I Hate to Say 'I Told Ya So,' but...

Hello friends & Compatriots!

By now you've almost certainly heard about the latest flag controversy, this time over the Gadsden flag. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it's a flag that originated during the 1st War of American Independence. It's a yellow flag with a depiction of a coiled rattlesnake and the words "DON'T TREAD ON ME" written underneath.

Apparently, somebody filed a complaint in 2014 with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about a co-worker wearing a hat with a depiction of the Gadsden flag, saying that it was racially offensive. The EEOC recently said in a statement that "whatever the historic origins and meaning of the symbol, it also has since been sometimes interpreted to convey racially-tinged messages in some contexts,” and that "in light of the ambiguity in the current meaning of this symbol, we find that Complainant’s claim must be investigated to determine the specific context in which [the coworker] displayed the symbol in the workplace."

When this blog first started one year ago we were just entering the new era of Confederaphobia. At that time so many of us warned that the war on Confederate flags & symbols would only be a first step in this war on American culture, and that it would not stop there.

In one of the earliest blogs posted on this page, I wrote that "[t]he movement now underway to remove [the Confederate] flag, dishonor the brave soldiers that served under it, and disrespect the 70-million descendants of Confederate veterans is rooted in the same demonic cesspool as the movements in this nation to slander historical figures & traditional symbols of America..."

Using the allegations of racism, and in our current culture of political correctness, it seems that anything could be construed as racist. Instead of laughing at the ridiculousness of the claim and throwing it out, as should have been done, this federal commission is giving legitimacy to the most ludicrous of claimed offenses, and thus setting a precedent for even more of this nonsense to follow.

Many folks, including some good and well intentioned people, were suckered into joining the chorus of voices calling for the public banishment of Confederate flags and symbols in the last year. Some of those people would have encouraged us to replace our "rebel flags" with those of "the original American rebellion against tyranny." Now they are finding out that we what we were saying all along is true.

I call on all Americans who love freedom and the historical symbols under which it has been defended to stand with the Sons of Confederate Veterans in the defense of Confederate flags & symbols! If the politically correct myth makers fail at changing perceptions of our symbol they'll have less of an incentive to go after yours!

A QUICK REMINDER: SCV Membership dues were up on August 1st. If you haven't paid your HQ and camp dues yet, you only have so much time before the grace period ends, so please renew your membership as soon as you can.

Also, a meeting for Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 has been scheduled for October 8th! Camp members, please save the date and watch for emails for further information about the meeting.

Before I close, I apologize for the lack of updates recently, but they'll pick up again soon. To help keep up with updates as I post them, I've added a subscription bar, which you can find over on the right side of the page. Just type in your email, submit it, and then follow the instructions to confirm your subscription.

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
2nd Lieutenant Commander
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Imagine...

John Lennon had a popular hit song that shares a title with this blog entry. His song asked folks to envision his idea of global utopia that is impossible to achieve (and not entirely desirable).

This is not about that. Instead, I'd like you to imagine the following two scenarios. One is a fact based story, and the other is quickly becoming one. First...

Imagine that you're a 30 year-old poor white farmer living in the south during 1860-1861. You have a large number of family & friends who live around you, and everyone works together to farm the land and eek out an existence. You're too poor to own slaves, and, unlike the slaves, you have no one else to keep a roof over your head, food on your table, or to care for you in any other way except yourself, your 2-months-pregnant wife, and 4 kids (ranging from ages 12 to 1.5).

One day you hear of a commotion in the town, and go out to learn that the President of the United States is raising up an Army to invade the recently seceded Southern states, one of which you live within! In order to protect your family & what very little property you own, you're being asked to sign up to fight in the military defense of your state.

Then, try to conceive of what it would have been like to have been on battlefield after battlefield, see your friends bleed to death, watch people get cut in half by the shot of a cannon, and all of the gruesome & gory aspects of war in the 1860s. 

After a few years of this, you receive a letter from your little wife at home... she says that they're getting by, but it's been hard since the Union troops took over town three months ago. They come and go through the homes of private citizens as they please, taking for themselves most of the good food anybody might have stored up. The baby girl born after going off to war is now a little more than two years old, but is sick, and the Union troops "requisitioned" what little medicine they found in the house; without it, all she's got is a prayer. Your other daughter, now almost 15, was out picking berries when the Union army rolled into town, and being the first pretty girl some had seen recently, was lured by a group of the men into a sexual assault. When she came home, your wife says she knew instantly what had happened, but dared not say a word about it for fear of their home being burned down as had happened to some of their neighbors. The 4 boys were doing well, but hard to keep in line at times, and she fears one will say the wrong thing to some Union soldier and face who knows what repercussions. Despite all of this, she begs you to fight on, not to desert, and not to get killed, and do all in your power to help Gen. Lee win this terrible war.

Finally, imagine journeying back home a few days after learning that General Lee had surrendered you. Defeated in war, and broken in heart, mind, body, & soul, you drag yourself back to the town you left to protect and hope to go back to some resemblance of normal life. As you travel you see nothing but war-torn land, and war-weary people. Finally you approach your home, and see three rock tombstones in the yard where none had been before, the names of your two daughters and oldest son hand-carved into the stones. You pass out from the combination of exhaustion & shock, and awake to learn that the baby had died shortly after you got your last letter, your oldest daughter killed herself over the shame of being raped by Union soldiers, and your oldest boy, aged 15, had been shot just days ago after stabbing one of the men who claimed to have violated his dead older sister.

This is what you went to war to stop... your dead children and traumatized wife & sons are the ones you went to war to protect... and this is the result of the Northern Army's invasion into the South in their conquest to keep the tariffs (taxes) on Southern businesses and ports pouring money into the U.S. treasury.

These are the men and the families for whom old veterans of the gray & their wives, widows, sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, grandchildren, nieces & nephews, etc. raised up flags and monuments to honor. Selfishly too many have made these things about themselves or their post-war agendas, both the racists and the pseudo civil-rights groups alike, but these things have nothing to do with racism, slavery, Jim Crow, etc.  These monuments stand and flags fly in honor of honorable soldiers & their families. Only the hateful, the ignorant, and/or the intolerant people of the modern day think otherwise.

After thinking about that for a moment, then imagine the following scenario.

In 2016, a monument is erected on the courthouse lawn of Anytown, USA to honor the heroes of our nation who served in the first Gulf War.

Now imagine that 150 years later Anytown has become a predominantly Muslim community, and for 15 decades more & more people start believing that the Gulf War and Middle-East wars that followed in the early 2000s were about subjecting the Arab/Muslim world under the thumb of the U.S. simply for control of that region's oil.

How does the idea sit with you that monuments built to honor the sacrifices of men & women we currently know, love, and consider heroes for their military service might be vandalized, knocked down, or moved out of public sight because the people in Anytown, USA might consider our heroes to be evil & offensive in the year 2166?

That is exactly what is happening across the south with Confederate flags and monuments in the public square, which are essentially no different than tombstones. They were erected by people who lost loved ones... fathers, sons, husbands, uncles, nephews & cousins... many of them never making it back home.

They were paid for by donations from surviving veterans, survivors of the fallen, & friends, with some contributions being large, but most probably being very small; sometimes all folks could give were pennies at a time, and they did so while struggling to put food upon their tables.

They were erected in the most public of places to be sure that their brave loved-ones would never be forgotten.

This monument, and others like it, are incredible symbols of love, not hate.

Those who engage in, support, or contribute to the removal of such monuments are the one's filled with hate, and no better than those who would desecrate a gravesite. There is no good in such people.

These are just some thoughts I leave here for you to ponder as the media fills your mind with half-truths & total lies.

