Updated Presidential Candidates page. /Questionnaire

I added in John Edwards' admirable anti-Confederate record from my former 2004 webpage.

I also found that Barack Obama has an anti-Confederate record and added it.

Deleted out some candidates that have dropped out. The following is the link and I always have the link to this page on the right side margin of my blog.

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

I hope to mail the candidates a questionnaire. I am going to write a new questionnaire. I will have it online also. When it is online, I would like people in the states or district of the candidate to write a letter for those who have not announced, and for those who have announced I would like people to write letters.

I am thinking that I need to start sending questionnairs in the next three months.

I have been busy working on multiple papers and books and haven't had the time to work on the questionnaire yet.

Behind the Plantation Facade, Historical Societies and selective memory

The Abbeville Institute, the current Neo-Confederate institute, (http://www.abbevilleinstitute.org/), with the usual Neo-Confederate leaders announces that they are getting a grant from the Watson Brown foundation (http://www.watson-brown.org/index.html). Evidently this isn't the first time they have supported the Abbeville Institute, according to their newsletter, "Legacy," in 2002 they gave a grant to the Abbeville Institute (http://www.watson-brown.org/media/pdf/legacy303.pdf).

One of the Heroes of the Watson-Brown foundation is Thomas E. Watson, and this is their bio of Watson ( http://www.watson-brown.org/heritage/tw_bio.html). This is the bio of Thomas E. Watson of the "Georgia Encyclopedia" (http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2540).

I think that this selective memory of the past is typical of all too many small historical foundations and local historical societies. When you erase the past are you preserving heritage? For all too many, heritage is not history, but a gilded past that never existed, but is a fantasy. It is mostly a form of historical destruction and not preservation.

The other lesson is to see that the activities of the this foundation provide a beautiful exterior to the inner core of their mentality, support of radical Neo-Confederacy. The restored plantation houses, house a plantation mentality.

Here I stumble across the inner truth of this foundation, behind the token African Americans and the smiling faces. I doubt the local press or the "Atlanta Constitution" will report this, even if they know, and perhaps they will get some local African American group to defend them.

Just be aware, whether it is in Vermont or Georgia, or California or Minnesota, that often the "history" given out by historical organizations isn't but a frothy fantasy of the past, and this in itself is a political agenda. It is often a back door access to your thinking. Can you enjoy a beautiful plantation house, without subconsiously buying into certain views and fantasies? It is a question I can't definitely answer.

Bonilla Defeated

I see that U.S. Representative Bonilla from Texas was defeated by a Mr. Rodriguez. Bonnilla use to work with a group called the Descendants of Mexican War Veterans which was formed in the 1990s or late 1980s. They were busy working to erect monuments to glorify the Mexican American war.

http://www.dmwv.org/

There is a sort of Neo-Alamo movement out there, similar to the Neo-Confederates. I run into them here and there while tracking the Neo-Confederate movement.

Good to see Bonilla defeated. Though I suppose the Neo-Alamo movement will find their own Hispanic equivalent of H.K. Edgerton to trot around and show case.

Sons of Confederate Veterans Press Release in 2000

Click here to read the 2000 Press Release..

I found the 2000 press release by the SCV in the Wayback Machine.

I have updated the Presidential 2008 webpage with the new information.

John Edwards enters presidential race

The Neo-Confederates hate John Edwards, since they seem him as a traitor for not being Pro-Confederate.

He has entered the race for president for the 2008 elections.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061216/ap_on_el_pr/democrats2008

I will have to update the presidential campaign page.

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

Good question, why isn't this a scandal?

Public Eye blog on U.S. Senator Biden's comments.

Read Public Eye by clicking on this link.

More on SCV campaign against the NCAA and the Black Coaches Association (BCA)

This website has the email sent out by Christopher M. Sullivan, Commander-in-Chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV). Sullivan is also the editor of the Southern Partisan magazine which is still being published.

http://shnvalerts.blogspot.com/2006/11/heritage-action-alert-scv.html

Humorous Editorial on the Neo-Confederates WMD, Weapons of Mass Denial

It is here.

http://www.roanoke.com/editorials/commentary/wb/wb/xp-93857

Senator James Webb, hero to Neo-Confederates

Tom DiLorenzo, leading Neo-Confederate, praises U.S. Senator (VA) James Web in this online article for his behavior towards President George W. Bush at a reception at the White House.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo117.html

The article quite correctly points out Webb's Confederate Celtic theories as the basis of his book "Born Fighting."

One part of Tom DiLorenzo's article bears review.

My intuition about Webb was confirmed recently when he refused to genuflect, scrape and grovel, and kiss the ring of George W. Bush at a White House reception (in stark contrast to every other member of Congress in attendance). Then, a day later, I really knew that Senator-elect Webb was a man to be admired when George "Statecraft as Soul Craft" Will, the resident Lincoln-worshipping Straussian /Neocon Iraq war apologist on the Washington Post op-ed page, called him a "boor" and generally trashed him in a column. Congratulations, Senator-elect Webb!

This is actually what happened from the "Washington Post."

Washington Post Article

At a recent White House reception for freshman members of Congress, Virginia's newest senator tried to avoid President Bush. Democrat James Webb declined to stand in a presidential receiving line or to have his picture taken with the man he had often criticized on the stump this fall. But it wasn't long before Bush found him.

"How's your boy?" Bush asked, referring to Webb's son, a Marine serving in Iraq.

"I'd like to get them out of Iraq, Mr. President," Webb responded, echoing a campaign theme.
"That's not what I asked you," Bush said. "How's your boy?"

"That's between me and my boy, Mr. President," Webb said coldly, ending the conversation on the State Floor of the East Wing of the White House.

It was nothing about "groveling," "ring kissing," or "genuflecting." George W. Bush was merely engaging in common pleasantries. This is called being civilized. If James Webb didn't want to talk to George W. Bush why did he go to the reception? If George W. Bush didn't talk to Webb at all and avoided him, that would be a scandal, and so quite properly Bush approached Webb and engaged in everyday pleasantries.

Keith Ellison, U.S. Representative elect from Minnesota didn't want to meet George W. Bush and so he didn't go to a reception at the White House. Ellison is perfectly in his rights not to go and his choice not to go didn't violate common courtesy.

James Webb's behavior was discourteous and underminds the workings of democracy. Some Democrats and anti-War activists think he is a hero. I think Webb is a loose cannon and the Democrats might consider that they have a serious problem on their hand.

The Democrats might also consider that they have a Neo-Confederate U.S. Senator which is likely going to received wide-spread public admiration in the Neo-Confederate movement. Perhaps U.S. Senator Biden is trying to get his endorsement.

Presidential Candidate Biden Panders to Confederate Sentiment.

As reported in "The State" concerning Biden's campaigning in South Carolina, Nov. 28, 2006, Jim Davenport, Associated Press. http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/16117154.htm

"He's not shy about talking about South Carolina's Confederate history either.

After a club member noted an upcoming event at the state Department of Archives and History included a chance to see the state's original copy of the Articles of Secession, Biden asked: "Where else could I go to a Rotary Club where (for a) Christmas Party the highlight is looking at the Articles?"

Biden noted Delaware was a border state and "a slave state that fought beside the North. That's only because we couldn't figure out how to get to the South - there were a couple of other states in the way."

The crowd roared with laughter.

Evidently Biden is campaigning for the Confederate Vote.

I have updated the Presidential Campaign page with this link.

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

Sons of Confederate Veterans start anti-NCAA Campaign

The Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) has started a campaign against the National Collegiate Atheltics Association (NCAA) and the Black Coaches Association (BCA). The SCV has a reference to it on their website www.scv.org which has a link to a story in the "Washington Post" on their campaign against the NCAA. The following is the link to the "Washington Post" article.

"Washington Post" article.

The SCV also announces a link to a website, which has been launched for the anti-NCAA campaign. http://ncaainterference.org/ This site is an attack on the entire NCAA and the BCA.

The SCV is already running a campaign against NASCAR and that campaign seems to be largely going no where. Perhaps they have given up on NASCAR and think the NCAA is an easier target.

Deranged Lew Rockwell Ranting

This article on the highways is fairly typical what passes for thought at www.lewrockwell.com :

http://www.lewrockwell.com/block/block66.html

Interestingly enough, Block has a table of deaths per 100M vehicle miles. It shows that the rate has decline from 5.98 to 1.64, from 1957 to 1994. This is nearly a 4-fold reduction. However, Block calls the government departments in charge of the highways "mass murderers." Reading through Block's article you come across all sorts of rants and rages, references to Stalin and Hitler, but I don't find an actual critique of this enviable record of improvement.

