I Will Be Taking a Break from This Blog for Awhile

Because of the Virus and the marked decrease in attacks of the Confederacy, I will do something I have been thinking about the last several days, and that is to stop this blog for awhile.

That is, until the haters ramp up their attacks again.

And, it sure would be nice if they just stop the attacks after the virus pandemic is gone.  If they do, this blog will cease.

Come on guys, I could sure use the break of not having to do this blog.

--Old Secesh

The Second Civil War: No New Attacks on Confederate Heritage

March 21, 2020

Again, no new attacks other than letters to the editor.

--Old Secesh

The Virus Stops Confederate Attacks

March 20, 2020

Let's enjoy this moratorium.  At least one thing comes out of these days.  Those Confederate-attackers are too busy with "V" to go after the monuments and memorials.

Again, the only things in the news about Confederate statues are letters to the editor.

--Old Secesh

Still No New Attacks, But An Interesting Letter and the Last Time the Maryland General Assembly Was Shut Down

March 19, 2020

NO NEW ATTACKS ON CONFEDERATE STATUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wonder what has happened to their vim and verve in their cause to destroy history?  Oh yes, the big "V".

**  There were some letters to the editor.

**  One of the letters was about someone supposedly a black Confederate soldier named Louis Napoleon Nelson.

**  The Baltimore Sun had an article about the "V" closing the Maryland General Assembly and the last time was when one-third of its members were arrested by Union troops in 1861 as being Southern sympathizers and imprisoned at Fort McHenry.  This effectively stopped a possible secession for the state.

The Moratorium Evidently Continues.  --Old Secesh

At Least They Weren't Our Statues and a Funny Movie Trailer

March 18, 2020

**  Why activists are vandalizing statues to colonialism.  (The Conversation--  Statues around the world are being "vandalized" not just ours.  Two in Canada and one in South Africa.  Shows that a real can of worms has been opened.)

**  Activist filmmaker.  (From the March 17, 2020, Style Weekly.  Spike Lee's screenwriter, Kevin Willmott, has a mockumentary called "Confederate States of America."  Make sure you watch the movie trailer in the article.  It was hilarious.  I had to watch it twice.  So much better than just throwing red paint on a statue.

Since neither of these were attacks on Confederate statues I would have to classify that the virus moratorium is still on.

But seriously, make sure you watch the movie trailer.

Well Done.  --Old Secesh

The Confederacy Not Under New Attack Right Now

March 17, 2020

No new attacks.  Just some letters to the editor rehashing old attacks.

Well, at least something good is coming of the virus.  I'm guessing the Confederate-haters have found a more pressing issue.

--Old Secesh

No New Attacks on Confederacy for March 15 or March 16, 2020

March 15, 2020

Just one letter to the editor about letting Confederate veterans rest, but don't celebrate them as heroes.

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March 16, 2020

No new attacks.

I can live with that.

Sad that it took this pandemic to stop those guys.

Perhaps a Moratorium At Least.  --Old Secesh

Maybe the Virus Has Become a Bigger Problem Than Those Confederate Monuments and Flags

Considering that the earlier post of today didn't have any articles directly related to the current struggle over all things Confederate on March 15, I am hoping that at least there will be a temporary, or better yet, cessation of the attacks.  I'll know when I take a look at the March 16 and 17 articles.

I know I sure would like to stop doing this blog.  I have seven others that I do, and that is way too many.  Plus, I tend to get a bit angry when I do this blog.

So, maybe there is something good coming of the virus.

If That What It Takes?  --Old Secesh

Civil War II: Confederate Monuments, Court Decision and a Racial Epithet

March 14, 2020

**  Confederate monuments are 'artifacts of collective pain.'  (From Richmond Free Press, a black publication.)

**  US district judge to rule on whether NAACP lawsuit against Hanover School Board will proceed.  (Virginia--  Guess whose side he or she will rule in favor of here.)

**  Foul:  Racial epithet aimed at Armstrong basketball team sparks investigations.

****************************

March 15, 2020

There are NO articles about the ongoing War against the Confederacy.   WOW!!!

--Old Secesh

Tennessee Governor, Wake Forest Christmas Parade, "Removing Monuments Will Not Lessen Racial Divide"

March 13, 2020


**  House OKs letting Tennessee governor not sign Confederate general day.  (Governor Bill Lee won't have to sign bill honoring Nathan Bedford Forrest.)

