The last Confederate Battle Flag to fly at the South Carolina State House sits today in a storage box at Columbia's Military Museum. That is not the honorable display flag advocates were promised last summer as the State's officials voted for furling the flag to appease the Governor.
Ultimately, legislators voted to remove the flag from the State House grounds and display it at the Relic Room, a little attended museum located off Columbia's Gervais Street. The details and cost of that display, they said, would be worked out when they returned to Columbia in January.
But the politicians have left Columbia this year without acting on the flag. Now these same officials are promising to attend to the Flag NEXT YEAR. "We're going to resolve it, and it's going to be handled in a way I think the vast majority of South Carolinians would feel comfortable with," said state Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington, a central figure in the House vote last year that brought the flag down.
On July 10, 2015, State Troopers handed the furled flag to museum director Roberson at the Military Museum after bringing the banner down in front of a crowd of thousands. Roberson, who was then to carry the flag off the grounds, remembers he focused on not tripping.
Meanwhile, last Sunday, another Flag flew in place of the one that was removed. Hoisted on a temporary flagpole at a rally that drew both supporters in period clothing and bullhorn-toting protesters.
Groups for and against the flag were kept separate by metal barriers on the front lawn, and police officers in helicopters were circling overhead. After a few hours the temporary flagpole was dismantled and the Statehouse grounds returned to their new flawless "normal."
And related, as we reported last week, Governor Haley, responding to a Freedom of Information Act request, released tens of thousands of eMails and postal letters that she had received in support of the Flag. This week, the contents of those letters have come under close scrutiny.
Most of the letters and eMails sent to the Governor about removing the Confederate Flag contain references to God, faith and religious matters.
Furman University religious studies professor David Fink said there doesn't seem to be any coherent theory or theological positions in the comments. Instead, it appears the senders are using faith references to heighten the importance of their views:
"What it sounds like to me is you have people who are angry, and they are reaching down deep for the language they want to have to articulate a grievance," he said.
Fink called it adding "extra gravity" by using religious language. "I think there's a hope by kind of calling on and name-calling sacred language, that whoever reads this, it's going to be taken more seriously," he said.
In most cases the letters are free of obscenities.
Many writers cite family connections to Confederate soldiers in their support of keeping it flying.
The number of letters received in support of the Flag far outnumbered the few received seeking its removal. Obviously, the thoughts and opinions of her constituents meant absolutely nothing to Governor Haley as she used a tragedy to force her liberal revisionist agenda.
There was some concern that as her reward, Haley would be forced upon Donald Trump as his VP running mate. Fortunately, for the entire nation, that does not appear to be happening. CNN has just reported that it is believed that The Donald has chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. That announcement is supposed to be made official today at 11 am.
IOWA CONGRESSMAN DISPLAYS BATTLE FLAG
South Carolina's Governor lowers the Flag, and a Congressman from Iowa raises one.
Steve King has been a Republican Congressional representative in Iowa for the last 13 years.
In 2009, after the state's Supreme Court ruled against the state's same-sex ban, Steve King mounted a successful $80,000 campaign to get three of the judges who ruled in favor of same-sex marriage removed from the bench.
In 2013, King had this to say about undocumented immigrants: "For every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds-and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."
So Rep. King is NOT afraid of controversy!
As the battle over the Battle Flag has heated up, and as Congress has been purging Flags from Capitol Hill, Rep. King has responded by displaying a Battle Flag in his Capitol office.
FORREST STATUE DEFACED
Saturday, the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Health Sciences Park had the words "Black Lives Matter" spray painted on its base.
Sunday, it was surrounded by Confederate Heritage supporters. The supporters assembled for an annual commemoration of Forrest's birthday, which was July 13.
Some of Forrest's descendants were also in attendance.
There were many Confederate flags flying, and period songs were sung.
There was also a small police presence, and a protester was seen arguing with officers according to TV station WREG.
UTAH CITY CONDEMNS CONFEDERATE FLAG
American Fork city officials said that a Battle Flag flag flying from behind a decorated golf cart on Saturday was "a troubling display of hate," said city spokeswoman Audra Sorensen on Monday.
"We understand there are many opinions about these topics. However, because many individuals see the words and flag as symbols of hate and intolerance, we cannot sit quietly," the city's statement said. "We as a city do not support this or any such symbols that can be interpreted as hateful or threatening."
American Fork issued the condemnation after former Utah Jazz player Thurl Bailey tweeted critically about the float. Bailey couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.
They're not the only Utah city to deal with a Confederate flag display at a parade.
Eagle Mountain is considering policy changes to prevent a group of longtime participants from carrying the flag.
Last summer, leaders in Herriman apologized after approving a group to display the flag in their parade.
