul is correct that removing a flag may not change anyone’s mind but it has had the fortunate effect of awakening Confederate compatriots.  It is a silver lining that interest including membership in the SCV has increased markedly since this crisis emerged.  Communication Officer Larry Spears indicates Alabama Division membership as well as Dragoon camp membership has increased 15% or more. But we need more soldiers, defenders of the Cause.  We have the responsibility to utilize this additional manpower and resources to overcome the PC intolerance.  Maintaining and expanding membership and this momentum is very important; it is your dues and donations to the SCV which fund heritage defense and our great initiatives like community Confederate preservation, advertising and educational programs.  But each of us as individuals should seek to do everything we can to prioritize the Charge in our deeds and actions at every opportunity possible - contacting your state government representatives, fundraising, cemetery maintenance, flag setting and displays, volunteering, camp meetings, community and educational events.   A sincere welcome to all the new Dragoons and to all those long time members of Camp 1524, as you can ascertain, these are fantastic times to proclaim your Southern heritage and stand on the front lines of Confederate activism and I encourage everyone to get involved and support the Cause.

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