DEO VINDICE!
-Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

U.S. Gov't Recognition of the Confederate Veteran

So often, as I read the news articles, letters to the editors, and web comments on both, I see so many using the foulest terms to describe our Confederate ancestors. Among those terms, though certainly not the worst, are "traitor" & "criminal." This, however, was not the sentiment of most Union veterans after the war, and only most divisive politicians held that opinion.

It must be realized that no matter what charges were ever brought against any Confederate soldiers, sailors, officers or government officials, only one was ever tried & convicted of treason (Capt. Henry Wirz - the commanding officer at "Andersonville" Prison), and that was done on trumped up charges & false testimony in a "kangaroo court."

Many will say that we need to "restore the honor" for our brave Confederate heroes, but what has never been diminished needs not to be restored. Instead, we need to RECOGNIZE THE HONOR, and educate others of why the honor is worthy of recognition. 

Through a process that took a century, give or take, our reunited country took action to recognize & properly honor the Confederate veterans as American veterans worthy of honor. Below is a timeline that I have put together that shows the process. Pay close attention to the words of U.S. President Carter at the end...

[April 1865]
The close of major military action in the War Between the States

[May 29, 1865]
PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION 134: U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants amnesty to most regular Confederate soldiers.

[July 4, 1868]
PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION 170: Pres. Johnson grants pardon to all persons participating in the "late rebellion," with the exception to those under indictment for treason or other felonies.

[July 9, 1868]
14th AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION: Section 3 of the Amendment prohibits the election or appointment to any federal or state office of any person who had held any of certain offices and then were accused of engaging in insurrection, rebellion, or treason; this is the only punishment ever given to the select few Confederate officials not pardoned through Pres. Andrew Johnson's earlier proclamations.

[December 25, 1868]
PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION 179: President Johnson grants full pardon & amnesty for the offense of treason against the United States during the War Between the States. This does not, however, nullify Section 3 of the 14th Amendment.

[April - August 1898]
THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR: Thousands of Americans of Confederate heritage come together with their Northern brethren to serve their reunited country in military action. Among the thousands of Southerners who served in the United States military during that conflict were the following four Confederate officers...

- Matthew C. Butler
(A Colonel in the Confederate Army; a Major General for the U.S. Volunteer Troops in the Span-Am War.)

- Fitzhugh Lee
(Maj.Gen. in the Confederate Army; Maj.Gen. for the U.S. Volunteer Troops in the Span-Am War. Also, a nephew of Gen. Robert E Lee.)

- Thomas L. Rosser
(Maj.Gen. in the Confederate Army; Maj.Gen. for the U.S. Volunteer Troops in the Span-Am War. Also, a nephew of Gen. Robert E Lee.)

- Joe Wheeler
(Lt.Gen. in the Confederate Army; Maj.Gen. for the U.S. Volunteer Troops in the Span-Am War.)

[December 1898]
In a speech, President Wm. McKinley urges complete reconciliation between Northern & Southern U.S. citizens. Pres. McKinley said, in part, that "every soldier's grave made during our unfortunate civil war is a tribute to American valor... and now the time has come... when, in the spirit of fraternity, we should share in the care of the graves of the Confederate soldiers... The cordial feeling now happily existing between the North and South prompts this gracious act, and if it need further justification, it is found in the gallant loyalty to the Union and the flag so conspicuously shown in the year just passed by the sons and grandsons of those heroic dead."

[June 6, 1900]
CONGRESSIONAL APPROPRIATIONS ACT, FISCAL YEAR 1901: Congress magnanimously passes the bill, which appropriates $2,500 to enable the Secretary of War "to have reburied in some suitable spot in the national cemetery at Arlington, Virginia, and to place proper headstones at the their graves the bodies of about 128 Confederate soldiers now buried in the National Soldiers Home near Washington, D.C., and the bodies of about 136 Confederate soldiers now buried in the national cemetery at Arlington, Virginia."

[March 9, 1906]
CONGRESSIONAL ACT - P.L. 38, 59TH CONGRESS, CHAP. 631-34, STAT. 56: Congress authorizes the furnishing of headstones for the graves of Confederate veterans, particularly those who died in Union prison camps and were buried in federal cemeteries.

[January 21, 1907]
The U.S. War Department establishes the Civil War Campaign Medal. Authorization for it's creation was given by Congress in 1905, and it was intended for veterans of both the Union and Confederate armies. A corresponding naval award, the Navy Civil War Medal, was established on June 27, 1908, by the U.S. Navy Department.

[February 26, 1929]
U.S. PUBLIC LAW 810: Approved by Congress, this law expanded upon what began in the aforementioned 1906 legislation, authorizing the Secretary of War "to erect headstones over the graves of soldiers who served in the Confederate Army, and to direct him to preserve in the records of the War Department the names and places of burial of all soldiers for whom such headstones have been erected." This legislation broadened the scope of recognition for Confederate veterans, allowing for them to receive burial benefits equivalent to those granted for Union Army veterans, providing the use of government (public) funds for the marking and recording of Confederate graves. This law is still on the books as 38 U.S. Code, Sec. 2306, which reads, in part: "The Secretary shall furnish, when requested, appropriate Government headstones or markers at the expense of the United States for the unmarked graves of... Soldiers of the Union and Confederate Armies of the Civil War."

[May 27, 1958]
U.S. PUBLIC LAW 85-425: SEC. 410: Passed by Congress, the law states: "The Administrator shall pay to each person who served in the military or naval forces of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War a monthly pension in the same amounts and subject to the same conditions as would have been applicable to such person under the laws in effect on December 31, 1957, if his service in such forces had been service in the military or naval service of the United States." This act, combined with all of those previously stated, effectively placed the Confederate veteran on equal legal footing with those who served in the Union Army. Because of this, there have been children of Confederate veterans collecting pension benefits right up to our current decade, earned through their respective fathers' service in the Confederate military, equal to those collected by the surviving children of Union veterans.

Aside from these, there are two other notable, noble acts of the United States government that should also be remembered.

[August 5, 1975]
Pres. Gerald R. Ford signs into law a joint congressional resolution (passed June 13, 1975) restoring full citizenship to Gen. Robert E. Lee, after the 1970 discovery of documents in the archives proving that he had filed all of the necessary paperwork for it. The resolution declared that "the legal disabilities placed upon General Lee as a result of his service as General of the Army of Northern Virginia are removed, and that General R. E. Lee is posthumously restored to the full rights of citizenship." At the signing of the resolution, Pres. Ford stated, "[a]s a soldier, General Lee left his mark on military strategy. As a man, he stood as the symbol of valor and of duty. As an educator, he appealed to reason and learning to achieve understanding and to build a stronger nation... General Lee's character has been an example to succeeding generations, making the restoration of his citizenship an event in which every American can take pride."

[October 17, 1978]
Pres. James E. Carter signs into law a joint congressional resolution (passed October 3, 1978) restoring full citizenship to Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Davis never sought or received pardon for the crimes of which he was accused, as he was never convicted of any during his lifetime. Because he did not seek such a pardon or take an oath of amnesty or allegiance to the United States after the war, he died a man without a country. At the signing of this act, Pres. Carter said, "[i]n posthumously restoring the full rights of citizenship to Jefferson Davis, the Congress officially completes the long process of reconciliation that has reunited our people following the tragic conflict between the States. ... He had served the United States long and honorably as a soldier, Member of the U.S. House and Senate, and as Secretary of War. General Robert E. Lee's citizenship was restored in 1976. It is fitting that Jefferson Davis should no longer be singled out for punishment." "Our Nation needs to clear away the guilts and enmities and recriminations of the past, to finally set at rest the divisions that threatened to destroy our Nation and to discredit the principles on which it was founded. Our people need to turn their attention to the important tasks that still lie before us in establishing those principles for all people."