When you consider that you have to work on an existing built system of highways and can't rebuild anything easily, and that there needs to be learning cycles, and sometimes lax laws (Texas in the 1980s refused to ban open alcholic beverages in cars while driving.) It is quite an accomplishment.

Block rages on various irrelvant tangents and seems to be incapable of logical thought. This whole article is supposed to justify private roads and highways.

Block is a professor of economics at Loyola University in New Orleans.

No Plantation Christmas

Here in Texas we have Christmas Tree Farms and Christmas Tree Plantations. I would hope that no one would buy a tree from a Christmas Tree Plantation.

Now, I know that technically that a plantation is a farm with an organized labor force in the production of some agricultural product. A plantation is the agricultural equivalent of a factory. However, in some contexts, its meaning is fixed as mean Old South Plantation, in some cases it is stated as such.

We support banal white nationalism when we purchase these products. We promote the fantasy that the Old South Plantation was desireable and erase the crimes of slavery. Purchasing "plantation" labeled products, the purchaser is complicit the historical falsifaction of the "Old South Plantation" myth and is guilty of aiding and abetting banal white nationalism. With the great many products available to the consumer, there is no reason to purchase plantation-labeled products other than to consume the Old South Plantation fantasy. No one is going to suffer even the most minor hardship by purchasing something other than some "plantation" labeled product.

Corporations which produce "plantation" labeled products are not good corporate citizens. Their other products should be boycotted also.

The Dallas Racist Way

It is not accidental that I was living in Dallas when I discovered the Neo-Confederate movement. The city of Dallas has this racist underground and because of it I found ten years of the "Southern Partisan" magazine in the Dallas Public Library in their storage.

The city of Dallas has no human rights commission. You might wonder why there is no agitation from the minority community for one, but then you should understand that this is a city where the African American mayor, Ron Kirk, declared a Confederate Heritage Day for the City of Dallas.

In the "Dallas Morning News" 11/18/06, Saturday, front page 1A, and 4A, is a story of the Federal Courts ruling that the Preston Hollow Elementary School practiced illegal segregation of minority students. This is the full online story.

Dallas Morning News story

This is the link to Federal Judge Lindsay's ruling:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/11-06/1118phopinion.pdf

The judge pointed out that is was very likely that officials in the DISD knew what was happening or should have known in his ruling which was very critical. The DISD public statements are very weasely after this court ruling. The DISD attorneys actually argued for seperate but equal in their defense.

In 2003 Dallas was released from a Federal Court Ordered Desegregation Plan, because supposedly DISD had moved forward from the Civil Rights era. Didn't take long for DISD to revert to their old ways. Remember this when you hear politicians saying that the Voting Rights Act is no longer needed.

This is a Dallas Independent School District school, with many minority school board members. However, like Ron Kirk, many of so-called minority leaders in Dallas, are just looking for the goodie bags that they can get from holding office and have an interest in civil rights mostly during re-election time.

Trent Lott's Neo-Confederate past.

A couple articles, one on Lott's Neo-Confederate past.

Return of Trent Lott article.

http://www.commondreams.org/views02/1212-06.htm This is an article from 2002.

Jonah Goldberg's selective memory on Trent Lott

Jonah Goldberg blogs at National Review online on Trent Lott.

Blog here on Trent Lott

Some assertions are interesting. Goldberg says

"It also should be remembered that Lott’s downfall was essentially a coup orchestrated in part by a White House that didn’t think Lott’s Confederate nostalgia jibed well with “compassionate conservatism.” Retrieving Lott from his Mississippi Elba may be the Senate’s way of telling the White House, “You won’t have the Senate GOP to kick around anymore.”So let us concede that he will be the consummate inside man in the Senate.

Let’s even concede that the paroxysm of political correctness that cost Lott his leadership post in the first place was overdone. The question remains: What are those senators smoking?"

If I remember correctly, I think National Review was the vehicle which the White House used to orchestrate Lott's downfall. If it was a "paroxysm of political correctness" it was National Review's "paroxysm."

I think the GOP is saying that they are finished with this "Big Tent," let's-go-after-minority-votes, Republican party and are adopting some of Samuel Francis' vision.

Fever Swamps Rule! Trent Lott elected GOP Whip in U.S. Senate, GOP Party of Jefferson Davis Again

"Fever Swamps" is the derisory label applied by "National Review" magazine to conservative views which they consider extreme, such as Neo-Confederacy. Trent Lott said the Republican Party was the party of the descendants of Jefferson Davis in the "Southern Partisan." This link has the complete "Southern Partisan" interview. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/lott.sp.1.html

Trent Lott has been elected GOP Whip of the U.S. Senate. CNN Article.

Trent Lott had resigned his position of majority leader in 2002 because of his statements at Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party where he stated that he thought the nation would have been better if the Dixiecrats won in 1948. This online Time magazine article explains it.

Time magazine article.

"National Review" waged a ferocious war against Trent Lott on the behalf of the White House driving him from his leadership position. I thought it was fairly hypocritical of them. It is not like they didn't know all along for the last 20 years what was happening in the Republican party with Dick Armey, Jesse Helms, Phil Gramm, Thad Cochran and others interviewing in the "Southern Partisan." If you have ever gone through the early "National Review" from 1955 to 1965, (and I have), you know that it is really hypocritical of them. The early "National Review" was anti-civil rights and fairly racist.

There was one good thing about the Lott controversy. Along with the Ashcroft controversy, the McCain/"Southern Partisan" controversy, just about everyone learned the term Neo-Confederate.

What does the election of Trent Lott mean? I think it is the start of a radically new direction for the Republicans. It really shows the collapse of George W. Bush's authority in the Republican party. I think all the controls and moderating Republican party activity in support of programs to outreach to Hispanic and African American voters is over.

The Neo-Confederates are on the loose again.

Party of Dixie, Also, Trent Lott running for Senate Republican Whip

The party of Dixie label and Southern conservative label are applied to the Republican party in these articles.


Party of Dixie article.

Southern conservative party article.

Trent Lott is running for Senate GOP Whip

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/11/8/143511.shtml?s=ic

Feingold not running for President/ 2008 Presidential Campaign

I am updating the Presidential page by both making not which candidates have declared that they are running and deleting those that declare that they aren't running.

Feingold voted for Ashcroft in both the the Senate Judiciary Committee and in the general vote. As a type of Democrat willing to give Neo-Confederacy a free pass, I am glad to see he isn't running for president.

I do need to start working on the Presidential Candidate page. The 2008 presidential campaign is underway.

If anyone has any information on the 2008 candidate relevant to Neo-Confederacy I would be interested. Of course I would need to have documentation.

Presidential candidates 2008 page revised

I removed George Allen's entry. I added Obama and Vilsack. I don't have any information on either one, either pro or con. I am interested in information I don't have.

I would appreciate letters being written by their constituents to Obama and Vilsack to get their position on Neo-Confederate related topics.

The link to the Presidential Candidates 2008 page is on the right side of the blog.

Impact of the Elections on Neo-Confederacy

Let me say upfront that I am not sure what all the impacts will be. However, I think that there will be some impacts of relevance to the Neo-Confederates. I have these speculations to offer.

REPUBLICANS AND CONSERVATIVE INFIGHTING WILL HAVE AN IMPACT

Some conservative ideologies have been frozen out of the Republican party by the political clout of the White House and the Republican leadership that has dominated the last 6 years or so. Their authority in the Republican party, will be much less and as a consequence I think we will see these formerly suppressed ideologies regaining a position in the Republican party including Neo-Confederacy in various forms. Though, the people who have financed the Republican parties over the last 6 years or so will have considerable influence and as various ideologies don't serve their purpose, they will attempt to freeze these ideologies out and will have some success.

However, that will have some limitation. If in some State, Congressional district, region, getting elected necessarily involves taking a certain position, and not taking the position involves being out of office, persons running for office will reject any national body attempting to set the agenda. I think we are beginning to see this with the issue of immigration.

Also, the ability to suppress dissident conservative ideologies depended on a national Republican leader, Bush, with broad national support and able to get candidates elected and punish dissidents. Bush is now the opposite, his association is a quick ticket to being out of office, that is he is fatally toxic to a political career. Republicans are avoiding him like the plague, I suppose since he is. His political group has a very limited future, and much opposition in the Republican party as bringers of defeat and powerlessness. They will not be getting donors' funding and will be without influence and therefore no clout.

There should also be a lot of political infighting as to who is to blame. A lot of fighting for power. Those groups which are seen as the source of future electoral defeat, the existing dominating forces of the Republican party are likely to be purged of influence. Also, while the fighting is going on, there will be no one group dominating, no group to police conservative ideology or having the time to do so, and groups will need as many allies as possibles. What an opportunity for conservative dissidents. Pat Buchanan is likely to have a revival in fortunes.