LAWSUIT TARGETS NEW ORLEANS
A new lawsuit is attempting to stall efforts to remove New Orleans' four Confederate monuments, this one claiming that if the other monuments come down, the city's iconic Andrew Jackson statue needs to go, too.
If you feel like you've heard this before, it's because Richard Marksbury, the Tulane School of Continuing Studies dean who originally made this argument, is behind the lawsuit.
He's not doing this because he wants Andrew Jackson to come down, though: By arguing this statue meets all the others' criteria in justifying their removal, this puts the city in a position to "either have to remove a statue that's deeply identified with New Orleans or else agree to leave all the monuments standing."
A federal lawsuit blocking the removal of Confederate monuments, which the City Council voted in favor of in December, is currently playing out.
The last Confederate Battle Flag to fly at the South Carolina State House sits today in a storage box at Columbia's Military Museum. That is not the honorable display flag advocates were promised last summer as the State's officials voted for furling the flag to appease the Governor.
Ultimately, legislators voted to remove the flag from the State House grounds and display it at the Relic Room, a little attended museum located off Columbia's Gervais Street. The details and cost of that display, they said, would be worked out when they returned to Columbia in January.
But the politicians have left Columbia this year without acting on the flag. Now these same officials are promising to attend to the Flag NEXT YEAR. "We're going to resolve it, and it's going to be handled in a way I think the vast majority of South Carolinians would feel comfortable with," said state Rep. Rick Quinn, R-Lexington, a central figure in the House vote last year that brought the flag down.
On July 10, 2015, State Troopers handed the furled flag to museum director Roberson at the Military Museum after bringing the banner down in front of a crowd of thousands. Roberson, who was then to carry the flag off the grounds, remembers he focused on not tripping.
Meanwhile, last Sunday, another Flag flew in place of the one that was removed. Hoisted on a temporary flagpole at a rally that drew both supporters in period clothing and bullhorn-toting protesters.
Groups for and against the flag were kept separate by metal barriers on the front lawn, and police officers in helicopters were circling overhead. After a few hours the temporary flagpole was dismantled and the Statehouse grounds returned to their new flawless "normal."
And related, as we reported last week, Governor Haley, responding to a Freedom of Information Act request, released tens of thousands of eMails and postal letters that she had received in support of the Flag. This week, the contents of those letters have come under close scrutiny.
Most of the letters and eMails sent to the Governor about removing the Confederate Flag contain references to God, faith and religious matters.
Furman University religious studies professor David Fink said there doesn't seem to be any coherent theory or theological positions in the comments. Instead, it appears the senders are using faith references to heighten the importance of their views:
"What it sounds like to me is you have people who are angry, and they are reaching down deep for the language they want to have to articulate a grievance," he said.
Fink called it adding "extra gravity" by using religious language. "I think there's a hope by kind of calling on and name-calling sacred language, that whoever reads this, it's going to be taken more seriously," he said.
In most cases the letters are free of obscenities.
Many writers cite family connections to Confederate soldiers in their support of keeping it flying.
The number of letters received in support of the Flag far outnumbered the few received seeking its removal. Obviously, the thoughts and opinions of her constituents meant absolutely nothing to Governor Haley as she used a tragedy to force her liberal revisionist agenda.
There was some concern that as her reward, Haley would be forced upon Donald Trump as his VP running mate. Fortunately, for the entire nation, that does not appear to be happening. CNN has just reported that it is believed that The Donald has chosen Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. That announcement is supposed to be made official today at 11 am.
IOWA CONGRESSMAN DISPLAYS BATTLE FLAG
South Carolina's Governor lowers the Flag, and a Congressman from Iowa raises one.
Steve King has been a Republican Congressional representative in Iowa for the last 13 years.
In 2009, after the state's Supreme Court ruled against the state's same-sex ban, Steve King mounted a successful $80,000 campaign to get three of the judges who ruled in favor of same-sex marriage removed from the bench.
In 2013, King had this to say about undocumented immigrants: "For every one who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds-and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert."
So Rep. King is NOT afraid of controversy!
As the battle over the Battle Flag has heated up, and as Congress has been purging Flags from Capitol Hill, Rep. King has responded by displaying a Battle Flag in his Capitol office.
FORREST STATUE DEFACED
Saturday, the Nathan Bedford Forrest statue in Health Sciences Park had the words "Black Lives Matter" spray painted on its base.
Sunday, it was surrounded by Confederate Heritage supporters. The supporters assembled for an annual commemoration of Forrest's birthday, which was July 13.
Some of Forrest's descendants were also in attendance.
There were many Confederate flags flying, and period songs were sung.
There was also a small police presence, and a protester was seen arguing with officers according to TV station WREG.
