Thursday, December 31, 2015
Petition to get rid of a Jefferson Davis monument in Brownsville, Texas
https://www.change.org/p/mayor-of-the-city-of-brownsville-texas-commissioners-of-the-city-of-brownsville-texas-remove-the-jefferson-davis-memorial
The above is a link to a www.change.org petition to get rid of the Jefferson Davis memorial in Brownsville, Texas.
Please help this person by signing the petition.
Jefferson Davis was a vicious racist.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Denied it was racially motivated
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-florida-confederate-flag-lying-guilty-20151223-story.html
A person working at the Army Corps of Engineers who had had loud confrontations with an African American co-worker decided after the massacre in Charleston to print out a Confederate flag from a computer and secretly place it on the co-worker's desk.
There was investigation and the person putting the flag on the desk lied to a federal officer and as a consequence was convicted of this lying and has been sent to jail. What is interesting about this story is:
This person might sincerely think that they are not racist because the person doesn't wear funny clothes or use racial slurs narrowly defining a racist to only those who are belligerent.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking-the-white-nation.html
The neo-Confederates are always denying being racist. Even when they are caught out, they have sort a strategy that could be summed up as "I was racist 15 minutes ago, but now I am not."
In this article the Ku Klux Klan in Pennsylvania is claiming that they are not a racist organization.
http://timesleader.com/news/489335/ku-klux-klan-recruiting-in-northeast-pennsylvania-for-a-new-era
Richard Quinn, editor for nearly two decades of the Southern Partisan, when he was running Lindsey Graham's campaign claimed that he had changed.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/03/longtime-lindsey-graham-advisor-ripped-mlk-as-editor-of-neo-confederate-magazine/
Neo-Confederates will continue to assert they aren't racist and I suppose that will provide an excuse for those who really don't care about the issue of racism to accept these groups as legitimate.
A person working at the Army Corps of Engineers who had had loud confrontations with an African American co-worker decided after the massacre in Charleston to print out a Confederate flag from a computer and secretly place it on the co-worker's desk.
There was investigation and the person putting the flag on the desk lied to a federal officer and as a consequence was convicted of this lying and has been sent to jail. What is interesting about this story is:
Thompson eventually confirmed she had been angry with the person but denied it was racially motivated.Since we don't have instruments to read people's minds we can't refute this with any concrete evidence. However, I think you would have to be an idiot to believe this person's claims that there wasn't racial motivation.
This person might sincerely think that they are not racist because the person doesn't wear funny clothes or use racial slurs narrowly defining a racist to only those who are belligerent.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking-the-white-nation.html
The neo-Confederates are always denying being racist. Even when they are caught out, they have sort a strategy that could be summed up as "I was racist 15 minutes ago, but now I am not."
In this article the Ku Klux Klan in Pennsylvania is claiming that they are not a racist organization.
http://timesleader.com/news/489335/ku-klux-klan-recruiting-in-northeast-pennsylvania-for-a-new-era
Richard Quinn, editor for nearly two decades of the Southern Partisan, when he was running Lindsey Graham's campaign claimed that he had changed.
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/03/longtime-lindsey-graham-advisor-ripped-mlk-as-editor-of-neo-confederate-magazine/
Neo-Confederates will continue to assert they aren't racist and I suppose that will provide an excuse for those who really don't care about the issue of racism to accept these groups as legitimate.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
St. Louis committee recommends removal of Confederate monument
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/committee-supports-removing-confederate-monument-from-forest-park/article_ebdc99a2-b37c-55aa-b3a9-a461fb6b6d6f.html
A committee appointed to consider the matter has decided to have a major Confederate monument in St. Louis removed.
With the monuments removed from New Orleans and St. Louis it will set the momentum rolling for more monuments to be removed. Memphis is getting rid of its Forrest monument. If Baltimore doesn't move on removing its monuments it will seem very anomalous.
The tendency is developing for monuments in major cities to be removed.
Every Confederate monument removed makes the remaining Confederate monuments seem more anomalous and the failure act to remove them a negative mark on a community.
A committee appointed to consider the matter has decided to have a major Confederate monument in St. Louis removed.
With the monuments removed from New Orleans and St. Louis it will set the momentum rolling for more monuments to be removed. Memphis is getting rid of its Forrest monument. If Baltimore doesn't move on removing its monuments it will seem very anomalous.
The tendency is developing for monuments in major cities to be removed.