It will be interesting to see how many Republican party concepts closely associated with George W. Bush will be dropped or expelled. The idea of the "big tent" I think will be collapsed.

With Neo-Confederacy in particular, they have positioned themselves in opposition to Bush, did so loud and clear. That will give them some credibility I suppose with some conservatives.

THE "9/11" ERA IS OVER

One major blow that the Neo-Confederates suffered, was 9/11, and many of its members dropped the idea of secession to engage themselves in what they saw as national solidarity. When Michael Hill was critical of the Republican party post-9/11 program, many members were horrified. Now there is national disaffection with the Republican party over the Republican party's response to 9/11 and Neo-Confederates are not as far out of the mainstream on 9/11, and it appears not much out of the antiwar mainstream at all.

I think Neo-Confederacy will be on the loose.

James Webb's Neo-Confederate identity recognized by David Frum

David Frum in this article

Link to article here.

recognizes the Neo-Confederate identity of James Webb, recently elected U.S. Senator from Virginia.

Presidential Elections 2008/ Books 2 & 3

It looks like it is going to be a squeaker in Virginia, but as best I can tell looking at online sources, Webb is going to defeat Allen in Virginia. I suppose we might not know for a few days.

If Webb loses I will be taking Allen off the Presidential page.

I also need to put Obama on the Presidential page.

I think now would be a good time for individuals to write to presidential candidates who are currently their elected representatives in regards to their views regarding the Confederacy.

One question is whether they would put a wreath on June 3rd, Jefferson Davis' birthday, at the Confederate Memorial in the Arlington Cemetery?

Other questions need to be asked also. Such as if they would appoint Neo-Confederates to the Federal cultural institutions, or judgeships, or cabinet positions?

Book 2 is well along, Book 3 also. I hope to send two additional books to the publishers 2007. While I am finishing up, I need to think about what is next? I am not necessarily thinking of a book, unless I do a collection of some of my writings in "The Touchstone," probably doing some editing. I think it is time to focus on writing articles and seeing where that leads me. I might do a book on debating Neo-Confederates.

Neo-Confederacy in the "Ex-Gay" movement.

The Southern Poverty Law Center (http://www.splcenter.org/), which does excellent investigations into Neo-Confederacy, has this article about an article that was on the website of the "Ex-Gay" organization NARTH (http://www.narth.com/).

The article about NARTH at the SPLC site is here ( http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=84 )

Quoting from the article:

A prominent member of the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) is under fire for publishing an essay in which he argues that Africans were fortunate to have been sold into slavery, and the civil rights movement was "irrational."

"There is another way, or other ways, to look at the race issue in America," writes Gerald Schoenewolf, a member of NARTH's Science Advisory Committee. "Africa at the time of slavery was still primarily a jungle... Life there was savage ... and those brought to America, and other countries, were in many ways better off."

NARTH quickly pulled the article. After all the anti-gay movement is making a major outreach to African American Religious leaders that are homophobic. However, SPLC found it online in google Cache and have the article at this URL. http://www.splcenter.org/images/dynamic/intel/SchoenwolfEssay.pdf

I bring this up as yet another example of Neo-Confederacy entering the mainstream of conservative organizations.

Related posting:

http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2006/10/anti-gay-african-american-church-works.html

Dick Armey is on the loose

I see in today's "Dallas Morning News" Dick Armey has a 2/3rds page article on where he thinks the Republican party has gone wrong. His organization www.freedomworks.org is listed.

Dick Armey interviewed in the "Southern Partisan" Vol. 10, 3rd Quarter, 1990, starting on page 26. One of the major topics is his opposition to Civil Rights legislation. I wrote a review of both Armey's and Gramm's interview in the "Southern Partisan" and you can read it at this link.

http://www.rtis.com/touchstone/nov01/13.HTM

Trent Lott's interview in the "Southern Partisan," incidentally, is online at:

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/lott.sp.1.html

One of the issues after the elections next Tuesday, is who is going to inherit the Republican party? I can't say that I know, but I don't think it is going to be under the control, as it as been in the last six years, of the Bush supporters. Bush is going to go, and many elected Republicans officials are finding that being identified with him might be the end of their careers. Hardly a situation where the White House can dictate policy to congressional representatives.

I think that there is a very real possibility that the racist Republican right is going to find itself back in the fold of the Republican party. Check this flyer of U.S. Senator Cornyn (Texas-R) going to a Rockford Institute event. http://chroniclesmagazine.org/Ads/091906Event.pdf

(For background on the Rockford Institutes' view on Hispanics, this is an article I wrote on it. http://www.rtis.com/touchstone/sum02/09.HTM)

Again, I don't really know where the Republican party is headed. The new prominence of Dick Armey as critic of the direction of the Republican party, and Cornyn going to speak at a Rockford Institute events are just two items. They may fore shadow coming trends or just be isolated incidents. We will have to wait and see.

I do think it is likely that some elements of the Republican party who were suppressed by the managers of the national Republican party will be breaking free and coming to the surface.

"Reforging the White Republic" by Edward J. Blum, excellent book.

I have recently finished reading "Reforging the White Republic: Race, Religion, and American Nationalism, 1865-1898," by Edward J. Blum. It is an excellent book. It tells how the initial openness to a non-racial and civic republic after the Civil War was thwarted and how American Protestantism turned from racial equality to white nationalism.

One key thing in forging the white republic was the use of reconciliation to accomplish this, by giving in to the white supremacist views of ex-Confederates and then ultimately adopting them. White supremacy wasn't a byproduct of reconciliation, but a direct step in its accomplishment.

Incidentally, the Women's Christian Temperance Union was a supporter of white supremacy and anti-Catholic prejudice. So, unless you have a problem with drinking, hoist a glass today and celebrate their near demise in American life.

Slavery, always ready to come back when it can

These are three links to the same article on present day slavery in Latin America.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4307371.html

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/world.aspx?ID=BD4A309105

Link to article.

I think there is a tendency to see slavery as part of the dead past, or a feature of backward societies. The correct way to see slavery is as a system of labor which always has the potential to introduce itself into the economic system anywhere anytime if it gets the opportunity to do so. Slavery is usually present if it is feasible and if it is economical. If it is economical, that is highly profitable, it becomes very feasible.

With the profits of slavery, officials, laws, religions leaders, opinion leaders can be induced to find some justification, some facilitization, some support to overcome opposition to slavery. Slavery really is the most pernicious thing, and once started somewhere, spreads like the plague, its supporters willing to support it with violence and thuggery.

The Antebellum abolitionists were for the longest time a minority and thought of as radical because they were uncompromisingly anti-slavery. The ending of government sanctioned slavery in the Western world is a phenomenal achievement in light of the opposition they faced.

The Neo-Confederate promote apologetics for slavery and call the abolitionists anti-Christian. They are fringe and at this time, avoid publicizing their views front and center. However, slavery and pro-slavery Neo-Confederate ideology will be there lurking down through the generations to some possible future time when the opportunity presents itself.

Not all forms of bondage are chattel slavery. There is peonage, serfdom, and other modes of bondage. My definition concerning bondage, is that to quit your job you have to run for it.

I don't have a comprehensive thought through plan to oppose slavery. I think in some cases it can be directly opposed, and in some ways there must be a systemic approach. A lot of people in modern day slavery, fall into it because they are vulnerable, lack education, and don't know what they are getting into. Economic development would help.

In other cases, we need to push police departments and labor officials to be more aggressive to shut down shops and situations here that are essentially slave labor.

HOWEVER, I think one thing can be done is to get people to stop thinking of slavery as something in the past except for a few aberrations or exceptional cases. People should always think of slavery as something that is always pressing to get in, and there is always a possibility of it getting in, not just in some foreign country or the Third World, but here in the U.S.A.

The following link is about the Confederate Christian nationalists who are apologists for slavery.

http://www.utpjournals.com/product/cras/323/sebesta.html

James Webb's Confederate consciousness

I just now realized that James Webb the author of "Born Fighting" a book that popularizes Neo-Confederate Celtic South nonsense, is the same James Webb running for the U.S. Senate in Virginia.

Here is Webb's speech at Arlington Confederate Memorial.

http://www.jameswebb.com/speeches/confedmemorial.htm

I will notify the same individuals that I notified about George Allen, but I probably won't get much interest. It is a wicked world.

What is interesting is that the Republicans aren't making any use of it either. However, having a pro-Confederate voter base they are hardly in a position to criticize Webb for being pro-Confederate. What would be amusing if the Sons of Confederate Veterans issued something praising Webb.