There are currently efforts underway to undo all of the progress & healing that the above efforts achieved, by those who seek to rip open 150 year-old scars for the purpose of agitating & dividing we, the people, for their own personal gain. WE MUST NOT PERMIT THAT TO HAPPEN. The veterans themselves are gone, and it is our duty to keep fighting the fight in the war of ideas to make sure that the recognition of honor that our ancestors rightfully attained in devoted service to their country is NEVER taken from them.

DEO VINDICE!
-Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Faith & The Flag: An Open Letter to My Christian Family

This blog post will be a little different today. I operate this blog on behalf of both Michigan SCV Camps at the request of both Camp Commanders (Cmdr. White of Camp #1321 and Cmdr. Perkins of Camp #2257), and being that this blog represents the camps, I do my very best to keep the postings on message and not to talk much about myself. Unfortunately, recent events with a large Christian denomination in our nation have compelled me to share my story of how I came to join the SCV. The SCV is not a religion or religious organization, but the SCV does recognize the Judaeo-Christian foundations of our nation and of the nation our Southern ancestors sought to build. The following is not an endorsement, from either Michigan camp or the SCV organization, of any religion or faith teaching. It is simply my story... a testimony of sorts.

When I was boy, growing up in the southeastern suburbs of Detroit, there were certain symbols that fascinated me, whether they were those of iconic fictional characters (like the Batman logo), sports teams (the 1980s Detroit Tigers emblem), or religion (like the Celtic cross). One such symbol that always seemed to captivate me was that one red flag with a big blue 'X' containing 13 white stars.

As a kid I saw it, probably for the first time on 'The Dukes of Hazzard,' and I just thought it looked awesome! I've found that most children feel the same way until they've been conditioned to think otherwise. I'm not sure at what point in life it was, but somewhere along the way I learned that it had something to do with the southern United States. I'm certain that it was in school that I learned it was a flag related to the "rebel" Confederate States of America during the War Between The States, but by the time of my childhood in the mid-1980s it had taken on the meaning of "southern pride." Living in the suburbs of Detroit, there were a lot of people with southern roots. In the glory days of "the big three" automobile manufacturers, many folks migrated from the poverty stricken, rural areas of Appalachia to the Metro-Detroit area in search of a good paying job. Despite the change in scenery, most of those folks held tight to their southern roots, and took pride in where they came from. One way they could publicly express this sentiment was by displaying their "rebel flag."

Sometime after I'd gotten into high-school, we once again had lessons about the War Between The States. It was at this time that I started wondering if I had ancestors that served in that war. My family was from the south (both of my parents were born & raised in KY) and I assumed that I probably had at least one that did. To find out about this I had to start doing my family tree, and eventually I learned that I had an ancestor who served in the 6th North Carolina Cavalry regiment... for the Confederacy! I was so excited! I now had a personal connection to that really awesome flag that I'd grown up loving to see!

It was not until my sophomore or junior year of high school (around the year 2000) when I first heard of any supposed connection between the Confederate flag & racism. I was on the yearbook committee, and I was publicly shamed by a teacher for suggesting a yearbook cover design that featured the American flag & the CSA Battle Flag. She feigned appall that I would suggest such a cover design! Of course I knew that it has been used at times by the Klan and other racial hate groups, but so were/are the Cross and the U.S. Flag, and I know that they aren't really racist symbols either.

While being a Southron by blood, I'm chiefly a born-again follower of Jesus. I gave my heart to Christ and started serving Him around the age of 5, and what bothered me more than being publicly shamed over the flag was the thought that I might be dishonoring God by my display of it. I decided then that I needed to further look into the history of the Confederate States of America, the Confederate soldiers, and the use of that flag after the War Between The States. What I learned in the intense study that followed (which continues to this day) has shaped my understanding of that flag. Over the last 16 years, I've prayed countless times over the matter, and asked God to show me if I was wrong to display it. I never once felt as though God was saying to stop.

About four years ago I began looking into joining the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I spent that time investigating the organization to make sure that being a part of it would not be a conflict of interest in my service to Christ. I spoke with others, followers of Christ, who didn't care one way or another about that flag, whether they thought it was a bad idea and asked them to also pray that God would guide me. I never received any counsel or inclination through it all suggesting that I should not do it. So with assurance in my heart, mind, and soul that it was not improper for me to do so, I joined the SCV last May, and got my membership certificate one week before last June's tragedy in Charleston.

I believe that God was aware that the sad incident in Charleston last summer was going to happen all those years ago when I started praying about joining the SCV, and I believe that He also knew this flag issue was going to blow up on the scale that it has. Why did He not warn me, or give me any inclination if the Confederate flag was something I shouldn't be for? Why did He not, in the last four years, steer me away from joining the SCV if joining an organization that promotes the display of that flag would be in conflict with honoring Him?

I have said all of this to hopefully show that my position regarding the CSA Battle Flag is not one that was taken without years & years of study & prayer. You might have read all of that and come to a conclusion that I ignored or overlooked God's guidance at some point in time. You'll then have to decide whether it is really your place to make such a judgement regarding me & my relationship with Christ.

The movement now underway to remove that flag (and other symbols of the Confederacy) dishonors the brave soldiers that served under it (many of them being our Christian brothers), and disrespects the 70-million living descendants of Confederate veterans (many of whom hold that flag dear). This anti-Confederate movement is rooted in the same demonic cesspool as the movements in this nation to slander historical figures & traditional symbols of America, and also those of Christianity.

It would be impossible for me to type out with words how passionately I detest racism, discrimination, oppression, and bigotry & any group or organization that would seek to promote such things. My display of Confederate symbols is not intended to promote any of that or offend anyone; I only seek to properly & passionately honor my veteran ancestors.

I believe that the well intentioned Christians standing with those calling for this destruction of Southern heritage are only helping those currently involved in creating even more racial, social, and political division in a nation that is currently on the path to prove that "divided we fall." Some fellow believers have used a particular verse of Scripture (Romans 14:13) as their justification for denouncing the flag & symbols of the Confederacy, but the real "stumbling block" that has been set out ahead of us is the hateful lie that the Confederate flag is a symbol of racism which is to be reviled. Sadly, this is the myth that is now being perpetuated by so many who claim to follow Christ.

I do not believe that Christ has called us at any point to compromise truth for lies, or love for hate. To do so for any reason would dishonor God. Hate & lies do nothing to further His cause (which is the cause I am chiefly devoted to) and are in direct opposition to the Gospel.

There is no stopping anyone that wants to hijack a symbol for hateful use, but it is another problem when we give in to the hate & lies, either by becoming hateful or letting them set the narrative. I refuse to let the hate & lies win on either front. I believe that it is my duty to not let groups like the KKK, NAACP, or even the Southern Baptist Convention redefine Confederate symbols for their own hateful and/or political purposes.

So in the interest of honoring Christ, by standing up for truth & standing against hate, I will keep flying the Confederate Battle Flag and encourage others to do so. Maybe you're a fellow believer, yet you disagree with me about the flag. If so, I will pray for you, and I ask that you will also pray for me. Not one of us is perfect or has perfect understanding, but I have faith that God's grace is sufficient for us, and that He will lead us through the Holy Spirit if we are willing to be obedient.

 Yours in the Bonds of the Old South & Christian Fellowship,
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Not a Martyr, But a Monster... Their Monster!