Every Confederate monument removed makes the remaining Confederate monuments seem more anomalous and the failure act to remove them a negative mark on a community.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Lindsey Graham out of the Presidential race, hopefully will be defeated for re-election
Lindsey Graham has dropped out of the presidential race. His campaign never did particularly well and then became irrelevant.
Lindsey Graham interviewed in the 1st Quarter 1999 Southern Partisan. He was given a free pass on this by Columbia, South Carolina newspaper The State.
For his 2015-16 presidential campaign he hired the former editor of the Southern Partisan, Richard Quinn.
Now his presidential campaign has become irrelevant and to naught except that it is now on record that he never really regretted pandering to neo-Confederates. It would have been terrible if someone who had interviewed with the Southern Partisan was even one of the presidential candidates of a major party.
Hopefully he isn't re-elected U.S. Senator either. What is delicious irony is that the same forces which he pandered to in the Southern Partisan are the same people who are going to try to end his political career in South Carolina. It is a fate that Graham richly deserves.
There aren't too many Republican office holders who interviewed in the Southern Partisan who are still in office, but I look forward to the day when there are none.
I think U.S. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi is the last one.
Lindsey Graham interviewed in the 1st Quarter 1999 Southern Partisan. He was given a free pass on this by Columbia, South Carolina newspaper The State.
For his 2015-16 presidential campaign he hired the former editor of the Southern Partisan, Richard Quinn.
Now his presidential campaign has become irrelevant and to naught except that it is now on record that he never really regretted pandering to neo-Confederates. It would have been terrible if someone who had interviewed with the Southern Partisan was even one of the presidential candidates of a major party.
Hopefully he isn't re-elected U.S. Senator either. What is delicious irony is that the same forces which he pandered to in the Southern Partisan are the same people who are going to try to end his political career in South Carolina. It is a fate that Graham richly deserves.
There aren't too many Republican office holders who interviewed in the Southern Partisan who are still in office, but I look forward to the day when there are none.
I think U.S. Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi is the last one.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Shouting in New Orleans, Kevin Levin horrified.
The City Council in New Orleans has voted 6 to 1 to get rid of three Confederate monuments and one monument that celebrated the restoration of white supremacy in New Orleans through violence.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/us/new-orleans-confederate-monuments-vote/
Evidently there was rancor in debating this issue.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/confederate_monument_debate_de.html#incart_river_index
This has horrified Kevin Levin who referred to this article in his recent posting that Richmond could show New Orleans the way on Confederate monuments and is critical of the efforts in New Orleans to get rid of the monuments.
http://cwmemory.com/2015/12/14/new-orleans-should-look-to-richmond/
I track Kevin Levin as representative of a certain type of mentality that tends to find one reason or another to criticize any effort to remove the Confederacy and end a racialized landscape. The concept of a "racialized landscape" won't appear in Levin's blogging.
Some things are immediately obvious. Richmond isn't getting rid of any of its Confederate monuments. New Orleans is getting rid of its Confederate monuments. It seems Richmond might look to New Orleans rather than the other way around.
Levin's link is to the New Orleans major daily paper and it might occur to him that the newspaper might not be very sympathetic to the monument removal, but for the purpose of argument, let's accept that the reporting is accurate. This leads to an observation about Levin's rational that controversy is to be avoided at all cost.
During the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 60s a lot of people didn't oppose civil rights directly, argued instead that it needed to be gradual so that violence and outrage could be avoided. As if African Americans should have their rights denied so some racist white people wouldn't be upset.
Levin's argument is an exact parallel to this.
Levin's example, which he puts forth as counter example to what happened in New Orleans, is the discussion in Richmond about memorializing the slave trade in Shockoe Bottom. This isn't about eliminating a white racialized landscape or doing something about it. It isn't about removing Confederate monuments. However, they evidently don't have heated conversations which is Levin's criteria for judging the process of addressing the landscape. But it is nothing about the Confederacy. It is inane to use it as a counter example.
It doesn't occur to Levin that perhaps this memorial is a ploy to keep the Confederate monuments on monument avenue.
Or more likely it is a ploy to get some of the African American groups to go along with the gentrification of Shockoe Bottom which is going to displace poor African Americans. As explained in this article. http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2013/11/21/richmond-mayor-seeks-to-gentrify-along-slave-burial-ground/
I don't necessarily know all the issues about what is happening in Schockoe Bottom but I am not holding out Schokoe Bottoms development as a reason to slap New Orleans. It also shows how superficial and uncritical Levin's thinking is.