All in all, I am not sure who would be worse being elected. I think that I would rather see Allen elected rather than Webb. Allen doesn't seem to be very intelligent and nor will he be able to push Neo-Confederacy, since he will be trying to live down his reputation, and I think he is just a simple bigot with a Confederate fetish, and doesn't have a neo-Confederate ideology. Webb on the other hand has some smarts and is a major promoter of Neo-Confederacy and will be able to use the apparatus of government to do so. He will be much more dangerous to the future of the nation.

Maybe this is what the Republicans are thinking of in their Anti-Ford Drum Beat ad.

This is from page 2, July 1960, "The Citizens' Council," the newspaper of the Citizen Councils in the 1950s-60s.

There is an editorial about the problems in the Congo advocating the idea that African Americans should not vote, since the events in the Congo supposedly prove that having African Americans vote would produce like results.

Working on the Next book/ Writing to Presidential Candidates

I was hoping to blog some more now that the book manuscript had been sent to the publishers, but I immediately have gone to work on the next book. I am also writing up some technical papers, and spent Sunday working through some mathematical equations modeling a process I am working on as an engineer.

I have two books I am working on. One I will not say what the topic is, since I want to continue to get material. The second book is on primary historical sources showing the intent and direction of the pro-slavery/confederate/neo-Confederate tradition from Antebellum times to the Modern Civil Rights era. I have a lot of fascinating and little known material.

However, I do hope to get some more posting done.

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

It would be useful for residents of states or congressional districts or cities where potential presidential are governors/U.S. Senators, congressional representatives or mayors respectively, to write these persons regarding Confederate symbols and Neo-Confederacy. I will try to come up with some topics. I think U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr.'s program of making sure that the National Park Services have slavery mentioned at the Battlefield parks is an important item.

Quoted in article in Mississippi

I was interviewed about the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) and the direction Beauvoir might go with it being taken over by the radicals.

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/15813673.htm

Confederate Heritage/Citizens Councils

The cartoon to the left is from "The Citizens' Council" a white supremacist group of upper and middle class persons primarily in the South during the 1950s and 60s (page 4, Dec. 1958). The cartoon is a reference to the NAACP. The publication is full of lengthy arguments about the Constitution and States' Rights and other soundings of high principals, but the cartoons give it all away where the White Citizens' Council members are coming from. The publication is also full of Confederate flags and references to the Confederacy. In one poem the ghost of Robert E. Lee comes visiting to shame southerners to fight civil rights.

The publication also demolishes Shelby Foote's argument that the Confederate battleflag was misused by yahoos. The Citizens' Councils were led by the leaders of socity in the South and it is quite clear what Confederate heritage means to them.


Also it is interesting how the paper endlessly engages in victimhood, a strategy that is still embraced by Neo-Confederates.

You can see all the issues of the newspaper at the web site www.citizenscouncils.com and read the issues. You will find that many of the arguments against civil rights then have their echoes today.

Anti-Gay African American Church Works with Person Who Speaks to CofCC Gatherings.

The story is here.

Click here for "Bay Windows" article.

I supplied the documentation on Tony Perkins and his involvement with the Council of Conservative Citizens. www.cofcc.org.

Tom Wildmon who spoke via video feed at this event interviewed in the "Southern Partisan."

A lot of the major and minor homophobes in the U.S. are involved at some level with Neo-Confederacy. Also, I know that in the Dallas area, conservative African American Churches had no problem working with a Christian newspaper that promoted the Confederate flag and praised R.L. Dabney, a pro-slavery theologian and a person with vitriolic anti-African prejudices.

Other reporters and activists might look for interconnections between anti-gay African American churches and white supremacists.

ANOTHER ARTICLE COMING UP THIS WEEKEND

I was contacted by a journalist for an article which will run this weekend, I think Sunday. I will post a notice of it. I am quoted.

Been busy finishing book manuscript, goes to publisher tomorrow or Wednesday

We have been working on the book manuscript: editing, footnotes, etc. It is a tremendous amount of work, but it is going to be sent to the publisher tomorrow or the day after.

Tentatively the title will be "Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction."

Of course this book will be the perfect gift for all occasions, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day, St. Wenceslas Day, May Day, etc.

Now that the book manuscript is done. I hope to blog more. In fact I have an item upcoming.

I am also working on another book about Neo-Confederacy, and we have made some substantial progress on it.

Counterpunch indulges racism

"Counterpunch" has this article on a convention of secessionists http://www.counterpunch.org/sale10052006.html .

It is a remarkably uncritical article. Thomas Naylor has been pushing Vermont secessionism. What is not mentioned in this article and other articles is that he is a contributor to the League of the South periodical "Southern Patriot."

Not surprisingly the League of the South considers it a nice write up.

Click here for League of the South blog item on CounterPunch.

The Middlebury Institute seems to be a project of Naylor and Sales.
http://middleburyinstitute.net/middinstltr.html

Kirkpatrick Sales is a contributor to Chronicles Magazine, the publication of the Rockford Institute, a racist right organization. http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/ Nov. 2005 page 20.

The Counterpunch policy seems to be a free pass for racism as long as they are anti-war. Counterpunch however can't seem to understand the geography of the Republican's electoral majority. www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking.htm

Confederates in the Christian Colleges and Community Colleges

John J. Dwyer, Neo-Confederate author has been made Adjunct Professor of History at the Oklahoma City Community College and Southern Nazarene University in Oklahoma City, OK.

http://www.johnjdwyer.com/news.html

SCV condemns George Allen

George Allen is having a heck of a time.

SCV condemns Allen, click here for article.

George Allen's College Days

According to some of George Allen's former teammates he frequently used racist terminology.


http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/09/24/allen_football/

Transaction Press of Rutgers is a publisher of Neo-Confederate books.

Transaction Publishers is one of my major sources of Neo-Confederate books. It is at Rutgers University in New Jersey. They also publish a "Journal of American Ethnic History" and a series of books on Africa.

"Southern Partisan" is still being published

"Southern Partisan" is still being published. I am not sure why people think it is defunct.

Max Blumenthal blogs on "Washington Times" and their Neo-Confederates

This is the link to the article.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061009/washington_times

Max Blumenthal Blogs on U.S. Senator John Cornyn meeting with the Rockford Institute

Max Blumenthal blogged today on U.S. Senator John Cornyn meeting at an immigration conference with the Rockford Institute inside the U.S. Senate Bldg.

You can read the blog here.


My paper on the anti-Muslim/anti-Hispanic campaign of the Rockford Institute and others is online here:

http://www.rtis.com/touchstone/sum02/09.HTM

Tancredo meets with Neo-Confederates

The SPLC has a story on it here.

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/news/item.jsp?aid=79

I would like to refer to this paper of mine on Neo-Confederates and their anti-Hispanic/anti-Muslim efforts and beliefs.

http://www.rtis.com/touchstone/sum02/09.HTM

Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn to speak at the Rockford Institute Immigration function at the Senate Dirksen Building

Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn to speak at the Rockford Institute Immigration function at the Senate Dirksen Building:

The details are at this web page:

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/cgi-bin/events.cgi

I think this is an important development showing that the Neo-Confederates are entering the mainstream of the Republican party.

Sen. John McCain hires big South Carolina Pro-Confederate Charlie Condon.

As reported in the Washington Post, August 17, 2006, in an article by Jim Davenport, U.S. Sen. McCain has hired former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon, as a co-chairman of his Straight Talk America PAC. With Condon being the co-chair, McCain really should rename it the Straight Talk Confederacy PAC.

Washington Post Article here.

Charlie Condon is the darling of Neo-Confederates and has been a outspoken defender of the Confederacy.

Update: I am going to put notes in here of the Condon material as I find it.

1. "Flag Defender Rises: Rebuttal by Attorney General Charles M. Condon to Governor David M. Beasley's Proposal to Remove South Carolina's Confederate Battleflag, Tues. Nov. 26, 1996," Southern Partisan, 3rd Quarter 1996, Vol. 16, pages 9-10.

2. Condon threaten to sue the NAACP when they did protests at the statelines asking visitors to boycott South Carolina. (Post and Courier, Jan. 29, 2002, page 1A, "Condon promises to sue NAACP over planned protests at border," SCHUYLER KROPF byline. Condon was all bluster in this case since he didn't have a legal leg to stand on and nothing came of these threats.

3. In the CSA Today section, of the Southern Partisan, under South Carolina, 4th Quarter, 2001, Vol. 21, hails Condon for a somewhat fanciful interpretation of a South Carolina law that he claimed entitled local Confederate groups to have a say in Confederate monument that were public property.

I am going to have to dig up Condon's material and put it on the Presidential 2008 webpage. I have this and that, will need to sort through it and come up with a summary of key points.

