2016 Lee-Jackson Dinner

This past Saturday night, January 23, 2016, the 'Admiral Raphael Semmes' Camp #1321 (Dearborn) of the Sons of Confederate Veterans hosted our annual Lee-Jackson Dinner at a banquet hall in Qakland County, MI. Joining our Camp were representatives from the 'Major General Patrick Ronayne Cleburne' Camp #2257 (Grand Rapids) of the SCV, and also representatives from the 'Thomas Ryan' Chapter #2689 (Howell) of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Just some of the wonderful folks who came out last Saturday.

Cmdr. Stanley White opened the meeting at 5:30 p.m. with a welcome to everyone in attendance. Cmdr. White then asked Compatriot Monte Oche to give the invocation and for the blessing upon the meal, and following that was a wonderful time of celebration and fellowship.

After the meal Cmdr. White presented the program for the evening, 'Eighty Acres of Hell," a story about the horrors Confederates faced at the notorious Camp Douglas Prison in Chicago, IL. Despite technical difficulties which prevented viewing the video portion of the program, Cmdr. White was prepared and able to do the presentation, which included discussing other prison camps (north & south), the evolution of how prisoners were treated as the war raged on and conditions changed, and how it lead to the unjust prosecution & murder of Capt. Henry Wirz (CSA) by the United States government. Near the close of the presentation, the Commander encouraged questions and open discussion from everyone present, where George Calder (2nd Lt.Cmdr., SCV Camp #1321) and Adam Gaines (Camp Genealogist, SCV Camp #1321) supplied much information and education.

Prior to closing the event, Cmdr. James Perkins from SCV Camp #2257 & President Mary Hanlon Smith from UDC Chapter #2689 were invited to make a few remarks. Then a little bit of Camp business was discussed prior to concluding shortly before 9:00 p.m.

Officers of the respective organizations attending the dinner. Standing are (L-R): Jonathan McCleese (Sergeant-at-Arms), Frank Peters (Adjutant), Stanley White (Commander), George Calder (2nd Lt. Commander), James Perkins (Commander, SCV Camp #2257), Adam Gaines (Camp Genealogist), & Darron Williams (1st Lt. Commander); Seated are the ladies from Chapter #2689, UDC. [Officers are from Camp #1321 unless otherwise noted.]

Thanks to everyone who was able to make it out, and special thanks to those from the Cleburne Camp and the UDC for coming to join us!

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321

Random Thoughts This Lee-Jackson Week

Let me kick this one off by saying THANK YOU to all who keep up with this site. We just hit our 1000th view in the last few days, and I can only hope that I'll remain creative enough to keep someone interested in reading as the weeks and months roll on.

This week we are seeing people all over the country rise up in the midst of cold temperatures and even colder opposition to honor two of the greatest Americans ever in the season of their respective births - Gen. Robert Edward Lee (January 19th) & Gen. Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21st). These two men are worthy of the respect of the entire freedom loving world. It would be nigh to impossible to find two other figures in the history of this nation since the end of the first Revolutionary War who exemplified virtue, courage, honor, sacrifice, humility, Christian faith, traditional values, and love of country more than these two men! The outpouring of love and respect in demonstrations all over the south has been encouraging to see, and we commend all who are participating in these public displays of Confederate heritage pride.

Still I read these stories in the so-called news, the blogosphere, and social media where the hateful kooks are still singing that same old dishonest song about Lee & Jackson being traitors or warriors in the defense of slavery... if these people actually gave a half rip about history and facts, they'd be singing a different tune! I read about how the Governor of Arkansas wants to separate Lee from MLK Day in their state... excuse me, Governor, but Lee was here first, and what you're calling for is a form of segregation! And then there's this absolutely disgusting video of protesters at the Lee-Jackson monument in Maryland hassling and bullying two middle-aged adults who simply stopped by to pay their respects to the two generals! The one, a lady, brought a wreath to place at the monument and the protesters kept grabbing it and throwing it to the ground! Then these thugs, who are of multiple racial backgrounds by the way, set up a toilet at the base of the monument and proceeded to burn images of Confederate heroes within. It even looked like the toilet had been used... How despicable those are who oppose honoring virtuous men! It is truly beyond the understanding of rational people how such nonsense could be viewed as good or praise worthy.

Here in the state of Michigan, the sons and daughters of the south are stirring in support of our honorable heritage! Both the Adm. Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn) and the Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne Camp #2257 (Grand Rapids) have seen growth over the last 7 months. I am encouraged all the time to learn of new members rising up.