On Monday, the Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 held a Memorial Day service at the Confederate Stockade Cemetery on Johnson's Island, near Sandusky, OH. It was this author's first trip to the island cemetery, and it was also my privilege to give the keynote address for the service. The past few days were, in many ways, a welcome reprieve from what has become a regular drumbeat of anti-Confederate sentiment in the media. Instead, my newsfeed the past few days has been filled with story after story of people coming together to honor our brave boys in gray for what is our most hallowed of non-religious national holidays. More will be written, hopefully later this week about our camp's most recent journey to Johnson's Island, but today I want to discuss an article that caught my eye & raised my ire...

Julianne Malveaux, a columnist for the NNPA (National Newspaper Publishers Association) News Wire, recently wrote the 1,723,584th published article that attempts to tie the horrific murder of nine Charleston, SC church goers last summer to the Confederacy. Obviously I'm being a bit facetious with that number, but the fact is that an untold number of published media has wrongly asserted that connection over the last 12 months.

In her article, Malveaux talks about how the madman who committed the Charleston mass shooting should not be given the death penalty, and one of her reasons is that she thinks "[the madman] can turn into a Confederate martyr if he is killed."

A Confederate martyr?! How much more ridiculous could she get? That psychopathic, pimply-faced murderer has absolutely no more connection to the Confederacy by holding a replica of it's battle flag in a picture than I would to the company that makes my blue jeans! How hard is it to understand that there is no stopping anyone that wants to hijack or misappropriate any symbol (national, historic, religious, etc.) for hateful use! A Confederate martyr? Absolutely not; More like a monster of the media's own creation.

The problem is when we give in to the hate & lies, either by becoming hateful or by letting the hateful liars set the narrative. Malveaux exposes herself as having done both, since she has let those who misappropriate Confederate symbols for hateful purposes & those who perpetuate the myth that the Confederacy existed for the preservation of slavery. By doing so, she has let them set the narrative of the Confederacy for her, and in turn has manufactured her hate for all of us who identify with our Confederate heritage by presuming that we would look to a murderous basket-case as some sort of martyr to idolize or emulate. It is people like her, who write such articles, that create the breeding ground for more hate, filling the heads of other racist jerks that it is they who best represent the Confederacy and it's symbols. This is simply the circular nature of how hate & lies breed lies & hate.

This demonization of Confederate heritage and symbols is the kind of giving into hatred which will lead to people getting hurt or killed. If we feed this notion that symbols of the Confederacy are racist in nature, then it will not only embolden those who wish to terrorize or do harm to others under such symbolism, but it will also create a false sense of justification for others to terrorize and do harm to those who display it with no negative intentions. It's already happened several times since last summer. A black man, Anthony Hervey, was murdered just last year for his support of the Confederate Flag, being run off of the road after a Confederate Flag Rally by other blacks who'd had their heads filled with such negativity and hate. A woman in Ohio had her house broken into and she was assaulted simply because she had a Confederate flag in her window. A man in Minnesota was beaten because he stepped in to protect his niece, who was being threatened for wearing a hat w/ the Confederate flag on it.

It is just that type of giving in to hatred, lies and negativity that will forever divide this nation unless we resolve to stop it. It's causing people to vilify great men in our nation's history like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, and yes, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson... If we don't correct course now, and start acknowledging & celebrating the positives rather than focusing on the negatives, then the turmoil will never stop.

What if we do get rid of all public displays honoring the Confederacy and the brave folks who served in it's armed forces? What will be next? The cross of Christ? It's already under attack. The American Flag? It, too, receives fire from those who choose to focus on negativity and hate by calling it a racist flag. The Democratic Party is phasing out "Jefferson-Jackson" dinners because Thomas Jefferson & Andrew Jackson both carry "historical baggage." Eventually, it WILL creep to such figures as George Washington... and yes, once the Confederate flags and monuments are all gone, then old Abe Lincoln will become a focus of the negativity and hatred, and they'll be crushing the monuments built to honor his mythologized legacy too. We'll have to totally raze Washington D.C.'s historic buildings, as many of them either were built by slaves or honor one-time slave owners, and then we can bulldoze Wall Street, since it made tons of money through the institution of slavery.

History is muddy & dirty, and no individual (w/ the exception of Jesus; I know not everyone believes in Him, but I do) or organization throughout the whole expanse of it is entirely perfect or without fault. The perpetuation of lies & hatred by the media and academia has to stop, or there will be no factual account of history. All that will remain are nice little myths created to coddle those who can't cope with historic reality, and there will be a number of completely unnecessary acts of violence committed around the country that can be traced right back to those who continue to perpetuate such falsehoods & negativity.

STOP THE HATE.
STOP THE LIES.
RETURN TO TRUTH & LOVE.
RESTORE THE HONOR!

DEO VINDICE!
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

A SPECIAL MESSAGE: Report of the Deputy Chief of Heritage Promotions (May 2016)

It is with permission from SCV Commander-in-Chief Barrow that I republish this message from Byron E. Brady, Deputy Chief of Heritage Promotions for the SCV. Thanks CiC. Barrow!
============================================================

In these days of unjust and ungodly attacks upon our Confederate Heritage, it is imperative that we keep our flags flying. CIC Barrow and Chief of Heritage Operations Stevens have the same philosophy regarding the flying of our flags.
 
“When they take one of our flags down, we need to put two flags up.”
This should also be the same philosophy of every SCV member.
 
The Heritage Operations Committee has funds to help you get Confederate flags placed in prominent areas of the country. Please contact our headquarters at Elm Springs if your camp has a project that can accomplish this goal.
 
Let’s show this country just how proud we are of the Confederate flag.

Byron E. Brady
Deputy Chief of Heritage Promotions
Sons of Confederate Veterans

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DEO VINDICE! 
- Jonathan McCleese
Sergeant-at-Arms
Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI)
Army of Tennessee, Sons of Confederate Veterans

"Stand Up For The South"

Greetings Compatriots & Friends!

Starting back in January, I began the process of digitizing the records of Admiral Raphael Semmes Camp #1321 (Dearborn, MI). The camp has been in existence for over forty years, so you can just imagine the number of files I've placed across my scanner bed!

While thumbing through the "newest" batch of old records to scan, I ran across the 1967 Directory for the Sons of Confederate Veterans. While it is generally void of fancy imagery or graphics, it had an interesting message on the third page, and it seemed so appropriate to share with everyone in light of the events of the past 9 months. It says the the SCV slogan for 1966-1967 was "Stand Up For The South," and then lists the following three ways that we can do so...

1. By speaking and writing the truth about the South, the Southern people and the principles for which the Confederacy fought at every opportunity. Do not wait for the opportunity to come to you. Go out and find it.

Write short articles of fifty words or less to the local papers about the heroic exploits of Confederates, or other Southerners of local interest. Do it often.

Make talks before your Sunday School classes, local school classes, civic organizations, and other local groups, at every opportunity, on such subjects that will tend to glorify the South, the Southern people and/or the Confederacy.

Write letters to the local papers, to religious and to the political leaders stressing how our Confederate ancestors, under the most adverse conditions and against the most severe diffculties, raised up a generation more polite, better mannered, more devout in their Christian religion  and of stronger moral character than can be found anywhere else on this earth, yet we have those today who, although well fed and well clothed without working, riot, plunder and burn under the guise that they are driven to it by their lot in life. This is a wonderful opportunity to bring this out so that the world will know it.

2. By refuting the mis-information being spread about us by our enemies at every opportunity. Again, do not wait for the opportunity to find you. Go out and find it. Read the newspapers, the magazines, school books, look at the TV, listen to the radio, public speakers and even personal conversation - For one purpose. To see to it that everything written or spoken that tends to smear degrade or in any way cast aspersions upon the South, the Southern people or the Confederacy is called to their attention and a correction is asked. Do it in the most diplomatic manner. Always be polite. It gets better results and disarms the offender.