McCain has Southern Partisan publisher Richard Quinn as the head of his campaign in South Carolina. Looks like McCain will be whistling Dixie as part of his campaign for President.

I will be making yet another entry on the presidential 2008 page for McCain. It is at:
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

The link to it is also on the right side bar of this blog.

Ann Coulter's Defense of the Confederate Flag

Recently, Ann Coulter has published in the Confederate Veteran, the official publication of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) a defense of the Confederate battle flag. [1] It is an essay titled, “The Battle Flag,” from Coulter’s book, “How to Talk to a Liberal,” Crown Publishers, 2004. In the article there is a picture of Ann Coulter with Brag Bowling Sons of Confederate Veterans Director and his wife Cathy Bowling, and the caption informs us that it was taken “at a recent engagement in Richmond, VA.”

I wrote an article on Coulter's essay and it was published by "The Touchstone" and is online at this website.

http://www.rtis.com/touchstone/oct2005/09.html

You might want to copy it and past it in word and enlarge the print size.

Coulter's article is a mess of historical error and faulty reasoning and crazed argumentation.

What I think is the importance of this article is that it shows how Neo-Confederacy is being mainstreamed.

Sen. Biden feels he will do well in the South since Delaware is a former slave state.

Sen. Biden of Delaware claimed that he was going to do well in the South since he comes from a former slave state which makes Delaware southern. Here are a couple links to the story and editorials. Then I will give my two cents worth.

This is the transcript from Fox News:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,210668,00.html

This is a local Delaware paper also reporting it and pointing out that Biden's comments are a real insult to Delaware, which is quite correct.

Click here for story at www.delmarvanow.com

This article from a newspaper in Alabama makes fun of Biden and shows other inanities in his statement.

Click here for link.

I think this comment by Biden shows the shallowness of many Democrats in regards to their commitment to Civil Rights and a "Romance of Reunion" mentality that doesn't take Neo-Confederacy seriously.


This is Biden's record on Neo-Confederacy which I am going to update:

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

Is Ronald Reagan a spiritual direct descendant of Jefferson Davis? Southern Partisan magazine thinks so.

The cover of the Vol. 25 No. 1 issue of Southern Partisan magazine is a picture of Ronald Reagan giving a salute with the head line “The Legacy of Ronald Reagan,” which is the title of the article by P.J. Byrnes on pages 16-21.

The article is interesting to review in what it reveals of the Neo-Confederate idea of the South and what being a Southerner is and the Southern Partisan’s understanding of the nature of Republican Party’s politics in the South.

The introduction to the article is as follows:

“If Bill Clinton was the first black president, as some have argued, then Ronald Reagan was the first Southern president of the 20th century. You can[’]t count Woodrow Wilson (governor of New Jersey and an internationalist), Lyndon Johnson (architect of the welfare state), and Jimmy Carter (liberal at home, sissy abroad). Reagan believed in the things we believe in: less government interference in our lives, a tough policy toward the Soviet Empire, and a fierce commitment to God as a pervasive presence in every aspect of our lives, including the public arena.

Reagan reconstituted the Solid South and gave Southerners an opportunity to vote together in opposition to our old political enemies. In 1984, he swept the region; and as a consequence, voting Republican became respectable. (To be sure, the GOP ticket carried the South in 1972, but we were voting against McGovern rather than for Nixon.) When we voted for Reagan, we meant it. That[’]s why we were especially moved when we learned of his death. We felt as if a direct descendant of Jefferson Davis had died. Hence the following.”

After this introduction in the magazine is the main body of the article. I don’t know if the apostrophes “’” were intentionally omitted or not. There are various schools of Neo-Confederate writing of English. They don’t like the letter “z” and have adopted other spelling conventions and writing conventions. I have inserted the apostrophes for purposes of clarity.

There are two major themes in this introduction. One, this introduction concisely reveals the application of the idea of being Southern and Southerness by Neo-Confederates. Two, the what the politics in the Republican Party in the South is about.

For Byrnes, to be Southern is to have a certain systems of belief and persons who don’t have these systems of belief are not Southern, regardless of whether their families and forebears are multiple generations in the South. Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Lyndon Johnson are thus not Southern for they have un-Southern thought. It might be argued that Lyndon Johnson is Western or Southwestern, but Woodrow Wilson certainly was Southern. He was born in Virginia in 1856 and lived in the South during the civil war. His administration introduced segregation into the Federal government. He praised the movie “Birth of a Nation” stating, “It is like history written with lightening.” His retrograde racism is discussed in this short article.

http://www.reason.com/0303/co.cf.dixiecrats.shtml.

As a conservative democratic and professor of political science his career advanced until he was president of the University of Princeton and from there started his political career, first as the governor of New Jersey. This is a link to a short summary of his career http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ww28.html. (The Bush White House has White Washed the issues of race out of Woodrow Wilson’s biography.)

As with most Neo-Confederate writing, P.J. Byrnes carefully selects a few historical facts to create his historical presentations.

In order to exclude Wilson, Carter, and Johnson and others in the South from being Southern P.J. Byrnes adeptly uses the terms “we” and “our”. Byrnes states Reagan believed in the things “we believed in.” And thus those who don’t believe in those things are un-Southern. Byrnes talks about “our old political enemies” and thus those who don’t share these enemies are un-Southern. Byrnes states “We felt as if a direct descendent of Jefferson Davis had died.” If you didn’t feel this way, you are un-Southern.

Byrnes writing is a process of exclusion to define a political and cultural viewpoint as Southern and to exclude and denigrate those who don’t share those viewpoints in the South as un-Southern. Southern patriotrism, such as pride in the south, Southern identity is harnessed to press individuals to support these beliefs, with the implication that those who don't, are not good Southerners.

Byrnes is fairly direct about what Republican party politics in the South is about. It is reconstituting “The Solid South” and solidarity “in opposition to our old political enemies.” Though not elaborating on who the “old political enemies” are, these “old political enemies” are surely the forces for civil rights and modernism in general. The “Solid” in the expression “Solid South” was always about the issue of race.

However, it isn't limited to the issues of race. Women voting, gay rights, immigration, evolution, and a host of other issues is part of the Neo-Confederate Southern identity in the opposition to modernism. Southern Partisan had a cover issue theme for one issue rejecting the 18th century Enlightenment as an attack on the South. (2nd Quarter, 2001, cover theme, "Sitting Amongst the Ruins: The South versus the Enlightenment, article by Thomas E. Woods, professor at Suffolk County Community College in New York, and associate editor for the magazine Latin Mass.)

Finally Byrnes fuses the issues of Southern identity and Republican Party politics in the South with the Confederacy with his closing statement. “We felt as if a direct descendant of Jefferson Davis had died.”

After the introduction, the article starts out with the subject of Reagan dying of Alzheimer. From this, Byrnes launches into a complaint that metaphorically America is suffering from a form of political and cultural Alzheimers and forgetting what Byrnes asserts are America’s older virtues which to him is a religious right America. Reagan is held to be a champion of these values against the modern age. Reagan being defined by the Southern Partisan as a hero of southern values, these values of Ronald Reagan asserted by Byrnes are therefore Southern values.

Brynes is engaged through the use of Southern nationalism in the construction of the South as a reactionary fortress and being Southern as being a reactionary and a Confederate. This is what Neo-Confederacy, Southern nationalism, is all about. It is about building an internal reactionary fortress in the United States, a form of internal secession, which a national reactionary politics can use as a base. If you can reserve 25% of a nation for a reactionary politics, a progressive idea has to garner two-thirds, 67%, of the vote elsewhere to pass.

(0.67) X 75% = 50%

You might as well give up on a progressive politics with these odds.
For conservatives, whether Southern or not, this is a very appealing set up. The reactionary fortress, internally seceded through a separtist identity, would find it had allies elsewhere.

In discussing Neo-Confederacy the focus has been primarily on certain groups like the League of the South, Southern Partisan, Council of Conservative Citizens, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans, but this is just one expression of Neo-Confederacy.

Reviewing two statements in Byrne’s introduction again:

“Reagan reconstituted the Solid South and gave Southerners an opportunity to vote together in opposition to our old political enemies.”

And the conclusion:

“When we voted for Reagan, we meant it. That[’]s why we were especially moved when we learned of his death. We felt as if a direct descendant of Jefferson Davis had died.”

Quite clearly to Byrnes the Republican party in the South is, or at least functions as, a Neo-Confederate Party, a resurrection of the “Solid South” by Ronald Reagan who Byrnes identifies with Jefferson Davis.

Indeed, it is a region in which most states have Confederate holidays and celebrate and identity with the Confederacy and use Confederate symbols. It is a Confederate identified region, and it has a politics. Of course Dick Army, Phil Gramm, Jesse Helms, Trent Lott and others would interview in the Southern Partisan.