**  Letter to the Editor:  New event spreading fear, not cheer.  (SCV commander writing about their exclusion from the Wake Forest Christmas parade.  Not sure who came up with the headline which was confusing.)

**  Removing monuments will not lessen racial divide.   (Staunton, Va. Opinion page.    This person is very right.  If anything, it is making it worse.)

--Old Secesh

Here Comes That Night in Virginia

March 10, 2020

**  Confederate memorials can be removed by local governments, Va. lawmakers say.  (Well, Va. Democrat lawmakers say.  Republicans voted against it.  This is a reason I'll be voting against any Democrat running for anything here in Illinois in November, except perhaps for president.  In the past, I usually vote Democrat, but not always.  And that includes for Barack Obama in his second term and Hillary Clinton last election.

Plus, we have to find a way to get Madigan, a Democrat,  out of being Illinois Speaker of the House.

I sure hope a lot of people in Virginia feel the same way about their Democrat representatives.

This removal of Confederate statues is going to happen fast, much like the removal and destruction of aspects of a certain group did back on the Night of November 10-11, 1938.  And, we know who was responsible for that.

Unfortunately, local governments in Virginia and many Southern states are in control of the Confederate-haters (both Black and their white minions).  That means goodbye statues and memorials.

Plus, we can't count on the law or courts to do anything.  Those people getting caught for hate crimes against the statues are rarely, if ever, being prosecuted.  Not one single UNC-Chapel Hill student (and they were all over social media) has been prosecuted or expelled from school for what they did.

--Old Secesh

School Flap, Marine General Called "Appalling", Protecting Confederate Monuments in Va. and Ala.

March 10, 2020

**  Judge hears arguments in NAACP lawsuit over Confederate school names in Hanover.  (Virginia--  Guess who the judge will favor?)

**  Head of SC Confederate group calls new Marine plan to ban paraphernalia 'appalling.'  (SCV)

**********************************

March 11, 2020

**  Next steps:  What happens if localities remove Confederate  monuments?

**  Lawmakers pass bill allowing Confederate monument removals.

**  Statute of limitations threaten to derail Hanover NAACP  lawsuit against Confederate school names.  (Virginia--  Two schools which opened 1958 and 1963.  This would be the anti-Civil Rights era and I would tend to agree with the NAACP on this one.  Also, especially if the two schools are mostly Black now.)

**  Petition to protect Confederate monument in Gloucester.  (Virginia)

**  Senate debates increased Confederate monument protections.  (Alabama)

--Old Secesh

11/ 9-10 /38, Virginia, UNC and Charlottesville

March 9, 2020

**  Lawmakers pass bill  allowing Confederate monument removals.  (Virginia, of course.   Bringing on November 10-11, 1938.  However, I still have hopes that certain things will have to be done before they are taken down, especially plans and the money to move the statues.)

**  Demonstrators gather, give out  baked goods  to oppose planned Confederate protest.  (UNC-Chapel Hill--  We saw the god students at that school doing their thing with all the hatred you could ever want when they pulled down Silent Sam.  No wonder the "Confederates"didn't want to face them without serious police protection.  When is the school going to start expelling or having the "students" arrested for their part in the hate crime they committed?)

**  Former city councilor reacts to monument bill passing.  (From Charlottesville and really happy.)

--Old Secesh

Virginia, the Coast Guard and Separating Birthdays

March 8, 2020

**  Virginia lawmakers approve local control of Confederate monuments; must still decide on rules.

**  Lynchburg lawmakers reluctant to remove Confederate monuments.

**  Will the Coast Guard follow  the Marine Corps' lead and ban confederate flags?  (Hey, capital "C".)

**  Liberation and Freedom Days event takes look at Confederate monuments.  (Charlottesville, Va.)

**  Alabama lawmaker wants to separate Martin Luther King , Robert E. Lee holidays.  (I agree, but just remember whose birthday was commemorated first.)

--Old Secesh

Civil War II: More on the Marines, More Battles Over the Confederate Flag and a Confederate Flag Celebration

March 7, 2020

**  Top Marine explains why he is banning Confederate flags on bases.  (I understand his position, but it is too bad he took a stand on the issue.