In the coming days the Semmes Camp will be hosting the annual Lee-Jackson Dinner, and based on the RSVP responses, we are expecting a very nice turn out! Once the event takes place, we'll post photos here on the page.

Special days like birthdays and event anniversaries are wonderful times to stop and reflect on our ancestors and the great men under who's leadership they served. We must use times like these to educate others on why we celebrate this shared heritage and why it is worthy of such respectful remembrance.

As for our beloved heroes, Gen. Lee & Gen. Jackson, we give thanks to God above that men such as these once lived, and for the legacy of virtue that they passed down to us through the example they set while upon this planet. We can only pray that God will raise up another generation of men such as these to lead the march back to a more virtuous era.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEN. LEE!

MAY GOD FOREVER BLESS YOUR MEMORY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GEN. JACKSON!

MAY GOD FOREVER BLESS YOUR MEMORY!

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321

Train Up A Child...

I can't remember the very first time I learned about the Nazis, but I'm certain it was at a young age. It's entirely possible that my first understanding of Hitler's regime came from watching the Indiana Jones trilogy (long before they made the crazy fourth one about Communists and extra-terrestrials). In the first and third films, the Nazis are strongly connected to the main antagonists - rival archaeologists trying to obtain a powerful, legendary artifact for Hitler's use before Indy can get to it and archive it in a museum. Through the portrayal of the Nazis in those films, I likely got my first impressions of them. I learned the following: 1. they were German; 2. they were evil; 3. they wanted to rule the world. It would be years later that I would learn about the horrors of the Holocaust and the war that brought them to ruin, but in my tender youth I could summarize my thoughts of them by quoting Dr. Jones' famous line: "Nazis... I hate these guys!"

Some time later, probably upon the prodding of some elementary school assignment, I was tasked with inquiring of my parents about my heritage. I learned from my Dad that through his family I am part Irish. When I asked my mother about her family, I was initially horrified when she told me that I was part German. In my young mind, I instantly equated that to mean I had some evil Nazi ancestry. I was so relieved when Mom explained how all Germans were not Nazis and that our family left Germany long before the Nazis existed.

There is a strong movement today to instill in the hearts and minds of young people the idea that the Confederacy and southerners of the antebellum-era should be thought of the same way that I did about the Nazis at such an impressionable age.

I was in high-school when I first heard a teacher suggest that the Confederacy equaled treason and racism. I was blessed to have had it happen not in my formative years, but at a point in my life when I was bent toward finding things out for myself and mentally capable of doing so ... and that's exactly what I did. It was that moment that sparked my life-long study of the Confederacy, and as any honest, logical study of the topic will, it lead me to find that the Confederacy was not about treason & slavery, but that it was about the exact same thing the American Revolution was about - FREEDOM FROM TYRANNY!

If a child is taught the wrong way about anything from an early age onward, it will be much harder to instill in it's mind the truth later down the road. The opposite is also true, however, and that is why it is so important for parents and other adults in the home to be involved with teaching them the truth about many things from birth onward.

Teach your youth about their honorable Confederate heritage, heroes, and symbols! Do not let the liberals in the media & academia indoctrinate them with lies and untruths. If you do, they will gasp in horror when they learn of their Confederate bloodline, and they will despise that part of their history which is so worthy of pride!

NO DESCENDANT OF A CONFEDERATE VETERAN SHOULD EVER BE MADE TO FEEL ASHAMED OF SUCH A NOBLE AND HONORABLE BLOODLINE...

ESPECIALLY NOT A CHILD!

DEO VINDICE!

- Jonathan McCleese

Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321

FROM HQ: A Special Message from SCV Commander-in-Chief Barrow

Compatriots and friends,

One hundred fifty years ago the War Against Southern Independence ended with a devastated South. Since that time, the South has rebuilt and stands as a shining symbol of determination and dedication in the face of opposition and hostility. However in our day, there are those who seek to place upon the South another "reconstruction." Some have called this a time of "Southern Cleansing." Their goal is to remove all things Southern. One such attempt is current in the city of New Orleans. The city leaders have ordered the removal of Southern monuments that have stood in this Southern City for decades. Therefore

WHEREAS, on January 14, 2016, the New Orleans case is brought before the legal system for hearing, determination, and decision; and

WHEREAS, it is vital that Southern Heritage be protected via the preservation of the Southern Monuments in the city of New Orleans; and

WHEREAS, the Sons of Confederate Veterans is the premiere Southern Heritage organization in the United States.

NOW, THEREFORE, I Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate veterans, do hereby proclaim Thursday, January 14, 2016,as:

"A DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR THE PRESERVATION OF SOUTHERN HERITAGE"

for all members and friends of the Sons of Confederate Veterans,

PROCLAIMED this 13th day of January, 2016.