The politics of Canada is Canadian politics, the politics of Scotland is Scottish politics, the politics of Japan is Japanese politics, and so on.

Neo-Confederate politics is a program of a separtist nationalism of a Confederate identified region with a Confederate civil religion. Look at that region, observe the politics, and that is Neo-Confederacy. The politics of a region that defines itself by the Confederacy is Confederate politics.

I elaborate some of these ideas in my paper, “Breaking the White Nation, “ at this link www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking.htm

Note 1: This issue of Southern Partisan has both an issue date, Jan./Feb. 2004 and a publication date, Nov. 2004.

Note 2: I have never figured out who P.J. Byrnes is.

Council of Conservative Citizens George Allen Items

UPDATE (8/29/06): An article quoting me regarding George Allen and Neo-Confederacy was published online at "The Nation" magazine website. The following is the link to the article.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060911/george_allen

I finished reading Ryan Lizza's article on George Allen for The New Republic. In reading the article, I found George Allen sinister. There are parts of it which I think suggest something worse. The article was in the May 8, 2006 issue. I haven't found a complete article online.

I have already put some of George Allen's Confederate items on my Presidential Candidates 2008 page. http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

I did a search of my hard disk and came up with a couple items.

In the Citizens Informer, official newspaper of the Council of Conservative Citizens, Vol. 26 Summer 1995, on the front page, is an article about the CofCC (www.cofcc.org) national convention. The article in reporting the afternoon session states:

"... , R. Jefferson Garnett, Esq., an advisor to Virginia Gov. Allen, discussed the Tenth Amendment Resolution." [Italics in the original]

Another interesting item is a photo of George Allen and Charlton Heston with the leaders of the Council of Conservative Citizens on page 4 of the Citizens Informer, Vol. 27 Summer 1996. The caption reads:

"At CPAC'96. (L to R) Virginia Gov. George Allen, Citizens Informer editor Fred C. Jennings, CofCC C.E.O. Gordon Lee Baum, national CofCC President Tom Dover, and actor Charlton Heston." [Italics in the original.]



The CofCC was one of the co-sponsors of CPAC for several years until the expose of the CofCC and their links into the Republican party in the Washington Post in Dec. 1998

The Vol. 26, Spring 1995, page 4, "Virginia legislation update," reported by Michael W. Masters, Fredericksburg, VA, gives some explanation of the CofCC's enthusiam for Republican Party politics in Virginia, quoting:

"Residents of the Old Dominion are rejoicing because the Virginia General Assembly passed the Tenth Amendment Resolution in February. In a related development, a new Federalism Commission was created to study abuses by the Federal government of constitutional powers that rightfully belong to the states." [Boldface in the original]

The Federalism Commission item is troubling. During the Civil Rights era, Virginia had an anti-civil rights effort called the Virginia Commission on Constitutional Government. The following is a link to one of their pamphlets. http://douglassarchives.org/virg_a21.htm. "Just for historical interest" this commission republished the Confederate constitution.

Garnett was able to get his agenda pushed as a Allen appointee (http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?961+ful+SJ17ER) and do some real damage based on his crackpot ideas.

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp960816/08160536.htm

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp960721/07190022.htm

The attack on the Child Care organization was because of a curriculum they adopted to promote tolerance.

I think it could prove very productive to track down George Allen's activities in Virginia during the 1990s up until 1997, and his early years in Los Angeles. I would go to the genealogy sections of the local libraries, and the emphemera sections and see what he did with the local SCV and UDC chapters.

"Washington Post" use of the term "Flap"

The Washington Post uses the term "Flap" to discuss George Allen's use of the term "Macaca" to refer to a campaign tracker who he presumed was an immigrant based on his skin color.

The article is here:

Click here for article in Washington Post.

I wrote up an essay regarding the use of the term "flap" in news stories and though it was on another topic, I think it applies here.

Don’t let arguments that are dismissive of the importance of historical narratives and symbols deceive you. One of the favorite phrases in reporting the news on the Confederate flag in public life is to use the phrase, "flag flap." This needs to be recognized as the editorial comment it is in reporting the news. The phrase is a comment that the topic of controversy is trivial. This dismissive tone is never taken in reporting controversies over burning the American flag. If a reporter used the term “flag flap” in reporting a controversy over the American flag, assuming that the editor would let it slip by, there would be a storm of protest. This dismissive tone is never taken in reporting holocaust deniers. You won't see an article titled or using the belittling phrases, "holocaust hassle," "history hiccup," "history hissyfit," or "holocaust hallabaloo."

Pro-Confederate George Allen and his Macaca remarks.

You Tube has George Allen's remarks and you can go to this link and listen to them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G7gq7GQ71c

A variety of excuses have been spun. One is the "Mohawk" excuse, but the tracker doesn't have a Mohawk.

Click Here for article from "Washington Post," August 16th.

George Allen is on my Presidential 2008 web page with the link on the right side of my blog. He has an interesting Confederate record documented on that page which hasn't been covered by the press.

Another Item about the attack on Voting Rights

This link is about the new effort for a 21st Poll Tax which the Bush Justice Dept. approved.

Click for "Washington Post" article here.

I discussed the Ashcroft/Bush Justice department turn from supporting Civil Rights to not supporting them in yesterdays post and both these persons Confederate mentality.

http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2006/08/bush-administration-and-ashcroft.html

Bush administration and Ashcroft subvert Civil Rights Enforcement

There are three links to articles about how the Bush administration starting with attorney general Ashcroft is subverting civil rights enforcement by appointing lawyers who aren't supportive of civil rights for the civil rights enforcement division of the Justice Department.

Boston Globe article, click here.


Article about the Boston Globe article.

I have written on George W. Bush's history of promoting the Confederacy and have an article on it here. Read article about George Bush and his support for the Confederacy, click here..

Ashcroft interviewed in the Southern Partisan and gave ample evidence of his Confederate viewpoint.

However, it was NPR and Peter Applebome which came to the defense of Southern Partisan. The Civil Rights organizations, anti-racist groups, and the liberal-left establishment didn't criticize NPR for this defense and largely forgot the issue of Neo-Confederacy. A great many people didn't see the problem, after all neither Ashcroft or Bush were ranting like some member of Aryan Nations.

The Confederacy was a white nationalist revolution for the purpose of white supremacy through slavery of Africans. It is just that simple. So when people support the glorification of the Confederacy, such as Bush being a lead fundraiser for the Museum of the Confederacy, it means something. Bush wasn't wearing funny clothes, and he had good middle class manners, and did lots and lots of photo ops with black children. So what, the plantation mentality doesn't have a phobia of African Americans in their lives.

Now, surprise, surprise, the Bush administration is pulling the plug on Civil Rights.

Neo-Confederacy is a mental framework, and its politics is the output of those who have a Confederate consciousness.

"Southern Partisan" Editor elected head of Sons of Confederate Veterans

Christopher M. Sullivan, editor of Southern Partisan, has been elected Commander-in-Chief, the head, of the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) according to their webpage www.scv.org.

This is a very important development in the Neo-Confederate movement. The different elements of the Neo-Confederate movement, academic groups, intellectuals, activists, genealogical, are now all brought together by Christopher M. Sullivan. Also, Sullivan's succession to Sweeney, is a continuation of radical Neo-Confederate control of the organization and the SCV being in the harness of Neo-Confederate nationalism.

There has been speculation that Southern Partisan shut down after the McCain campaign in 2000, there was a very slow period afterwards, but it has been publishing at its usual pace, which has always been irregular. With Christopher M. Sullivan it should be able to draw on the 30,000 members of the SCV for subscriptions. What Sullivan will do regarding the Southern Mercury, a publication with the same mailing address as the SCV, and which seems to be a competitor with the Southern Partisan remains to be seen.

This recent election further makes the League of the South irrelevant, which seems to be an organization of just a few people. I don't see a purpose for their existence in the Neo-Confederate movement.

From the "Onion," America celebrates the first 750 years on independence

It is hilarious and makes clear the basic problem with the Wikipedia, no editorial oversight.

http://www.theonion.com/content/node/50902

Mel Gibson given free pass by Neo-Confederates. Also, when bigots are not marginal members of society.

Incidentally the following is a great column by Tim Rutten in the "Los Angeles Times" about the people who gave the movie "The Passion" a free pass regarding anti-Semitism.

Click this link for article.

The Neo-Confederates are exonerating or explaining away or making excuses for Mel Gibson at these links. In some cases as time goes on you will have to look down the page or search for the word "Gibson."