**  The latest battle over the Confederate flag isn't happening where you'd expect.

**  Donald Trump gets his own 'Confederate monument.'

**  Confederate Flag Day celebration is Saturday.  (Tennessee-- I imagine there will be a protest as well by certain people.)

**  Purging Confederate symbolism from the Marine Corps undermines warrior brotherhood.

**  East Texas paper calls sheriff's FaceBook post over Confederate monument  inappropriate.

--Old Secesh

Coast Guard, Two Views, "Honoring Traitors?"

March 6, 2020

**  Coast Guard commandant  sees growing role for Coasties on coronavirus, waffles on Confederate imagery.  (The Coast Guard has not banned Confederate imagery but gives local commanders discretion to deal with it.)

**  Two Views:  Exhalting  the Confederacy in parade is bizarre and confusing.  (An anti-Confederate view.)

**  Two Views:  Honor All Texas veterans, or just some Texas veterans.  (A pro-Confederate view.)

**  You thought you were done honoring traitors?  Not so fast there, Stonewall.  (Esquire)

--Old Secesh

Again, the Sad State of Virginia

March 6, 2020

**  Confederate  monuments control bill one step closer  to passing.   (Virginia--  Another reason to vote Republican come November for state legislators.  Unfortunately, by then all Confederate monuments will be removed and probably never put up again.)

**  Judge denies motion to dismiss lawsuit over Confederate flag in Louisa County.  (Virginia--    There is a 30 x 50 Confederate flag on a 150-foot flagpole easily visible from I-64 that was put up by the Virginia Flaggers in 2018 in response to Charlottesville's efforts to do away with the Confederate monuments there.)

The county argues that the flagpole violates an ordnance.  A hearing will now be held in a Louisa County Circuit Court in August.

Louisa County is directly east of Charlottesville.  Kind of like a big old In-Your-Face to old C-Town, you know.

**  Virginia Confederate monuments:  "We're going to hold hands on this journey as brothers and sisters."  (Virginia--  This in that noted Confederate-hating Washington Post newspaper which advertises "Democracy Ends in Darkness."  So erase the Confederacy and lets dip into darkness.  What these black legislators in the state don't seem to know that their brothers and sisters now are descended from people in Africa who sold their ancestors into slavery.)

--Old Secesh

Virginia Statues, Tucson Parade, and a High School Basketball Game

March 5, 2020

**  Bills that would allow localities to move Confederate monuments takes steps  forward in House, Senate.  (Virginia--  The bill passed both houses already, but with each adding provisions.  Right now they are trying to get the revisions aligned.  I was wondering why the governor hadn't signed it already and every monument removed already.)

**  Tucson Rodeo Parade to ban Confederate 'battle flag'; won't change color guard.  (The mayor and a new council woman objected.  The battle flag is banned, but not the First National Flag which will still be in the color guard of the parade.  Not too bad of a deal for the SCV which can just use the First National or Bonnie Blue Flag.)

**  Confederate veterans are part of Arizona's history.

**  Confederate flag displayed, racial taunts to students at Armstrong basketball game.  (Richmond, Va.--  Armstrong is a primarily black school.  They were playing Central High School in Woodstock, which is primarily a white school.  There is no excuse for what the students at Central did.)

--Old Secesh

Civil War II: Ole Miss, Marines, Army and Charlottesville

March 4, 2020

**  Lawmakers introduce bill that would block Ole Miss from moving Confederate monument.  (Of course, I would like to know if Ole Miss and other state colleges still receive state aid since they won't fly the state flag on campus.)

**  Confederate imagery now banned from all Marine bases.  (What if someone has a Confederate tattoo?)

**  The Army should rid itself of symbols of treason.

**  Charlottesville will celebrate the end of slavery as an official holiday instead of Thomas Jefferson's.

--Old Secesh

About Charlottesville's Holiday to Celebrate the Freeing of the Slaves This Month and Dumping Thomas Jefferson's Birthday

That great old Southern City of Charlottesville, Virginia, will not be commemorating Thomas Jefferson's birthday this year.  And, he sure had a lot to do with that city and college.

And, he wasn't their anathema Confederate guy.  But, he did, after all have the "s" word and that is all it takes there, evidently.  I kind of regard Jefferson as a key reason we became a country and succeeded.  You know, that document called the Declaration of Independence.  But, evidently that is not enough for them.  You know, "s" word.