The real obstacle to getting rid of the Confederacy and white racialized landscapes is not just groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans and crank white extremists. It is people like Levin who find all sorts of complications and needs for interpretations and their professional input which seem to keep these racialized landscapes in place.
In the following link you can read about how people like Kevin Levin in various historical societies in New Orleans tried to keep the Confederate monuments with their various rationalizations and how they were rejected by the African American community.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/confederates-preservationists-new-orleans
What it is, is that the loss of these monuments means the loss of white privilege and various professionals and individuals and historians start instinctively to come up with rationalizations to keep the monuments.
That The Atlantic has him write on Civil War related matters and controversies over Confederate monuments is revealing of the The Atlantic magazine.
Kevin Levin should realize that historical memory isn't the exclusive province of elites nor is it going to be decided by the League of Self-Important Civil War historians.
P.S. My article on white banal nationalism.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking-the-white-nation.html
http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/17/us/new-orleans-confederate-monuments-vote/
Evidently there was rancor in debating this issue.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/12/confederate_monument_debate_de.html#incart_river_index
This has horrified Kevin Levin who referred to this article in his recent posting that Richmond could show New Orleans the way on Confederate monuments and is critical of the efforts in New Orleans to get rid of the monuments.
http://cwmemory.com/2015/12/14/new-orleans-should-look-to-richmond/
I track Kevin Levin as representative of a certain type of mentality that tends to find one reason or another to criticize any effort to remove the Confederacy and end a racialized landscape. The concept of a "racialized landscape" won't appear in Levin's blogging.
Some things are immediately obvious. Richmond isn't getting rid of any of its Confederate monuments. New Orleans is getting rid of its Confederate monuments. It seems Richmond might look to New Orleans rather than the other way around.
Levin's link is to the New Orleans major daily paper and it might occur to him that the newspaper might not be very sympathetic to the monument removal, but for the purpose of argument, let's accept that the reporting is accurate. This leads to an observation about Levin's rational that controversy is to be avoided at all cost.
During the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 60s a lot of people didn't oppose civil rights directly, argued instead that it needed to be gradual so that violence and outrage could be avoided. As if African Americans should have their rights denied so some racist white people wouldn't be upset.
Levin's argument is an exact parallel to this.
Levin's example, which he puts forth as counter example to what happened in New Orleans, is the discussion in Richmond about memorializing the slave trade in Shockoe Bottom. This isn't about eliminating a white racialized landscape or doing something about it. It isn't about removing Confederate monuments. However, they evidently don't have heated conversations which is Levin's criteria for judging the process of addressing the landscape. But it is nothing about the Confederacy. It is inane to use it as a counter example.
It doesn't occur to Levin that perhaps this memorial is a ploy to keep the Confederate monuments on monument avenue.
Or more likely it is a ploy to get some of the African American groups to go along with the gentrification of Shockoe Bottom which is going to displace poor African Americans. As explained in this article. http://imagine2050.newcomm.org/2013/11/21/richmond-mayor-seeks-to-gentrify-along-slave-burial-ground/
I don't necessarily know all the issues about what is happening in Schockoe Bottom but I am not holding out Schokoe Bottoms development as a reason to slap New Orleans. It also shows how superficial and uncritical Levin's thinking is.
The real obstacle to getting rid of the Confederacy and white racialized landscapes is not just groups like the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans and crank white extremists. It is people like Levin who find all sorts of complications and needs for interpretations and their professional input which seem to keep these racialized landscapes in place.
In the following link you can read about how people like Kevin Levin in various historical societies in New Orleans tried to keep the Confederate monuments with their various rationalizations and how they were rejected by the African American community.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/muckraker/confederates-preservationists-new-orleans
What it is, is that the loss of these monuments means the loss of white privilege and various professionals and individuals and historians start instinctively to come up with rationalizations to keep the monuments.
That The Atlantic has him write on Civil War related matters and controversies over Confederate monuments is revealing of the The Atlantic magazine.
Kevin Levin should realize that historical memory isn't the exclusive province of elites nor is it going to be decided by the League of Self-Important Civil War historians.
P.S. My article on white banal nationalism.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/breaking-the-white-nation.html
Texas Nationalist Movement Petition, What happened? /Prospects for Texas Nationalist Movement
The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) http://www.thetnm.org/ on their web page was reporting on the progress of their petition to get a secessionist measure on the Texas Republican Primary ballot.
The deadline was Dec. 15, 2015. So how many signatures did the Texas Nationalist Movement get?
