Honoring Confederate history

This is long overdue. I wish Tennessee would do the same.


http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArt icle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031773197959&pat h=!frontpage

Ok, this hyperlink looks funny but it worked for me. Good luck.

[unionblue]

Tommy,

I can't swallow the line, 'It lauds - among other things-the "honorable sacrafices of (Virginia's) Confederate leaders, soldiers, and citizens to the cause of preserving the self-determination of the band of states that voluntarily joined the Confederate States of America.'

Unless, in that 'among other things' is a day in April during Confederate History Month celebrating the end of slavery as an institution, as one of those 'causes of self-determination'.

Unionblue

Neil,

Ah well, I guess you feel that Virginia doesn't have the right to self determine having a Confederate History month in it's state. They should go hat in hand to Yankee states and beg permission? As well as what it should be about? I suppose they should also have the Yankees states decide for them what to think and feel about their heritage. Why would the end of slavery have to be considered a Confederate cause of self determination? A side effect of the war, yes. It is no more a cause than the States being subjugated and forced to join a Union they wanted no part of. They voluntarily joined the Confederate States. The same cannot be said about their being forced to rejoin the Union.
Just curious, but can a Yankee state even know what self determination means?
BTW Neil, you have spent too much time allied with a certain member here. You are starting to sound like him my friend. Hope it ain't permanent.

As Always
tommy

[thea_447]

We have Confederate History Month in my state, Alabama in April. And you can be sure that although we fly three flags on the arbor hillside above our home (those being the Betsy Ross U.S. flag, and my husband's and my state flags respectively), we'll be flying the Stars and Bars in front of our home.

Also we have spent years trying to get the State to refurbish the Confederate monument that stands on the Capital grounds. When I was there for Secession Day I was happily surprised to see that the restoration is almost complete and it looks splendid. This monument spent years cloaked with scaffolding while the curator took the money that had been given for restoration and spent it idly on the scaffolding. With the changing of the guard, Gov. Riley took action.
The SCV took care of the grounds works that was done. And now, in Montgomery, all within walking distance, one can visit the Capital, where Jefferson Davis was sworn in; looking down the hill one can walk to Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. King served and planned the Montgomery Boycott. Around the corner is the Little White House of the Confederacy and in the same block is Old Alabama Towne, a carefully kept authentic town with houses,the tavern where various dignitaries stayed when in Alabama including Lafayette, the Grange, right down to the very herbs and old timey flowers that grow in the gardens.

I also noticed an article in the newspaper Tuesday that said the Rosa Parks Museum is recognizing, as others have, the need to show the historical aspects of both the Civil War (newspaper's term, NOT mine..LOL) and the Civil Rights movement. They will be selling memorabilia from both eras in the museum. This has already happened in Selma and other places of significance in Alabama so it seems fitting. There was a picture of a room with Confederate flags on the wall and a lady holding up a t-shirt of Dr.Martin Luther King. Which of course will bring us to the issue in school once more: If one student can wear an MLK t-shirt to school, will the little Rebel be allowed the privilege of wearing his Robert E. Lee shirt or his "I Ride with Forrest" shirt. This should prove to be another milestone in Alabama. But I understand that this is happening in states all across the nation.

And on another note:
Tommy says: BTW Neil, you have spent too much time allied with a certain member
here. You are starting to sound like him my friend. Hope it ain't permanent.
I heartily echo Tommy's sentiment. I would rather hear Neil, the voice of reason (mostly..LOL). By that I mean of course that you manage to maintain civility while of course trying to jab me with a bayonet! Caustic behaviour leaves me cold.

Till we meet again,



(Message edited by thea_447 on January 21, 2004)

[unionblue]

Tommy & Thea,

I am sorry you feel that I am beginning to 'sound like a certain member' to you both.

Seeing how I sit here at my computer by myself and do my own research and come to my own conclusions, I thought it was me sounding like me.

My friends, never mistake me for having any other opinions than my own. I never mistake you for yours.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

[johan_steele]

Thea is there also a Union history month to honor those men both Black & White who served the Union? Pro Union sentiment was quite prolific in north Alabama as I understand. Take a look see in Dyers to see how many Regiments Alabama raised for the Union.

"Tommy says: BTW Neil, you have spent too much time allied with a certain member here. You are starting to sound like him my friend. Hope it ain't permanent.
I heartily echo Tommy's sentiment. I would rather hear Neil, the voice of reason (mostly..LOL). By that I mean of course that you manage to maintain civility while of course trying to jab me with a bayonet! Caustic behaviour leaves me cold. "

I assure you that Mr Hamilton's opinions are his own. As far as I can tell we share a passion for the Union and seeing the memory of the men who fought under the United States honored instead of spit upon.

Caustic... Thanks Thea. I keep getting such interesting names from you. I've always been fond of the disembowling move of the French Bayonet drill.

As it is I bid you a good day.

[thea_447]

Confederate History Month

From: tmann-@triad.rr.com


The vote against official recognition of Confederate History Month by our elected "representatives" in Virginia is not surprising; especially to those of us who have spent a few decades teaching in our nations classrooms. I have taught on the graduate and undergraduate level for 32 years. The "knowing-my-students-as-I-do-effect" on teachers may engender my skeptical notion that those
opposed to recognition Confederate History Month may, indeed, be those whose historical knowledge most needs improvement.