The most interesting defense of Gibson is an essay by Thomas Fleming, stating:

"Theories of history are matters of fact and reason. The fact that so many troublemakers of the past 150 years have been of Jewish extraction—Marx, Freud, the Neoconservatives—is certainly no argument in their favor. Jewish “intellectuals” continue to be in the forefront of the movements that aim to destroy our religion and culture. "

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/ Has on their web page as the lead item an attack on the critics of Mel Gibson and an exposition that is fairly anti-Semitic in itself.

This is the direct link to the essay by Thomas Fleming, a former founding director of the League of the South, and leading Neo-Confederate.

www.cofcc.org The Council of Conservative Citizens has an item that Gibson has a Jewish body guard, so that means Gibson isn't aSemiticitic. This is a sort aSemiticitic parallel to the tactics of the Neo-Confederates parading around some African American who says he likes the Confederacy.

http://www.southerncaucus.org/ "Dixie Daily News" states that Gibson makes great movies and just made a mistake.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans sell a book, "The South Under Siege" which has whole chapters which I believe to be and I think most people would believe to be anti-Semitic.

https://scv.secure-sites.us/store.php?offset=50&cat=02

It is on page 6 of their catalog.

I blogged on the white supremacy of this book and you can read that part at this link.

http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2006/06/white-supremacy-promoted-by-sons-of.html

The Neo-Confederates aren't the only ones looking for some excuse to get Mel Gibson off the hook. Others are two.

The so-called anti-racism and opposition to bigotry in society is often just an opposition to marginal members of society, people who have a great social distance from ourselves, stirring up trouble. When someone who is a part of "us" is found out to be racist or bigoted the excuse machine is really cranked up for them. I discuss this in my paper "Breaking the White Nation."

www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking.htm

"C.S.A. The Movie" is now for sale on DVD

You can start pre-ordering Kevin Willmott's film in DVD. The release date is 8/8/06.

The website for the film is:

http://www.csathemovie.com/


Interesting article about the film published in the UK.

http://www.netribution.co.uk/2/content/view/827/267/

The Neo-Confederates are upset by it.

http://shnvalerts.blogspot.com/2006/08/revealing-american-history-in-csa.html

Yet Again, Tennessee U.S. House Rep. John J. Duncan in "Chronicles" magazine.

July 2006, page6, Chronicles magazine, is Republican U.S. House Rep. John J. Duncan with another article.

http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/

The article is not likely to be available online.

John J. Dwyer's Civil War History for Homeschoolers promoted by "Southern Partisan."

Southern Partisan, Vol. 25 No. 1, Jan. 2006, released much later, has a review by Egon Tausch on page 28-29, of John J. Dwyer's book "The War Between the States: America's Uncivil War." This is a thoroughly Neo-Confederate view of the Civil War.

I think this is the start of the Neo-Confederates promoting their ideology through the homeschooling movement.

John J. Dwyers website is http://www.johnjdwyer.com/.

My article on the Neo-Confederate Christians is online at:

http://www.utpjournals.com/product/cras/323/sebesta.html

Federal Judge Richard Bender Abell speaks at Neo-Confederate event

In the Southern Partisan, Vol. 25 No. 1, Jan. 2006, released recently, page 9, is a short item on a Lee - Jackson ceremony in the Capitol Hall of Staturary, and one of the participants is Federal Judge Richard Bender Abell, who praises Robert E. Lee.

Neo-Confederate group at the Citadel, Military school in South Carolina

The Southern Partisan, Vol. 25 No. 1, Jan. 2006 issue, recently released has an article about a group at The Citadel in South Carolina, on page 9, in a boxed article.

The Southern Partisan explains that Citadel Men, (www.CitadelMen.com) "was started by Jon Rawl (Class of '93), a contributor to this publication, ..." That is, Jon Rawl has written for Southern Partisan.

The following is my article on the Neo-Confederate subculture in the U.S. Military.

http://www.rtis.com/touchstone/april2005/p14.html

BLACK LIBERTARIAN AT LEW ROCKWELL

For today, Lew Rockwell has a blog by Neo-Confederate Christian leader, John J. Dwyer, with his entry at:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig3/dwyer8.html

This is his website http://www.johnjdwyer.com/ .

And an African American who gives a Libertarian spin on American history and slavery at:

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/wicks2.html

Lew Rockwell is one of the leading Neo-Confederate websites.

George Wallace Jr. Defeated

George Wallace Jr., had a long history of working with the Council of Conservative Citizens (www.cofcc.org) and more disgracefully John McCain campaigned for him. He has been defeated in the Republican primary and his public life may well be over.

Click for article here.

GIULIANI added to Presidential Candidates webpage.

GIULIANI added to Presidential Candidates webpage.

http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/presidentialcandidates2008.htm

Voting Rights Act Update- Neo-Confederates defeated, for now

My blogging on the Neo-Confederate opposition to the Voting Rights Act is at this link:

http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2006/06/neo-confederate-opposition-to-voting.html

One of the two founding books of the Neo-Confederate movement, "The South Was Right!" by the Kennedy Brothers specifically denounced the Voting Rights Act. http://www.kennedytwins.com/ http://www.kennedytwins.com/oped.htm
http://www.kennedytwins.com/publications.htm

The House renewed the Voting Rights Act for another 25 years. The efforts of the Neo-Confederates for 20 years have come to nothing. The following is a link to the "Washington Post" article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/13/AR2006071300369.html


The votes can be looked at and some of the house history at this link.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/109/house/2/votes/374/

You can look at it by region and state and by party at the above link. There seems to be a combined anti-immigration opposition and the more classic anti-civil rights opposition, so the opposition is concentrated in the Southwest and South. I should say that the majority of representatives in the South did vote for it. However, if you read the article, there were very large votes to weaken the Voting Rights Act. I suspect that many thought that they could hamstring the voting rights act with amendments, and then vote for a crippled voting rights act, but portray themselves as a supporter for voting rights acts. Some of those votes, for the amendments were not close, but too close for comfort.

But after the efforts to cripple the voting rights act failed, almost everyone voted for it, rather than being revealed for their opposition for it.

This is the link to the online Congressional Record. http://thomas.loc.gov/

These are the amendments attempts for the Voting Rights Act. Notice the votes were not so lopsided as the final vote for the Voting Rights Act. If you follow the link to the amendment, you can see the roll call votes for each attempt to cripple the voting rights act.


Amendments For H.R.9
1. H.AMDT.1182 to H.R.9 Sponsor: House Rules (introduced 7/13/2006) Cosponsors (None) Committees: House Rules Latest Major Action: 7/13/2006 House amendment offered

2. H.AMDT.1183 to H.R.9 An amendment numbered 1 printed in House Report 109-554 to update the formula in section 4 of the Voting Rights Act that determines which states and jurisdictions will be covered under Section 5 of the act. This updated formula would be a rolling test based off of the last three presidential elections. Any state would be subject to Section 5 if it currently has a discriminatory test in place or voter turnout of less than 50% in any of the three most recent presidential elections. Sponsor: Rep Norwood, Charlie [GA-9] (introduced 7/13/2006) Cosponsors (None) Latest Major Action: 7/13/2006 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Norwood amendment (A002) Failed by recorded vote: 96 - 318 (Roll no. 370). http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll370.xml

3. H.AMDT.1184 to H.R.9 An amendment numbered 2 printed in House Report 109-554 to make the reauthorization period 10 years, rather than the 25 years proposed in the act. Sponsor: Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1] (introduced 7/13/2006) Cosponsors (None) Latest Major Action: 7/13/2006 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Gohmert amendment (A003) Failed by recorded vote: 134 - 288 (Roll no. 371). http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll371.xml

4. H.AMDT.1185 to H.R.9 An amendment numbered 3 printed in House Report 109-554 which seeks to strike sections 7 and 8 from the bill. Sections 7 and 8 relate to multilingual ballots and use of American Community Survey census data, and they would automatically expire in 2007. Sponsor: Rep King, Steve [IA-5] (introduced 7/13/2006) Cosponsors (None) Latest Major Action: 7/13/2006 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the King (IA) amendment (A004) Failed by recorded vote: 185 - 238 (Roll no. 372). http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll372.xml

5. H.AMDT.1186 to H.R.9 An amendment numbered 4 printed in House Report 109-554 which seeks to provide for an expedited, proactive procedure to bail out from coverage under the preclearance portions of the Voting Rights Act, by requiring the Department of Justice to assemble a list of all jurisdictions eligible for bailout and to notify the jurisdictions. The Department of Justice is then required to consent to the entry of a declaratory judgment allowing bailout if a jurisdiction appears on the list. Adds a three-year initial time period (and annually thereafter) for assembly of the bailout list by the Department of Justice. Sponsor: Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-8] (introduced 7/13/2006) Cosponsors (None) Latest Major Action: 7/13/2006 House amendment not agreed to. Status: On agreeing to the Westmoreland amendment (A005) Failed by recorded vote: 118 - 302 (Roll no. 373). http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2006/roll373.xml

Wayne Madsen, John Edward Hurley, and Richard T. Hines

A person named Wayne Marsden runs an expose' web site and has been mentioning Richard T. Hines, Jonathan Edward Hurley, and the Bush administration. I have gotten some inquiries about his writing.