This was one news item at their web page on the petition that is still online.
http://www.thetnm.org/petition_2015_we_are_close
They evidently had a online event about what to do next after the petition campaign.
http://www.thetnm.org/hangout_tnm_petition_next_steps?recruiter_id=1379
How many signatures? Did they reach their goals?
My guess is that they fell somewhat short of signatures, and they only had to get 68 thousand some signatures. A discussion of actually how many signatures they got would show how insubstantial their movement is. I am surprised, I thought they could have gotten the signatures. In a state of 27 million plus people, 11 million plus white people I thought they would have gotten enough signatures. https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chs/popdat/ST2015.shtm
I think they just didn't have enough volunteers to collect signatures and face people who are going to express that you are crazy.
The TNM best opportunities seem to be to pressure the Texas State Republican Party which seems to be beholden to fringe groups and are not willing to stand up to any fringe group. This is especially important given that the TNM doesn't have any real popular support.
So they are continuing to advance their agenda in the Republican Party.One member of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) is going to push to put secession into the Republican Party referendum.
http://www.thetnm.org/voigtsberger_texas_independence_platform
The posting writes:
It shows you the state of the Texas Republican Party that the TNM could find any member of the SREC to support secession.
The Democrats locally and nationally are absolutely hoping that secession gets into the Texas Republican Party platform. It would destroy U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's campaign to be United States President. It would be disastrous to any Republican running for public office, not only in Texas, but nationally. Texas secession would be a national issue.
What was interesting was that the SREC members were afraid to go on record as being against Texas secession and did a voice vote instead of a roll call vote.
http://www.thetnm.org/breakdown_of_srec_voting
You would think standing up for America would be a given for Republicans, but it doesn't seem to be. This tells you more about how crazy the Texas conservative movement has become.
However, the window for any type of Texas secession is closing. By 2020 the demographic changes in Texas, it being more urban, there being more generational change in the electorate, more people having moved to Texas, there being more minority voters might very well make Texas a Democrat state and not a Republican one. The dominating political forces won't have any interest in Texas secession.
The chances for success of the Texas Nationalist Movement within the Republican Party might increase as the Republicans become more alienated and more fringe. A party that is obviously going to be out of power for a long time, can often become a party for fringe elements to vent their rage.
For the time being it seems that the TNM will be something that is reported on when the Texas Republican Party is having to deal with it as an occasional story for laughs.
Also, again this shows how delusional the neo-Confederates claim that there is some global trend towards secession. The TNM petition effort failed.
The deadline was Dec. 15, 2015. So how many signatures did the Texas Nationalist Movement get?
This was one news item at their web page on the petition that is still online.
http://www.thetnm.org/petition_2015_we_are_close
They evidently had a online event about what to do next after the petition campaign.
http://www.thetnm.org/hangout_tnm_petition_next_steps?recruiter_id=1379
How many signatures? Did they reach their goals?
My guess is that they fell somewhat short of signatures, and they only had to get 68 thousand some signatures. A discussion of actually how many signatures they got would show how insubstantial their movement is. I am surprised, I thought they could have gotten the signatures. In a state of 27 million plus people, 11 million plus white people I thought they would have gotten enough signatures. https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/chs/popdat/ST2015.shtm
I think they just didn't have enough volunteers to collect signatures and face people who are going to express that you are crazy.
The TNM best opportunities seem to be to pressure the Texas State Republican Party which seems to be beholden to fringe groups and are not willing to stand up to any fringe group. This is especially important given that the TNM doesn't have any real popular support.
So they are continuing to advance their agenda in the Republican Party.One member of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) is going to push to put secession into the Republican Party referendum.
http://www.thetnm.org/voigtsberger_texas_independence_platform
The posting writes:
"... he specifically responded to the groundswell of support surrounding a vote on Texas independence.But evidently not enough of a groundswell to get the required signatures. There is this constant claim of some popular support for Texas secession but there really isn't. That is why the TNM is focused on the Texas Republican Party, their best chance of success is pressuring political groups and not hoping for popular support.
It shows you the state of the Texas Republican Party that the TNM could find any member of the SREC to support secession.
The Democrats locally and nationally are absolutely hoping that secession gets into the Texas Republican Party platform. It would destroy U.S. Senator Ted Cruz's campaign to be United States President. It would be disastrous to any Republican running for public office, not only in Texas, but nationally. Texas secession would be a national issue.