3. There is a viscous anti-Southern campaign being waged by a powerful, well financed group to eliminate every vestige of the Confederacy from the news media. Do not give them aid or comfort. Watch carefully for the sin of "omission." One which does not show Confederate Memorial Day or the birthdays of Confederate heroes but shows others, send it back with a polite note saying you would rather not have it and tell them why. Have eternal vigilance in everything.

For a document almost fifty years old, these words ring more true today and provide a great amount of wisdom for those of us today. These three principles can easily be applied to the modern age with our online news sites, Youtube videos, etc. One does not have to engage in endless debate; simple leave well thought out, reasoned comments to state the facts. Eventually someone will read it, and may be inspired to research the facts for themselves or to reach out to you or the SCV in their quest for knowledge. We must be ready to give them the truth.

With that said, I hope and pray that everyone has a blessed Good Friday and Easter. Till next time...

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

They Will Never Stop: A Call For Resolve

At this point I have lost count on all of the attacks upon Confederate symbols across this country in the span of the last nine months. Flags and statues in the public square have been targeted by the hate-agitators, and their sights are unlikely to be diverted anytime soon. As warm weather returns over the next few weeks, I suspect that we'll see the purveyors of ignorance & social unrest emerge from their winter hibernation with new plans to remove, destroy, and erase more of the symbols of Confederate heritage which dot the landscapes of towns and cities all over the American southeast. I have been asked, repeatedly, since last June, "When will this madness end?"; We must, however, acknowledge the uncomfortable truth that stares us right in our eyes - THEY WILL NEVER STOP.

For many of us, this struggle to vindicate the good name of the Confederate soldier has gone on much longer than eight or nine months. We are well aware that this is simply the most recent wave of attacks in a war of ideas that has gone on for more than fifteen decades. Others reading this may be new to this ideological battlefield, and we are certainly grateful to have you rise up beside us. Pledge within yourself to stand firm, resolute in the fight to preserve the monuments of honor that your ancestors-in-gray so valiantly earned on the fields of battle. They had it much harder than we did, as we're not constantly looking down the barrel of cannon and no one has a bayonet pressed to our chest. Instead, this is a thinking-man's war, and we must arm ourselves with facts and truth in order to achieve our victories. 

Regardless of how long you've been in this thing... whether you've been fighting this good fight for decades or a few months... it could be easy to get discouraged as we see the hateful hoards amass and mount for another summer of assault on our heritage. Let me give you a word of encouragement in the vein of our beloved "Stonewall" Jackson, who would tell us to look to the Bible as a guide and source of strength.

"Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."
- Paul, the Apostle (Galatians 6:9)

 DEO VINDICE!

- Jonathan McCleese

Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321

An Intercepted Enemy Communicade

One of the many Sentinels in Grey that top monuments across the south.

Yesterday one of the oldest bastions of Yankee propaganda, 'The New York Times,' published an article, titled "Momentum to Remove Confederate Symbols Slows or Stops," which laments the inability of the cultural Marxists in our nation to do more in their efforts to revise history, destroy the honorable legacy of the Confederate States of America, and malign it's brave men who fought in defense of their homes & home states against an invading foreign army. The article essentially admits the goal of exploiting last June's tragedy in Charleston for their devious and despicable purposes.

This article is, in many ways, a rally cry for our enemies. It's a plea from their backers in high places to not give up their hateful crusade. It's also useful for those of us in the Confederate Heritage Defense movement, much like an intercepted strategy letter would have been during the War Between the States. So what can we learn from this piece? Here's three things I think we can take away from it and use to our advantage...

#1. They know we are paying attention, and are attempting to mislead us.

While this article is a sign that that our defensive measures have largely worked thus far, the headline is extremely deceptive. Saying in the boldest print that their momentum has stalled could lull us into a false sense of security. We must keep in mind that strong efforts throughout the south to remove Confederate monuments and symbols still press onward, and no further evidence is required than to look at the situation in Mississippi. There they are using every means at their disposal, from bully pulpit rallies against the battle-flag canton of their state flag to the most ludicrous of frivolous lawsuits to sue the Governor over declaring April as Confederate Heritage Month. Our compatriots in Louisiana are also still in a fight to preserve the existence of the Confederate memorials in New Orleans, and the Governor of Virginia just vetoed legislation that would have further increased protection for memorials to American veterans of all wars.

#2. They know that they have to impose their hate through political means.

Those who seek to remove monuments to the Confederacy know that they don't have the support of the people in the south, so they'll further seek to manipulate politicians into achieving their agenda, be it through state legislatures or executive orders from state governors. Politicians don't care about our heritage for the most part, especially not in the face of an economic or political backlash. One example of this that is presently ongoing is where an organization called 'Take It Down Now' (in conjunction with the NAACP) is calling on the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) to pull support from the upcoming "Medal of Honor Bowl" football game if the state doesn't act to remove the Confederate Naval Jack that is displayed at the Military College of South Carolina (The Citadel). They are even suggesting that they'll organize a boycott of this event if they do not get their way.

#3. They are planning to expand their range of attack.

The article notes that an upcoming report from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC, the nation's most well funded hate-group, which poses as a "political action" group) will announce that there are more than 1,100 "publicly funded Confederate symbols across the country." The SPLC commissioned this report last summer, calling it their "Erasing Hate" campaign. The purpose of this campaign has nothing to do with "erasing hate," and instead seeks to inspire more attacks on more Confederate monuments, and will likely result in encouraging increased vandalism to these memorials like we've seen already throughout the South.

So now that we recognize what they doing, what should be our response? 

First and foremost we must STAND FIRM. Many battles throughout history have been lost in the calm before the storm, as people let their guards down and make themselves vulnerable to attack. We see now what the enemy is planning, and must remain ever vigilant. We were caught off guard last summer, and must not ever let that happen again.

Secondly, we must continue to spread the our message of truth. The more we can do to positively promote our honorable heritage, the further we can get the word out, the better chances that the general public will stand by our side when a strong wind comes to test our resolve. This is also the best way to get the SCV into the public eye and bolster recruitment efforts around the nation.

The third thing we can do is write our public officials and people of influence. If the enemy can use this tactic, then why can't we? Be polite and tell the truth, but be firm: We will not support those politicians, individuals, or organizations who stand in opposition to our heritage.

Finally, let me suggest that the most important things we can do are to be involved in our local SCV Camps and support defense efforts already established by the national organization. The SCV has established The Heritage Defense Fund to financially support legal defenses against those seeking to erase our history. Individual contributions are important, and local camps can raise funds through various means that can be donated toward this effort. Generally speaking, the local SCV camp is the heart of the national organization, and is dependent entirely on the participation of it's members. The best way you can help be a part of the solution is to be involved with your local camp.

We have the knowledge, my fellow Compatriots, and we have the tools; now we must exercise the will to stand in the face of whatever odds we may face.

RISE UP! 

STAND FIRM! 

GIVE NO QUARTER TO THE VIOLATORS OF OUR HERITAGE!

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

Why So Many Reject Black Confederates

In our continuing celebration of black Confederate patriots during Black History Month, I thought that the following article might be of interest. All credit for what follows belongs to Dr. Vernon R. Padgett of the SCV's California Division.

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Twelve Reasons We Don't Believe in Black Confederates
By Vernon R. Padgett, Ph.D.

Many people reject the evidence that thousands of the South's 3,880,000 blacks, both free men and slaves, labored and fought, willingly, for the Southern Confederacy.