They will be celebrating the emancipation of Blacks instead, because in March 1865, a Union force under George Armstrong Custer (yes,that Custer) came to town with the plan of destroying it, but they (and the college) quickly surrendered and essentially pleaded not to be destroyed.  They weren't.

And, the city council says this is when the Blacks were freed from their "s" word.

I've often heard that under the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves were freed in areas that were still in a state of rebellion and not under Union control, but didn't say much about slaves in border states or occupied areas.

I was reading about Charlottesville's role in the Confederacy and it was considerable and will be writing about it in my Saw the Elephant: Civil War blog in the future.

If Charlottesville wants to celebrate the freeing of the slaves, let them do it, but don't drop your connection to Jefferson.

Like I Have Said Before, There Is Something Mighty Wrong in Virginia.  --Old Secesh

North Carolina, Army, SCV

March 3, 2020

**  Confederate presence at Chatham County early voting site raises intimidation questions.  (From the Daily Tar Heel student newspaper UNC-Chapel Hill.  The photo showed four Confederate flags and maybe six people. Besides early voting there was a "scholarly discussion among professors at UNC and Duke on the truths and fallacies of the Civil War and Confederate symbolism."  Of course, with UNC we know where they stand on everything in this matter.)

**  Sons of Confederate Veterans tells its story.  (North Carolina)

**  U.S. Army says it won't rename its bases.

--Old Secesh

Arizona Parade, Why Pick On Confederate Flag?, North Carolina Protest and an Editorial

March 2, 2020

**  Arizona mayor, city counclwoman: No Confederate flags at parade.   (Tucson--  The two white women are now calling for removal of the flags from SCV float.  The councilwoman opened fire with a statement earlier that she wouldn't be in the parade because off the flags.)

**  The March 1, 2020, News & Advance (Lynchburg, Va.) "Letters to the Editor for Sunday, March 1  "Why pick on the Confederate flag?"  by Scott Myers  (Makes a lot of good points about which flag flew over slavery longer and who brought the slaves to the United States among other things.  Worth a read.)

**  NC protesters against Sons of Confederate vets.  (Raleigh, N.C.--  video of some of protest.  Heavy police presence and at least the protesters didn't get violent, just marched and chanted.)

**  Charlottesville won't mark Thomas Jefferson's birthday.  It will mark slavery's end instead.  (Considering that city's connections to Thomas Jefferson.  Well. there is definitely something wrong with that city.  Now they're celebrating their city not being destroyed by Union forces under Phil Sheridan.)

**  Editorial:  Monuments about more than Civil War history.  (Pilotonline, Hampton Roads, Va.  Happy that the bill was passed to remove Confederate monuments.  They would also like to see other monuments to Blacks connected to the city be put in place.  I agree with that.  You can never have too many monuments and plaques about history.)

I'm Still Thinking there's Something Mighty Wrong Going On In Virginia.  --Old Secesh

A Major Loss in Virginia: Will This Be a November 9-10, 1938 All Over Again?

We knew this was going to happen.  The Democratic lawmakers in Virginia promised they were going to do this.  And, they did.  Now, all it takes to become law is the signature of the state's Democratic governor.  He has already assured us that he will sign it.

The voting went along party lines, much as the voting in the impeachment trial went.  The bill was sponsored by a black senator which comes as no big surprise.  In the senate it passed 21-19.  In the house the bill was sponsored by a black delegate and passed 53-46.

Localities will be able to remove war memorials at their discretion.  And, of course, this means CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS.

If the Democratic party in Virginia is taking the path of removing history, much like those in Germany were in the 1930s, how can anyone support them?   It will be imperative that Virginia voters get rid of the Democratic majorities in both houses and the executive position in the upcoming elections.

I would imagine that the Confederate monuments will start coming down within days of the governor's signature on the bill.  And the glee with which one group and their minions will enjoy it will know no bounds.

I have voted for Democrats in the past, as a matter of fact, I probably have voted for Democrats more often than Republicans.  And, that would include Carole Mosely-Braun and Barack Obama for U.S. senator and Obama for president in his second term.  I also voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election.

At this point, because of what has happened in Virginia, I probably will be voting for Republicans in all offices in Illinois (since I can't vote in Virginia) other than president in this upcoming election.  And, if the Democrats find themselves unable to come up with a viable candidate for president, who knows.