What was interesting was that the SREC members were afraid to go on record as being against Texas secession and did a voice vote instead of a roll call vote.
http://www.thetnm.org/breakdown_of_srec_voting
You would think standing up for America would be a given for Republicans, but it doesn't seem to be. This tells you more about how crazy the Texas conservative movement has become.
However, the window for any type of Texas secession is closing. By 2020 the demographic changes in Texas, it being more urban, there being more generational change in the electorate, more people having moved to Texas, there being more minority voters might very well make Texas a Democrat state and not a Republican one. The dominating political forces won't have any interest in Texas secession.
The chances for success of the Texas Nationalist Movement within the Republican Party might increase as the Republicans become more alienated and more fringe. A party that is obviously going to be out of power for a long time, can often become a party for fringe elements to vent their rage.
For the time being it seems that the TNM will be something that is reported on when the Texas Republican Party is having to deal with it as an occasional story for laughs.
Also, again this shows how delusional the neo-Confederates claim that there is some global trend towards secession. The TNM petition effort failed.
Podemos Victory Squashes Catalan Secession Advocates.
http://in.reuters.com/article/spain-election-catalonia-idINL8N1490OG20151221
In a real election, instead of a privately run event pretending to be a vote or referendum, it seems that there isn't a super majority for secession in Catalonia. From Reuters:
Also, one thing to be considered is that through the Spanish language, Spaniards are culturally connected to all of Spanish speaking Latin America. Neo-Confederates, very often enthusiasts for Donald Trump, (http://conservative-headlines.com/2015/06/trump-enters-presidential-race-with-hard-line-anti-immigration-speech/) and (http://lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2015/08/trumps-audacious-southern-spectacle-is.html) of course place no value on the culture of Latin America given their attitudes towards non-whites and Latinos. (http://conservative-headlines.com/2009/01/non-white-gangs-terrorizing-the-united-states/) and (
http://lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2008/11/mexican-gangs-now-infiltrating-kentucky.html). Neo-Confederates can't see the value in being connected to Latin America culturally.
The Catalan independence movement did plan on joining the European Union and to continue to be part of that system which is integrating national states into a European Union. Even the Catalan secessionists plan on not being an isolated nation, but part of larger supranational groups.
The Catalan secessionists are not right wing cranks planning on some isolationist republic fending off the modern world.
Secession movements are contingent on local factors. In Catalonia there was suppression of Catalan language by the Franco fascist government in an increasingly distant past. However, there are other solutions to dealing with secessionist movements, such as various accommodations.
Neo-Confederates desperately hope that secession elsewhere will aid secessionist movements here. They might give hope to those already alienated because the United States is a multi-racial democracy and not a white supremacist nation, but beyond that there isn't support for it except for cranks which includes Kirkpatrick Sales.
There is an assertion that secession is the wave of the future, but these mirages dissipate when there are actual elections such as in Scotland where secession was rejected and now in Catalonia where the leading political parties are against secession.. In Quebec secession seems to be less likely a prospect of secession each year.
When you read a neo-Confederate internet claim that some place some where is on the brink of secession it would be well to examine these claims closely. Also, examine the local history driving a secession movement. Chances are whatever is driving secession there is not likely to be a driving force for an independent republic of Vermont or Texas or East Swampy County or 14th Street.
In a real election, instead of a privately run event pretending to be a vote or referendum, it seems that there isn't a super majority for secession in Catalonia. From Reuters:
MADRID, Dec 20 Left-wing newcomer Podemos, which opposes a split of Catalonia from Spain, topped polls in the northeastern region in Sunday's Spanish general election, dealing a blow to Catalan separatists already struggling with divisions in their movement.
Podemos, the only national party to back a Catalan referendum on independence from Spain although it has said it would recommend voting against secession, won 12 parliamentary seats in the wealthy region of 7 million.
Altogether, parties opposing a Catalan split from Spain, including the Socialists, Ciudadanos and the People's Party (PP), garnered 30 seats.There were internet claims that there was some overwhelming desire for independence in Catalonia based on a staged private event pretending to be a referendum which showed supposedly some overwhelming super majority in favor of secession. These claims are now shown to be just so many fables. (http://www.lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2014/11/81-of-catalans-vote-for-independence.html)
That compared with the 17 seats won by the pro-independence camp - nine for leftist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and eight for centre-right Democracia I Llibertat, the party of acting regional government head Artur Mas.