Why do they not believe, given the many accounts in the Official Records, contemporary newspaper reports, photographs, pension application records, and recollections of black Southerners? Here are 11 explanations.

1. It may force us to change what we believe. 

2. It is not what most others believe. 

3. It might contradict a prejudice. 

4. It complicates our simple stereotype of blacks vs. whites as separate groups. 

5. How do we now teach Civil War history in 10 minutes? 

6. It complicates the simple portrayal of the North as Good driving out the “Wicked Southern Slave master.”

7. It weakens support for the claim that the War was About Slavery

8. Many whites disbelieve that there were black Confederates because of "White Guilt."

9. It is inconsistent with the culture of Victimhood. 

10. It brings up the annoying question: Why did blacks fight?

11. It brings up another annoying question: Why did anyone fight for the North?

12. We want to believe The War was about slavery (because we need a reason that can justify & balance out the deaths of 600,000 Americans in The War.)

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You can learn more by clicking the following link to read detailed analysis for each of the points Dr. Padgett presents: [TWELVE REASONS WE DON'T BELIEVE IN BLACK CONFEDERATES]

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

"Black History Month"

Frederick Douglass, the famed & often celebrated abolitionist, said in September of 1861...

"It is now pretty well established, that there are at the present moment many colored men in the Confederate army doing duty not only as cooks, servants and laborers, but as real soldiers, having muskets on their shoulders, and bullets in their pockets, ready to shoot down loyal troops, and do all that soldiers may to destroy the Federal Government and build up that of the traitors and rebels. There were such soldiers at Manassas, and they are probably there still." ... "That the Negroes are numerous in the rebel army, and do for that army its heaviest work, is beyond question. They have been the chief laborers upon those temporary defences in which the rebels have been able to mow down our men. Negroes helped to build the batteries at Charleston. They relieve their gentlemanly and military masters from the stiffening drudgery of the camp, and devote them to the nimble and dexterous use of arms."

Though Douglass' knowledge of such matters was probably not first hand, reports and accounts of the situation on the battlefields down south were so numerous and reputable that, after 5 months of armed conflict, the presence of African-Americans in the service of the Confederate military was "pretty well established.

Annually, in this month of February, the United States officially recognizes "Black History Month," a celebration of individuals of African descent who have made contributions to the country throughout history. There is a portion of "black history," however, that will either be omitted from the remembrances all together. or distorted, if any mention is to be made at all: the honorable service of thousands of African-Americans in the Confederate military during the War Between the States.

The service of these men does not fit the official revisionist-narrative of history, as written by the victors - the fiction that the war was fought over the issue of slavery. These "men of color" who served in gray, both those who were slave at the time of service & those who freely served, were very proud of their service in the struggle for Southern independence. While the Confederate government did not officially declare their eligibility to serve until late in the war, the leaders & men who were on the fields of battle would see them as brothers-in-arms much earlier, and they were heroes in their communities to local whites & blacks alike in the years following the War.

Pseudo-historians who teach that the war was all about slavery will never acknowledge these honorable Confederate veterans as being such. Some revisionist-history commentators run around the internet making a name for themselves arguing against their existence. They'll argue that since so many were only serving because they were forced to as slaves they weren't REALLLY veterans of the Confederate military, but using that argument one could say that everyone who didn't voluntarily enlist in the United States military during the draft years weren't really veterans either! They'll argue against the historical record until they're blue in the face that blacks were only used as cooks & servants, or that they only did the jobs that combat soldiers didn't want to do... my father was drafted to serve in the Army during Vietnam, was trained as a medic but stationed in Germany and used mostly as a carpenter... was he any less of a veteran than those who saw combat? Not according to the many combat vets I know, and not according to the U.S. government! While it's completely false to say that blacks were not often used as combat soldiers, there's virtually no difference between my father and any slave that served never seeing combat.

So throughout this month, as the nation honors the contributions of blacks in various areas of American life throughout history, we here in the SCV Camps of Michigan will be honoring some folks of African-descent who will be omitted from the celebrations by the NAACP, Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson. In the next few weeks we'll be posting about individual's of color who served in the Confederacy and others who might not have served but still supported The Cause. We'll also be spreading the word about Black Confederates through our Facebook page, where today we are honoring Louis Napoleon Nelson, a black Confederate who served under Gen. Forrest and also was a Chaplain to both white and black Confederate troops. (Visit our Facebook page HERE.)

To all of those men of color who served in the Confederate ranks, and to all of those black families who did their part on the home front to support our boys in gray: We salute you, and we will not allow the pseudo-historians to sweep you under the rug of politically correct revisionism! YOU WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN!

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

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

Small Business, Confederate Merchandise Under Fire Near Grand Rapids, MI

A "pop-up holiday shop" at the RiverTown Crossings mall in Grandville, MI (a suburb of Grand Rapids) has been selling Confederate Battle Flags & t-shirts with the flag's imagery prominently displayed on them, but a couple of local public-school teachers (who also happen to be husband & wife) didn't like seeing the flag there and announced a protest to be held the day after Christmas.

Jon Jaco, owner of the temporary store called '3rd Dimension,' respectfully heard the unfounded complaints against the flag from Jim & Sonja Schultz-Fryer, both long-time teachers in Grand Rapids Public Schools who are currently teaching at Burton Middle School. The two then complained to mall management over the flag imagery, which resulted in the mall asking Mr. Jaco to not display the shirts with the flag near the entrance to his shop, so as to keep it out of view for passers-by. The Fryers, however, are not satisfied by simply moving the flag from sight; they want it taken off of the shelves!

Mr. Jaco, to his credit, has been unwilling to cease sales of the flag and merchandise with it's imagery. Aside from these items being quite popular among shoppers, Mr. Jaco is more educated about history than the two public school teachers and knows the flag is a symbol of resistance to tyranny. He also sells other such merchandise items, such as pro-Second Amendment shirts and Gadsden flags ("Don't Tread On Me").

The Fryers announced, via a Christmas Day news article on MLive.com, that they would be holding a protest outside of the shoppe on the day after Christmas.

The Michigan Camps of the SCV were on top of this about two hours after the story broke.  Cmdr. James Perkins, Commander of the 'MajGen. Patrick R. Cleburne' SCV Camp #2257 out of Grand Rapids, was immediately notified.  Cmdr. Perkins personally paid a visit to the '3rd Dimension' store at RiverTown Crossings the next day to support Mr. Jon Jaco and his business in the face of any protest that might materialize.

The Fryers cancelled their planned protest early that morning, citing prior commitments during the holiday weekend as the reason.  Cmdr. Perkins reported back that no other protesters ever materialized either, but a little lady did make an appearance outside of the store wearing a hat with the Confederate Battle Flag on it and she proceeded to unfurl a Third National Flag of the Confederacy in support of Mr. Jaco and his store.  Cmdr. Perkins also said he had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Jaco, who he described as "an impressive gentleman and entrepreneur who knows his U.S. history."

We here at the Michigan Camps of the Sons of Confederate Veterans would like to salute you, Mr. Jon Jaco, for your commitment to spreading a true history of the Confederacy through your business, and we support your stand against those (especially these two mis-educators) who would seek to revise and distort history in the minds of the public!

We are also very grateful to Cmdr. Perkins for taking the time out of his Christmas weekend to respond to the situation on such short notice.

If you'd like to support Mr. Jaco's business ('3rd Dimension') by purchasing one (or more) of the fine shirts or flags he sells, his temporary store at RiverTown Crossings is scheduled to be open through December 31st. You can get more information about RiverTown Crossings, including it's location and hours of operation, by clicking *HERE*.