UTAH CITY CONDEMNS CONFEDERATE FLAG
American Fork city officials said that a Battle Flag flag flying from behind a decorated golf cart on Saturday was "a troubling display of hate," said city spokeswoman Audra Sorensen on Monday.
"We understand there are many opinions about these topics. However, because many individuals see the words and flag as symbols of hate and intolerance, we cannot sit quietly," the city's statement said. "We as a city do not support this or any such symbols that can be interpreted as hateful or threatening."
American Fork issued the condemnation after former Utah Jazz player Thurl Bailey tweeted critically about the float. Bailey couldn't be reached for comment on Monday.
They're not the only Utah city to deal with a Confederate flag display at a parade.
Eagle Mountain is considering policy changes to prevent a group of longtime participants from carrying the flag.
Last summer, leaders in Herriman apologized after approving a group to display the flag in their parade.
LAWSUIT TARGETS NEW ORLEANS
A new lawsuit is attempting to stall efforts to remove New Orleans' four Confederate monuments, this one claiming that if the other monuments come down, the city's iconic Andrew Jackson statue needs to go, too.
If you feel like you've heard this before, it's because Richard Marksbury, the Tulane School of Continuing Studies dean who originally made this argument, is behind the lawsuit.
He's not doing this because he wants Andrew Jackson to come down, though: By arguing this statue meets all the others' criteria in justifying their removal, this puts the city in a position to "either have to remove a statue that's deeply identified with New Orleans or else agree to leave all the monuments standing."
A federal lawsuit blocking the removal of Confederate monuments, which the City Council voted in favor of in December, is currently playing out.
As we have stated in the last 4 issues, "our response to the attack of the Southern Baptist Convention against our Confederate Heritage will be ongoing."
Southern Baptists for Southern Heritage
This week we released the second in the series of videos under the title of Southern Baptists for Southern Heritage:
Southern Baptists for Southern Heritage
This week we released the second in the series of videos under the title of Southern Baptists for Southern Heritage:
We will announce the release of each video to our Dixie Heritage subscribers so that you may distribute them freely.
I know that we have several preachers who are subscribers to Dixie Heritage. I invite you to both submit ideas for upcoming videos and also to consider shooting a video yourself that we can include in the series.
Together, we will educate ours and future generations.
The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions
The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions was compiled by the Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment and published in 1863.
For the remainder of the war Southern Baptist chaplains were proactive in giving these devotional books to soldiers in the field.
I would like to send a reproduction of this classic work to everyone who donates $5 or more to Dixie Heritage this week.
Order The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions:
I know that we have several preachers who are subscribers to Dixie Heritage. I invite you to both submit ideas for upcoming videos and also to consider shooting a video yourself that we can include in the series.
Together, we will educate ours and future generations.
The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions
The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions was compiled by the Chaplain of the 1st Tennessee Regiment and published in 1863.
For the remainder of the war Southern Baptist chaplains were proactive in giving these devotional books to soldiers in the field.
I would like to send a reproduction of this classic work to everyone who donates $5 or more to Dixie Heritage this week.
Order The Confederate Soldier's Pocket Manual of Devotions:
"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength."
-- Robert E. Lee
Lee went on to say that the Bible was:
". . . a book in comparison with which all others in my eyes are of minor importance."
General Lee once remarked to Chaplain William Jones:
"There are things in the Old Book which I may not be able to explain, but I fully accept it as the infallible Word of God, and receive its teachings as inspired by the Holy Spirit."
ANCESTOR BIOGRAPHIES & PHOTOGRAPHS
We are inviting all of our Dixie Heritage readers to eMail biographies and photographs of their Confederate Ancestors. We will publish these in upcoming issues of the Dixie Heritage Letter.
We are also inviting our readers to submit biographies and photographs of their Southern Baptist Ancestors. These may be used in the Southern Baptists for Southern Heritage series.
SUPPORT THE HERITAGE FIGHT
AND REACH OVER 3,000 PEOPLE EVERY WEEK
Receive a banner ad in the next 20 issues of the Dixie Heritage Letter for the reduced rate of just $120 - thats just $6 per issue. Your banner ad will also go on the website for an entire year at no additional cost. Click the banner below to eMail for more information on how you can support Dixie Heritage and at the same time put yourself before a great audience of Southern patriots.
-- Robert E. Lee
Lee went on to say that the Bible was:
". . . a book in comparison with which all others in my eyes are of minor importance."
General Lee once remarked to Chaplain William Jones:
"There are things in the Old Book which I may not be able to explain, but I fully accept it as the infallible Word of God, and receive its teachings as inspired by the Holy Spirit."
ANCESTOR BIOGRAPHIES & PHOTOGRAPHS
We are inviting all of our Dixie Heritage readers to eMail biographies and photographs of their Confederate Ancestors. We will publish these in upcoming issues of the Dixie Heritage Letter.