Let the Feeding Frenzy Begin.  November 9-10, 1938.  --Old Secesh

The Second Civil War: Army-Marines, Tucson, Raleigh and Whose Side is HuffPost On?

March 1, 2020

**  Army won't follow Marine Corps and rename Confederate bases.  (Glad to hear it, but I always wondered why so many Army bases were named after Confederates.  You'd think they'd be named after Union generals.)

**  Tucson council member, mayor seek removal of Confederate flags from rodeo parade.  (SCV float.  A picture of the float sure didn't appear to be a white supremacist rally.  Like waving a red flag in front of a bull, you know.)

**  The Army doesn't plan on renaming the 10 installations named  for Confederate leaders.  (And, if you'd like to know what the ten are, feel free to go to the Southern Poverty Law Center site to find out their names.  They keep close watch on anything and everything Confederate in hopes of removal.)

**  Hilton Hotel to host neo-Confederate group conference on the last day of Black History Month.  (HuffPost.  That would be the SCV.  Well, we now know where the Huff stands on all this.  There's that Neo-Nazi mention again.)

The Huff thinks this institute meeting is just the most horrible thing.  However, the article just thought the destruction of the Silent Sam statue was just a case of protesters voicing their beliefs and not students committing a hate crime.

**  YpsiFest move blames on disputes over parking, youth attendance and confederate flags.  (Ypsilanti, Michigan--  Excuse me, Confederate.)

**  Protesters against Sons of Confederate Veterans conference turn against police.  (Raleigh, N.C.--   The police were there to prevent them from getting out of hand and committing criminal acts.  Some didn't like that.)

--Old Secesh

We'd Like to Welcome Chicago's Italians to Our World

It was just a matter of time before all this historical revisionism and how horrible our ancestors were flowed over to something other than Confederate and in just the past few days, it has happened to Chicago's people of Italian descent (notice I don't say Italian-American because I find the hyphenated American words offensive).

Way back, it was a day off school called Columbus Day.  Then, it became Indigenous Peoples-Columbus Day.  Now, by Chicago Public Schools decree, it is just Indigenous Peoples Day.

And, with Columbus being an Italian sailing for Spain, he is kind of special to Italian people.  But, because of what happened to the Indigenous People (Indians), that is  no longer acceptable to many.  The Italians in Chicago are up in arms.  They consider it a slap in the face.

They are already mad because the name of Balbo Drive has been changed to Ida B. Wells Road.  Italo Balbo to honor his 1933 trans-Atlantic flight.  There are also those who want the Balbo statue taken down.  All this because of Balbo's connections to Fascism and Mussolini.

Who's Next?

Anyway, Welcome to Our World.  --Old Secesh

A Couple Stories Giving a Different View on the Statues As a Woman and Comedians "Dis"

February 29, 2020

**  Confederate monuments speak truth to power.  (From the Richmond Free Press by H.V. Traywick Jr..    A very interesting article /opinion piece.  The Richmond Free Press is a black newspaper, so it was somewhat of a shock to read this in it.

Give it a read as it puts forth some interesting information.

**  Santa Cruz:  Confederate flags are why I refuse to walk in the Tucson Rodeo Parade.  (Tucson, Arizona.  "The Confederate flag is a symbol of oppression, slavery and white supremacy" says Lane Santa Cruz.  Well, we'll certainly miss seeing you in that parade, Mrs. Santa Cruz.

**  Letter to the Editor:  Confederate  memorials like any other war memorials.  (Anniston Star (Alabama) by Billy Price.--  Also giving "Our Side" of the story.  Give it a read.

**  NWA Editorial:  Raising a red flag.  (Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette--  About those flags in the Eureka Cemetery.  Against placing the Confederate flags at the graves of Confederate veterans.

**  Comedians 'honor' white nationalist Rep. Steve King with his own Confederate statue.  (Obviously, considering the source, not too flattering."

--Old Secesh

A Surprising Move in the USMC, Desegregation and Confederate Symbols, Fighting the NAACP

February 28, 2020

**  Marine commandant orders removal of Confederate paraphernalia at bases.  (Not sure what to make of this announcement.)

**  Opinion:  Michael T. Gengler:  Desegregation spelled  end of Confederate symbols at GHS.  (Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida.)

**  Hanover supervisors transfer $75,000 for defense against NAACP suit over Confederate school names.

--Old Secesh