The Wayne Madsen report for July 7/8, 2006 is the lead article at his webpage at http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/ .

I have some concerns about what Marsden is reporting and I will tell you what I know briefly.

Richard T. Hines is a major Neo-Confederate and involved with Neo-Confederate affairs in D.C. George W. Bush owes his win in the South Carolina Primary in 2000 to him. This article reviews the connections. ( http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050829/blumenthal) I provided the Neo-Confederate information on Richard T. Hines for the article. Hines is also involved in the ultra-reactionary, Monarchist TFP society which I blogged on earlier. http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2006/05/american-society-for-defense-of.html

However, I have problems with John Edward Hurley as a source. Some of his data may well be accurate. However, John Edward Hurley didn't seem to have a problem with racism until his falling out with some of the local reactionaries. Hurley had a column in the "Southern Partisan" and he endorsed at least one rabid Neo-Confederate book. (I think it was "Southern By the Grace of God" by Michael Andrew Grissom). I have his newsletter for the Confederate Embassy packed away. Suddenly he is shocked, shocked, shocked by racism in the Neo-Confederate movement.

I do think that there is a story in D.C. about Neo-Confederate racism. Someone should attend the Neo-Confederate speeches at the U.S. Capitol in statuary hall on Jefferson Davis' and Robert E. Lee's birthday and find out what is being said. Attendance at the Arlington cemetery when they present the wreath might be very revealing, but I am not going to be there and no one has picked up on this project. The "Southern Partisan" did seem to have contacts in D.C. and did get officials to interview. The editor of the "Washington Times," Pruden interviewed in the "Southern Partisan" and he had one of his editorials contributed as an article to the magazine. He has and may well still be active with the United Daughters of the Confederacy and has some other connections. http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=57 is one article on the "Washington Times" and Neo-Confederacy, and this is about some other racist business at the paper http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?aid=526.

But there is a difference between thinking that there could be some connections, and speculation about such connections, and knowing it for a fact. I don't think Wayne Marsden has the info beyond Richard T. Hines. I would not rely on Hurley.

George W. Bush does have a Confederate history, this is an article I have on his past prior to the 2000 election.
Click here for the story.

However, Neo-Confederates hate George W. Bush with a passion, that is those in the League of the South and Council of Conservative Citizens branch of the movement. However, there is the Richard T. Hines type branch, a faction that is pragmatic and works in Conservative movements which understands that Republicans have to work in the real world. "Southern Partisan" was very critical of George W. Bush prior to 2000, and had their complaints about him as a cover issue story for an issue.

There is a Neo-Confederate story in D.C., Wayne Madsen doesn't have it.

Neo-Confederate Elements in the Anti-Gay Episcopal faction

I had an article published in a South African gay website. It is online as a cache now at:

Click this link to the article.

I also have an article on Confederate Christian nationalist published in the "Canadian Review of Nationalism Studies"


http://www.utpjournals.com/product/cras/323/sebesta.html html

http://gis.depaul.edu/ehague/Articles/PUBLISHED%20CRAS%20ARTICLE.pdf PDF

4th of July Post

TOPICS, NEO-CONFEDERATE TAKE ON 4TH, BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC, THE FOUNDING OF AMERICA AS A SLAVE REPUBLIC

Lew Rockwell, www.lewrockwell.com is currently having their take on the 4th of July. Thomas DiLorenzo is emphasizing it is secession, http://www.lewrockwell.com/dilorenzo/dilorenzo103.html and another contributor is very upset with the Battle Hymn of the Republic http://www.lewrockwell.com/vance/vance84.html with an essay titled "Blasphemy in Song." Neo-Confederate really hate this song.

Interestingly enough, the expression "Old Glory" as a name for the American flag comes from the story of Capt. Driver, a unionist in Tennessee and an opponent of the Confederacy. This is one link http://www.usflag.org/history/oldglorystory.html.

The full story has some dramatic elements. Confederate soldiers and secessionists threaten Capt. Driver, he had to hide it in a quilt during the dead of night, and before an assemblage of American soldiers the quilt was opened up and the hidden flag revealed. It captured the imagination of the nation.

Prior to the Civil War the American flag was little thought of in national life, but when the Civil War started the interest in the American flag was widespread and intense. The various flag codes and rules on how to use the American flags comes from the 1920s. Prior to this time, Americans arranged the stars on the flag as they saw fit, and would think nothing of using the flag as an apron at a social function where they were serving food and wanted to be seen as patriotic. A good book on the American flag is "The American Flag, 1777 -- 1924: Cultural Shifts from Creation to codification," by Scot M. Guenter, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.

When Olympic athletics win a medal, often they will run across a field with the American flag in their hands or as a cape, and sure as the sun comes up some pious whiner will write in to the daily newspaper of their town rattling off what flag codes the athlete violated. However, this ridge flag cult is a product of the 1920s and the Red Scare and other social factors. In the 19th century the American flag was owned by the people and its use much more free.

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC

I tried to purchase a good copy of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" at Tower Records. There is a store here in Dallas that is huge. However, the typical rendition of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" that you find on CDs is some weak watery thin version. If they sang it like that in the Civil War, the Confederacy would have succeeded. Neo-Confederates hate this song. I remember growing up that it was one of the few songs that we enjoyed singing in school, and we sang it with passion. We also had a burlesque version which I can't remember, but involved the word "tangerine" and "hit the teacher with a rula." Though the last thing in the world I would want to participate would be a real Civil War battle. They were simply horrible, modern technology had arrived, modern medicine hadn't, and neither had modern military tactics had arrived to handle the modern technology. So the casualties were high, the medicine had no painkillers or anesthesia and the common method to prevent death, was amputation. If the percentage of casualties of the Civil War period was applied to the current population, it would be like 5 or 6 or 7 million people that would die. Not surprisingly, the Civil War had more casualties than all other American wars combined.

It would be interesting how patriotic the current Republican party is about the "Battle Hymn of the Republic."

SLAVE REPUBLIC

A recent book, is "Slave Nation: How Slavery United the Colonies & Sparked the American Revolution," by Alfred W. Blumrosen & Ruth G. Blumrosen, which argues that the American colonies opted for independence to escape British anti-slavery sentiment, in particular the famous 1772 Somerset case decision that slavery was incompatible with English common law and was "odious."

It seems plausible, and I could certainly believe that information supporting this historical view would not be in high school American history books, or in that species of popular American history books which are little more than blaring trumpets. However, plausible, isn't enough, you need historical data to support your case. The Blumrosen's don't. I emailed them and they didn't have any additional references to support their case and they don't have evidence in their book. The Blumrosen's do show how slavery was incorporated in the Constitution and was present as an issue during the American Revolution, which was certainly true, but they don't have evidence as for it being a cause for Independence.

The book is good in documenting the issues of slavery in the American Revolution and the early period right after. The issue of slavery in the American Revolution and of the Founders is ignored or deflected with the insipid and stupid argument about presentism. We judge the Founders as great heroes by our present standards, but when the issue of slavery is brought up, then that is presentism. It is the the historical equivalent of "heads I win, tails you lose."

Actually, at the American Constitutional Convention the issue of slavery was brought up and it was judged as a great horror and crime, but the delegates from the southern states, said that if they didn't get their way on it, there would be no American nation involving them.

Another thing to think about is the American Constitution. It is touted as a brilliant piece of work. By what rational standard this is, I don't know, I think it is the blaring trumpets of patriotism standard of writing American history that says it is so.

An objective standard of history would say that it had great flaws. I think the Civil War can be traced back to the slave clauses in the Constitution, making it national, making the Constitution a compact over slavery. If slavery had just been a state issue, with no powers to pass a Fugitive slave act, no 3/5ths clause for representation, it is probably not as likely that there would have been a Civil War. Few Constitutions are marked by a disastrous Civil War shortly after their writing.

Also, one time I calculated the representation in the U.S. Senate some figures of representation of the American population there. 10% of the American population is represented by 40% of the Senate and 40% of the American population is represented by 10% of the Senate. (I type this from memory, to quote it, I would get out the Atlas and check these figures. New York, California, Texas, Illinois, and Pennsylvania have ten senators.)