Deo Vindice!

Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans
@scvcic
www.scv.org

Politically Correct Discrimination in the Twenty-First Century

Steve Parrish, a 30-year veteran of the Dothan (AL) Police Dept., was elected to be the town's chief of police by a 6-1 vote of the city council last April. A revelation about Chief Parrish's past, however, now has some local citizens calling for his resignation. What is this deep, dark secret from the Chief's past, you might be wondering. The reason Chief Parrish's job is being threatened is simply because he's a descendant of a Confederate veteran and is publicly proud of that fact!

Several kook websites & blogs have picked up on the story, and they play up the notion that the SCV is a 'neo-confederate' organization, but what does that actually mean? One loose definition for the term 'neo-confederate' is "a term describing groups and individuals who portray the Confederate States of America and its actions in the American Civil War in a positive light" (Wikipedia); another definition is given by the Southern Poverty Law Center (a pseudo-civil-rights organization) as being "twentieth and twenty-first century revivals of pro-Confederate sentiment in the United States." These loose definitions are extremely vague, however, and leave much to be assumed by the reader or insinuated by the author of the story as to what "pro-Confederate sentiment" is and what it means to "portray the Confederate States of America and its actions in the American Civil War in a positive light."

Due to the high level of misinformation and historical revisionism about the Confederacy in the media and academia, the label of 'neo-confederate' often gets used to promulgate the idea that members of groups given that label desire the return of chattel slavery and/or support the overthrow/destruction of the U.S. government. As any member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans knows, this is absolutely not the case, and wasn't even true of the Confederacy when it existed. The widespread acceptance, however, of such misinformation is precisely why it is completely acceptable among politically correct institutions to discriminate against Southerners who are proud of their heritage and active in honoring it.

This is not entirely new news to most of us who are willing to publicly display the flags of our ancestors and stand up in defense of their good name and The Cause for which they fought. We know that this Cause was not slavery or the destruction of the U.S. gov't, as so many are being misguided to believe, but was the cause of independence, self-determination, limited government "of, for, and by the people," and the right of sovereign states to shake off the bonds of tyranny and determine their own course. In all truth, there is absolutely no ideological difference between being proud of one's Confederate ancestry and being proud of a heritage that connects to a Patriot soldier of the Revolutionary War, as the Patriot and the Confederate fought for the exact same things.

How is it, then, that such blatant discrimination can be so acceptable in 21st-century American society? When will the movement of equal rights extend to include Southerners who are proud of their Confederate heritage? As the headlines in the first days of this calendar year will attest, that day is nowhere in sight.

In times like this I am reminded of something that was said at the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Encouraging solidarity between all of the signers, Ben Franklin is reported to have told his fellow patriots, "We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately." Let us stand tall and proud, my fellow Compatriots! Stand tall and proud TOGETHER!

DEO VINDICE
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321

A Despicable Start to 2016

Last night I returned home from an evening with friends to find an awful story waiting for me in my Confederate-newsfeed, and upon just reading the headline my blood began to boil...

Nine grave markers, most belonging to Confederate military officers, were vandalized at the Oakwood Cemetery in Raleigh, NC last week. The total cost of repairing the damages is being estimated around $20,000. As best as I can ascertain, the perpetrators are still at large. (LINK)

As a historian, a genealogist, a preservationist, and the descendant of American military veterans who have served in every armed conflict throughout the nation's history, THIS OUTRAGES ME!!! I don't care who's grave it is, civilized people don't do that! People in a civil society shouldn't act that way! We are talking about tombstones in a cemetery, and some thug(s) thought it appropriate to go in with a can of spray paint to deface them!

This was not the post I had planned as the first for the new year, but here we are.

I have a proposal for how to deal with anyone caught, charged, and prosecuted for vandalizing any monuments & graves, particularly those for Confederate veterans. They should be sentenced to probation with community service, which would include (but not be limited to):
- cleaning up the monument(s) that they vandalized
- maintaining the site for a period of no less than 4 years
- paying a fine of at least, but not limited to, the amount estimated for repair of said vandalized monuments
- attend history classes taught by a member of a Confederate Heritage organization, using the curriculum provided by the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

If they violate the probation through failure to comply with any of the above, then they should have to do some jail time along with paying the aforementioned fine.

If anyone reading this blog can provide any information that could help lead to the arrest of the vandal(s) in the story above, contact the Raleigh, NC Police Department using the information at the following link: Raleigh, NC Police Dept.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321