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

A SPECIAL MESSAGE: The Situation in New Orleans

[FRIENDS & COMPATRIOTS -- The following is a special message from the SCV's Louisiana Division Commander, Thomas E. Taylor; the message has been authorized and endorsed by Charles Kelly Barrow, SCV Commander-in-Chief. PLEASE READ!]

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Fellow Southerners,

As you all know by now, the City of New Orleans voted to remove the Confederate monuments from the city on a "nuisance complaint." This isn't over, so do not overreact to the situation.

A lawsuit seeking to permanently enjoin and prevent the removal of the Confederate monuments was filed in federal court only hours after the vote was taken in the city council. The federal judge has let everyone know to cool it for now. There will be a hearing in January with the New Orleans City Attorney and the attorney for the plaintiffs present and an injunction will be decided after that.

For now, what we need to do is let the legal system work. We have a very strong case that has been in the making for months now. We all knew that this day was coming, so preparations were made and have now been implemented. The time for phone calls and writing has passed. The judge wants all sides to calm down and that is what I am asking all of you to do. It will do no good to aggravate the legal system when we aren't losing anything. The monuments still are where they have always been.

What we will need is financial help. Like the doctor said when Lincoln was born, "This is gonna get ugly." It is also going to be expensive. The plaintiffs, of which the Beauregard Camp No.130 is one, have raised money for legal fees and the Heritage Defense Fund has helped so that we are even money with the attorneys for now. That won't last. Please send whatever you can because come January the fight will be on.

The address to send to is:

Beauregard Camp 130
P.O. Box 145
Arabi, LA. 70032

Please put in the memo line of your check "Monument Defense"

Gentlemen, I know that you all want to storm the gates but please let the people who have handled this awful situation since August continue to do so. They have all proven to be quite competent. I want to thank the P.G.T. Beauregard camp for taking the lead in this. I also thank CIC Kelly Barrow and the GEC for their leadership and support.

Thanks to all of you. Keep praying for justice.

Thomas E. Taylor
Commander, Louisiana Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans

==================================================================

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

Never Compromise on Truth & Honor

Many of you likely know of the current battle regarding monuments in New Orleans. NOLA mayor Mitch Landrieu has planted the seeds for & agitated a racial unrest in his city by framing the debate regarding these monuments under the same old guise of "tributes to slavery, oppression, etc."

Some voices are calling for compromise, such as so generously (insert sarcastic eye roll here) allowing us to keep Gen. Lee in Lee Circle in hopes that we'd let the removal of the others monuments slide.

Are they serious?! Do they really know what they're asking us to give up?

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines 'compromise' as a "settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions." In this instance, however, I see absolutely no effort for any mutual concession! Furthermore, in keeping our monuments up in NOLA, or keeping our flags up in the places where they're in danger of being forever furled, we do not ask them to give up anything! No one on our side is calling for monuments to Union soldiers to be removed in return, or even monuments to those held in high esteem by the so-called "civil rights" crowd.

What those people who would see the honor and memory of our ancestors and heroes placed in the trash heap of history are calling for is not compromise; IT IS COMPLETE AND TOTAL SUBMISSION.

Why is it that we are the ones constantly being told "the war is over," "you lost," and "get over it" when they are the ones who are acting like sore-losers and petulant children?! We are not the ones going around calling for things to get renamed, symbols of honor to be removed, and memorial statues to be hidden away in the back corners of seldom visited museums! It is they who seek to impose their will upon us!

Then again, for those of us who have studied history, this is no surprise. It has always been this way with those opposed to the concepts of truth and honor, going back to those opposed to Southern independence during the War Between the States. Those on the other side will never give up, and they will always resort to the lowest tactics (lies, vandalism, etc.) in their evil work. While there have been some victories for our side in this most recent war over honoring Confederate heroes, even these are only temporary if we give up our efforts of defense.

You've been standing up, and we are so thankful that you have. Now, in the defense of truth and honor, we ask that that you stand strong!

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

BOOK RECOMMENDATION: 'To Live and Die in Dixie: The Struggle Continues...'

Have you ever heard a particular book labeled as "the Bible of" X, Y, or Z? Well, personally, I don't much care for giving any book such a distinction, as there is only one Bible, as far as I'm concerned. The sentiment behind such a statement, however, is usually a desire to emphasize the book's importance & the comprehensiveness with which it covers the subject written about. This book is such a work that a more flippant reviewer may ascribe such a description to.

'To Live and Die in Dixie' is a collection of essays written by a 17 southern historians, philosophers, professors, U.S. military vets, and at least one pastor. These essays were originally published in 'The Confederate Veteran,' the official publication of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and were compiled into this book by R. Michael Givens, who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the SCV from 2010-2014.

I have often been asked over the past 6 months which books I would recommend for making the case in favor of the Confederacy. From this point forward, I will start by recommending this book. It's simply THAT good. As I put it in describing the book to a friend, it is simply a one-volume tour-de-force of Confederate apologetics. I feel that if one can read this book and not be persuaded at all, then all possibility for it in a person is almost surely lost.

If you're interested in learning about the true history of The War Between the States, the actual political, economic, & social factors that lead up to the conflict. and how to give a solid defense for why you not only honor your Confederate veteran ancestors but also honor the cause for which they fought, then this is a book that you need to read.

It is imperative that those of us in the Confederate-heritage defense community be able to articulate the truth to those who seek to know why we do what we do, and to combat the lies & myths that have been so pervasively ingrained by our society's politically correct masters in academia and media.

While 'To Live and Die in Dixie' is an exceptional stand-out among many other literary works by many wonderful Confederate apologists, let it be a spark that will lead you to further reading and understanding. I encourage all SCV compatriots to check out 'To Live and Die in Dixie: The Struggle Continues...'  and to also go and check out the other books we have in our "Books & Educational Resources" section on this site.

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

We've Only Just Begun...

As winter sets in and the holiday season is upon us, combined with an approaching election season & the increasing threat of actual terrorism in the world, we're not likely to see as many stories in the media regarding the battle over our Confederate heritage as we did in the preceding 6 months. This lull should not be mistaken, though, for an end to the hostilities. It is merely the time when those who seek to purge the culture from Confederate honor will be planning and plotting for the next wave of attacks! 

[Image: Wikimedia.org]

According to the New York Times (hat-tip to 'HotAir.com' for the info), the head of 'Tipping Point Strategies' (a communications and advocacy firm) arrived in Mississippi several weeks back in order to rally together a coalition of preachers, business executives, boosters & "civil rights" advocates in order to get the Confederate Battle Flag removed from the Mississippi state flag once and for all!

It was not that long ago when that state put the issue of changing the state flag on the ballot, and the people of that state voted by a wide margin not to mess with it. Now this advocacy firm will be partnering with an organization called 'Flag for All Mississippians Coalition' in order to fight for the hearts and minds of the people in the state to convince them that changing the flag is necessary & proper.

Of course we know that the only way to convince freedom & heritage loving Southerners of this is to make them believe the flag is a symbol of racism or racial divide, and we also know that the people behind these types of movements will resort to spreading the most bald-faced lies imaginable in order to achieve their goals

The resolve of these people is very strong, and that is why ours must be stronger.

There is no doubt that the Sons of Confederate Veterans will be highly involved in the opposition against this movement, most appropriately through it's Mississippi Division. Our compatriots in "The Magnolia State" unquestionably need our support through prayer, and through financial contributions to the Heritage Defense Fund if possible.

It would be naive of us to think this will be the only battle over our flags and symbols to crop up in the next 6-8 months. Efforts are still underway all throughout the south to purge Confederate memorials, statues, and flags from the public square, and there are still those in Tennessee hoping to dig up and relocate the remains of our beloved Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest! 