The United States of America (the proper name of our country, not America) ranks at the bottom of 17 of the worlds most industrialized nations in the disciplines of math and the sciences. Top advances in genetic research is in the hands of the Japanese. Our rocket and space program was built on advances largely made by German scientists educated in German schools before the socialists democratization of their educational systems under the National Socialism of
Adolph Hitler.

We export, as the Soviet Union did their notions of government and democracy, our notions of government and democracy (loosely defined). We do this mostly via the extensive and expensive use of the United States military and the blood of our youth. What we cannot win by the admiration of our success, we conquer by the sword. Guns do not bring unity or a mature understanding of true liberty and freedom.

Our youth are no longer our future. We now encourage illegal immigrants to take that honored position, offering them universal amnesty for their violation of our immigration laws. They come here, not because they know or have learned to love the great principles of liberty and freedom expressed by Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Patrick Henry, but because they desire the materialistic level they may achieve. Their "American Dream" is not that of the
Framers of our constitution. Our current politics, all about material values, has left our Founding Fathers ideas of liberty and freedom in the dust of an increasingly difficult-to-know history. That history is nearly unknown in the classrooms of today's historical reconstructionist. In its place we teach equality (the French socialists and communist ultimate "value" that has become the
opiate of modern enslaved socialist peoples) and the slaves notion that it is the responsibility of government to provide us jobs. This is being called the "Massa Complex", meaning the formerly sovereign and independent States look for care and goodies to the consolidated central federal government in the same way former slaves were made dependent on their slave masters.

When a presidential candidate campaigns with the central focus of "it's about the economy, stupid" you know that the greatness of liberty is not even a memory of the masses. We do anything to increase the industrial profits of investors. We have fought five wars, as declared by the United States Congress, and another 217 wars largely initiated unconstitutionally (without congressional declaration) by our presidents who, since Abraham Lincoln, tend to think of themselves more and more as a Commander-in-Chief of our military forces rather than the head of a servant government answerable to the sovereign States. Formerly residents of a State were citizens of the State in a classical sense. Now we are servants of the State seeking only what we must do to please the State rather than the State being the servant of the people. United States
presidents exercise more power than was granted to any European king or queen.

Our business, industry, and the "American industrial military complex" (as President Eisenhower coined the description) are importing massive numbers of scientists, technology and management experts from third world nations while we surrender our manufacturing jobs to many third world countries; countries with "lower standard of living", because they will work for lower salaries in their countries where people pay far lower taxes than we do. We want others to
do for us what we are unwilling to do. So much for the myth that Americans do not believe in slavery but believe in "fairness."

The United States excel in marketing physical products, though that is often after having hired foreign experts to analyze the various markets. The government, culture and morals (values have replaced morals for our secular [non-religious] population) that once made the United States great is undergoing rapid "devolution" remaking the United States into a third world country, a gnawing fear quietly and frequently expressed in the halls of congress.

We are now a "much less" educated people than we used to be who are "much more" certain that we are right about anything and everything. The American Literacy Council says that "50% of Americans are illiterate." In the midst of our radicalized "anti-intellectualism", most people are now unable to recognize
this. The most accurate way to know who we are and where we should go is to have a thorough and accurate knowledge of the past, something our Virginia "representatives" just voted against. Lord Acton said that those who control the past will control the future. Anti-intellectualism, ignorance and intolerance have won for today and will likely dominate our future. Christians and Southerners now have their wishes subjugated again by the secularized and centralized socialist State. George Orwell has, after all, proved to be a prophet. "Newspeak" (political correctness) has replaced truth and liberty. This is something that will sound illegitimate to those who won't study the past and who discourage the enthusiasm of those who do.

The result is that we have become a very self-congratulatory (the opposite of humble) society. Unity in a materialistic "society of values", as opposed to society of morals, cannot long be maintained. We should pray for those who despitefully use us, but not vote for them, and not hesitate to promote an accurate knowledge of our history. These racist, anti-Southern, politicians are not worthy of our political support.

The honorable will continue to celebrate Confederate History Month in spite of Virginia's official State sponsored discouragement and rejection, something we have come to expect from scallawags and Yankee's. They killed our forefather's, both black and white, and now don't want us to talk about it. According to Dr. Donald Livingston at Emory University, the United States Army, between 1861-1877, was responsible for the deaths of 800,000-1,200,000 Southern
Blacks. Much honor is due Senator Charles Hawkins.


Tim D. Manning, M. Div.
Executive Director
Virginia Heritage Foundation
PO Box 629 / 8409 Deer Path Court
Stokesdale, NC 27357
www.NCHeritage.org
(336) 644-9210

[rivrrat]

Y'all might want to check out the American Literacy Council web site.
Their survey does not say that 50% of Americans are illiterate. It says that about 50% of americans have limited to low reading skills, which is bad enough. But, they state that their survey does not measure the number of people who are iliterate.

http://www.americanliteracy.com/literacy_figures.htm

Dr. Donald Livingston is a Professor of Philosophy at Emery University in Atlanta Ga. Emery is a fine school, my brother holds a Theology degree from there. However, my quick research has failed to yeild any referance to the number of deaths of blacks "caused by the U.S. Army. Given that the number of deaths quoted would be in excess of 10% of the black population at the time and the tendancy of the author of the letter, see his literacy quote mentioned above, I would like to see a reference to the actual source of Dr. Livingston's figures.

(Message edited by rivrrat on February 08, 2004)

[johan_steele]

I'd be happy w/ a Civil War history month...