We are also inviting our readers to submit biographies and photographs of their Southern Baptist Ancestors. These may be used in the Southern Baptists for Southern Heritage series.
SUPPORT THE HERITAGE FIGHT
AND REACH OVER 3,000 PEOPLE EVERY WEEK
Receive a banner ad in the next 20 issues of the Dixie Heritage Letter for the reduced rate of just $120 - thats just $6 per issue. Your banner ad will also go on the website for an entire year at no additional cost. Click the banner below to eMail for more information on how you can support Dixie Heritage and at the same time put yourself before a great audience of Southern patriots.
George Carlin on Political Correctness
This week I stumbled on a video of George Carlin commenting on political correctness. Surprisingly it was more serious than funny. Also, it was entirely absent of profanity.
Here is a quote from the video:
"Political correctness is America's newest form of intolerance, and it is especially pernicious because it comes disguised as tolerance. It presents itself as fairness, yet attempts to restrict and control people's language with strict codes and rigid rules. I'm not sure that's the way to fight discrimination. I'm not sure silencing people or forcing them to alter their speech is the best method for solving problems that go much deeper than speech."
Click below to watch the video:
This week I stumbled on a video of George Carlin commenting on political correctness. Surprisingly it was more serious than funny. Also, it was entirely absent of profanity.
Here is a quote from the video:
"Political correctness is America's newest form of intolerance, and it is especially pernicious because it comes disguised as tolerance. It presents itself as fairness, yet attempts to restrict and control people's language with strict codes and rigid rules. I'm not sure that's the way to fight discrimination. I'm not sure silencing people or forcing them to alter their speech is the best method for solving problems that go much deeper than speech."
Click below to watch the video:
A VIDEO SUBMITTED BY ONE OF OUR READERS:
In 1965 commentator Paul Harvey broadcast a segment on ABC that he titled: "If I Were the Devil." Watching it in 2016 all I can say is that Paul Harvey was a prophet.
Here is the video:
Every week fACEBOOK eMails me a list of statistics. We now have over 3,000 people reading the Dixie Heritage Letter via fACEBOOK. Thats three times as many as who are receiving it by way of eMail.
This is amazing for several reasons. Not the least of which is that at this moment, 213 have "liked" our facebook page. Thats a lot fewer than the 3,483 people who Facebook tells me is reading our newsletter.
I am told that when we post the newsletter to Facebook that those who have already liked our page get an update and then they share the newsletter with others, who in turn share it with others, etc.
I think this is great. We are very happy for you to share Dixie Heritage with your friends, with your loved ones, and even with your enemies.
But Facebook is NOT our primary means of distribution. And even though it seems to be our biggest means, it will never become our primary means.
eMail always has been and likely always will be our primary means of distribution.
When I travel, I can use a scheduler to ensure that a weekly Dixie Heritage Letter is sent, even if I am going to be in a foreign country without email or internet. That means the Dixie Heritage Letter can go out by eMail but may not go out on Facebook.
So if you have not already done so please take the quick moment to like our Dixie Heritage Page on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/dixieheritageletter
And then, more importantly, click this link to our website:
www.dixieheritage.net
When you are there request a free copy of my book The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag. When you do, not only will you receive a copy of the book - you will also be subscribed to receive the weekly Dixie Heritage Letter by eMail. This will ensure that you never miss an issue.
Until Next Week,
Deo Vindice!
Chaplain Ed
This is amazing for several reasons. Not the least of which is that at this moment, 213 have "liked" our facebook page. Thats a lot fewer than the 3,483 people who Facebook tells me is reading our newsletter.
I am told that when we post the newsletter to Facebook that those who have already liked our page get an update and then they share the newsletter with others, who in turn share it with others, etc.
I think this is great. We are very happy for you to share Dixie Heritage with your friends, with your loved ones, and even with your enemies.
But Facebook is NOT our primary means of distribution. And even though it seems to be our biggest means, it will never become our primary means.
eMail always has been and likely always will be our primary means of distribution.
When I travel, I can use a scheduler to ensure that a weekly Dixie Heritage Letter is sent, even if I am going to be in a foreign country without email or internet. That means the Dixie Heritage Letter can go out by eMail but may not go out on Facebook.
So if you have not already done so please take the quick moment to like our Dixie Heritage Page on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/dixieheritageletter
And then, more importantly, click this link to our website:
www.dixieheritage.net
When you are there request a free copy of my book The Truth About the Confederate Battle Flag. When you do, not only will you receive a copy of the book - you will also be subscribed to receive the weekly Dixie Heritage Letter by eMail. This will ensure that you never miss an issue.
Until Next Week,
Deo Vindice!
Chaplain Ed
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