As we prepare to settle in here in Michigan for the colder, frostier weather, and we look forward to celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus in just a few short weeks, we must remain mindful of what the enemy has planned for us, and be prepared to defend our heritage whenever and wherever it might come under attack.

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

The Unjust, Judicial Murder of Maj. Henry Wirz

For fourteen minutes after 10:32am on the morning of November 10, 1865, a human body with a noose around the neck dangled from a rope attached to a scaffold outside of the Old Capitol Prison in Washington D.C. (a site now occupied by the U.S. Supreme Court building). The body that hung there in the breeze that day was that of a 41-year old man named Heinrich Hartmann "Henry" Wirz. According to the official record, justice was served... but nothing could be further from the truth.

***

Henry Wirz was born on November 25, 1823 in Zurich, Switzerland. In the late 1840s, Henry and his family were among the many Europeans fleeing wars and revolutions in Switzerland and the German states who immigrated to live in the United States of America. He could not have known when he arrived here in 1849 that his new homeland would be torn by war in just a few short years.

Shortly after the Lincoln Administration came to power and inaugurated war upon the recently seceded Confederate States, Wirz enlisted to serve with the Louisiana Volunteers in the Confederate Army in 1861. After being wounded in the Battle of Seven Pines a year after joining, Wirz was promoted to the rank of Captain, and assigned to serve under Gen. John Winder, who was in charge of Confederate POW camps.

In February of 1864, the Confederate government established a large military prison, Camp Sumter, in the small Georgian town of Andersonville. Tapped to take command of this new facility was Capt. Wirz (who would later be promoted to the rank of Major).

Camp Sumter was originally designed to hold about 10,000 prisoners of war, but in a very short time it wound up holding nearly three times as many prisoners! The reason for the increase was, in part, the total war policy of the Lincoln Administration, a part of which was to end the system of "parole on honor" that would include the exchanging of prisoners.

The Union had been decimating Southern food & medical supplies and their means of delivering such items to Confederate troops. The Confederate soldiers on the battle field had to be fed to continue defending Southern freedom, but more often than not in the later years of combat they had to wage war on nearly empty stomachs. If the Confederate government could barely feed their own troops, how could they be expected to feed and care for prisoners much better?

Major Wirz did all that he could to better the situation of the prisoners placed under his care. As 'ExploreSouthernHistory.com' explains, "The size of the stockade was expanded as the number of prisoners swelled. He established hospital facilities outside of the stockade walls. And he allowed prisoners to arrest, try and execute the ringleaders of 'The Raiders,' a prison gang that preyed on the other inmates." Wirz even tried to return thousands of prisoners to the Union Army without requesting for any exchange. Union authorities would not take back their own soldiers, saying they had no authority to relieve the sufferings of these men from their own Army!

As a result of these Union actions, 13,000 captured Union solders would die at the prison in Andersonville by the war's end in April 1865.

Wirz, who had done nothing aside from follow orders and faithfully executed his duty to the best of his ability under the circumstances of the time, could have ran & hid. He could have slipped off to Europe if he believed himself in some danger of legal punishment, but he did not. He did believe that some of the released prisoners might blame him for the conditions of the prison & might try to harm him, so he wrote a Union General to request for a safe conduct pass or a guard to temporarily protect him. Instead, the General sent troops to arrest Wirz and bring him in for questioning. The arresting officer, Captain Henry Noyes, told Wirz in front of his family that there was nothing to fear and that after answering questions he would soon be released to return to family. Wirz and his family played host to these Union men for part of the day, even serving them dinner before leaving that afternoon. Little did Henry Wirz know that it would be the last time he would ever see his beloved wife or daughter.

Allowing himself to be taken into U.S. federal custody, Henry Wirz unknowingly had jumped into the mouth of a lion, one that was rabid with blood-lust after a long 4-year war & the assassination of a President.

Charges were brought against Major Wirz, and after an unjust trial, Wirz was sentenced to death. Like the Romans feeding Christians to the lions, the U.S. government sold 250 tickets to the execution event; many more lined the rooftops to witness this sacrifice at the alter of Lincoln.

At about 10 o'clock on the morning of November the 10th, Union officers entered Wirz's room of imprisonment for the purpose of taking him to the gallows. The following is how the scene unfolded according to the New York Times:

"Without any exhibition of nervousness, he even indulged in pleasantry as to his appearance in the black shroud, and said also that he 'Hoped to have a white gown soon.' The officers proceeded to pinion his arms behind his back, but found the handcuffs would not slip on to his right arm, it being much swollen. His limbs were therefore all left free until he reached the scaffold. As they were leaving the room, WIRZ turned to the mantel, and with as much nonchalance as if he had been in a bar-room, took up a bottle of whisky, and pouring out a liberal draught drank it down with apparent relish. Then taking a chew of tobacco, he took his place in the procession which was led by the Provost-Marshal, then the two Priests, then WIRZ, the guards next, and Capt. WALBRIDGE in the rear, in which order they mounted the scaffold, the prisoner exhibiting much steadiness in his movements. Stepping upon the trap, he seated himself upon a stool, the noose, so soon to be his fatal snare, dangling over his head. Maj. RUSSELL then proceeded to read the order, reciting the finding of the court, and the approval of the sentence by the President."

"The reading was finished at 10:20, and WIRZ, was directed to stand up. Major RUSSELL asked him if he had anything to say publicly, to which he replied, "No." Father BOYLE then recited the service of the Catholic Church for the dying, to which WIRZ responded in a low tone.

"During these few moments shouts could be heard from the soldiers in the tree-tops of "Hang him," "Andersonville," "Remember Andersonville," and others not calculated to increase his calm demeanor, but he paid no attention to them, and preserved his cheerful expression of countenance throughout.

"At thirty minutes past ten, his hands and legs having been pinioned by straps, the noose was adjusted by L.J. RICHARDSON, Military Detective, and the doomed man shook hands with the priests and officers."

At this point, other sources report, the major commanding the execution detail told Wirz, 'I have my orders," just before he put the black hood over Wirz's head, Major Wirz spoke his last words, 'I know what orders are Major, and I am being hanged for obeying them." The New York Times continues...

"At exactly thirty-two minutes past ten, SYLVESTER BALLOU, another detective, at the signal of the Provost-Marshal, put his foot upon the fatal spring, the trap fell with a heavy noise, and the Andersonville jailor was dangling in the air. There were a few spasmodic convulsions of the chest, a slight movement of the extremities, and all was over."

 ***

It is almost too ironic that this event took place at the site where the U.S. Supreme Court building sits today.

Major Henry Wirz was an honorable solder of the Confederate military, and as such he is honored by this author. For 150 years the federal government has propagated the falsehood of his guilt in regards to Andersonville, but they only do so as a smokescreen. They never come forward to tell about the horrors that occurred at northern POW camps like Point Lookout (Maryland), Johnson's Island and Camp Chase in Ohio, Elmira in New York, Louisville Prison in Kentucky, Western Penitentiary in Pennsylvania, Grafton State Prison in St. Louis, MO, Fort Pulaski in Georgia, Rock Island Prison & Camp Douglas in Illinois, and Fort Delaware.

Those of us who honor our Confederate heritage should never forget this atrocious moment in the history of the United States. We must never forget the story of Major Heinrich Hartmann Wirz.

Rest in Peace

Heinrich Hartmann Wirz

Nov. 25, 1823 - Nov. 10, 1865

A Major & a martyr in the cause of Southern Independence

 DEO VINDICE!

- Jonathan McCleese

Sergeant-at-Arms, SCV Camp #1321