Also, one thing to be considered is that through the Spanish language, Spaniards are culturally connected to all of Spanish speaking Latin America. Neo-Confederates, very often enthusiasts for Donald Trump, (http://conservative-headlines.com/2015/06/trump-enters-presidential-race-with-hard-line-anti-immigration-speech/) and (http://lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2015/08/trumps-audacious-southern-spectacle-is.html) of course place no value on the culture of Latin America given their attitudes towards non-whites and Latinos. (http://conservative-headlines.com/2009/01/non-white-gangs-terrorizing-the-united-states/) and (
http://lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2008/11/mexican-gangs-now-infiltrating-kentucky.html). Neo-Confederates can't see the value in being connected to Latin America culturally.
The Catalan independence movement did plan on joining the European Union and to continue to be part of that system which is integrating national states into a European Union. Even the Catalan secessionists plan on not being an isolated nation, but part of larger supranational groups.
The Catalan secessionists are not right wing cranks planning on some isolationist republic fending off the modern world.
Secession movements are contingent on local factors. In Catalonia there was suppression of Catalan language by the Franco fascist government in an increasingly distant past. However, there are other solutions to dealing with secessionist movements, such as various accommodations.
Neo-Confederates desperately hope that secession elsewhere will aid secessionist movements here. They might give hope to those already alienated because the United States is a multi-racial democracy and not a white supremacist nation, but beyond that there isn't support for it except for cranks which includes Kirkpatrick Sales.
There is an assertion that secession is the wave of the future, but these mirages dissipate when there are actual elections such as in Scotland where secession was rejected and now in Catalonia where the leading political parties are against secession.. In Quebec secession seems to be less likely a prospect of secession each year.
When you read a neo-Confederate internet claim that some place some where is on the brink of secession it would be well to examine these claims closely. Also, examine the local history driving a secession movement. Chances are whatever is driving secession there is not likely to be a driving force for an independent republic of Vermont or Texas or East Swampy County or 14th Street.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Dixie Highway renamed after Obama in Florida City
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/263731-florida-city-renames-old-dixie-highway-to-honor-obama
Neo-Confederates in Florida must be having a fit.
Another article on the name change from a local paper.
http://eyeonpbc.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/12/17/old-dixie-signs-in-riviera-beach-replaced-by-ones-honoring-obama/
One benefit of what is currently happening is that there are two many changes for the Sons of Confederate to fight all at once.
The neo-Confederate world is crumbling.
Neo-Confederates in Florida must be having a fit.
Another article on the name change from a local paper.
http://eyeonpbc.blog.palmbeachpost.com/2015/12/17/old-dixie-signs-in-riviera-beach-replaced-by-ones-honoring-obama/
One benefit of what is currently happening is that there are two many changes for the Sons of Confederate to fight all at once.
The neo-Confederate world is crumbling.
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Popular culture going against Confederate monuments. Article in "Vice"
http://www.vice.com/read/america-still-has-a-ton-of-racist-monuments
Above is a link to the article.
What is interesting is that this article would not likely run if the editors of Vice didn't think it would be a popular article with its readership and that the readership would be receptive to it.
The article is important because besides promoting the idea that this is important and the monuments need to go, it also provides arguments against the usual rationalizations for these types of monuments and represents the people that argue for the monuments as stupid.
What ever the opinion polls might say about the Confederacy and the general public, among those who set trends, among younger people, among the educated the Confederate is being rejected.
Support for the Confederacy is tending to be concentrated with those who are ranting and raging against the modern world.
Above is a link to the article.
What is interesting is that this article would not likely run if the editors of Vice didn't think it would be a popular article with its readership and that the readership would be receptive to it.
The article is important because besides promoting the idea that this is important and the monuments need to go, it also provides arguments against the usual rationalizations for these types of monuments and represents the people that argue for the monuments as stupid.
What ever the opinion polls might say about the Confederacy and the general public, among those who set trends, among younger people, among the educated the Confederate is being rejected.
Support for the Confederacy is tending to be concentrated with those who are ranting and raging against the modern world.
Thursday, December 10, 2015
"The Library of Evil and the University of Missouri Press" published by "Black Commentator"
The article is at this link:
http://www.blackcommentator.com/633/633_cover_missouri_library_of_evil.html
When the Univ. of Missouri was in the news recently I wasn't entirely surprised and it was a location which I was very familiar with since I had already purchased a great many books from them as part of my research into the neo-Confederates.
http://www.blackcommentator.com/633/633_cover_missouri_library_of_evil.html
When the Univ. of Missouri was in the news recently I wasn't entirely surprised and it was a location which I was very familiar with since I had already purchased a great many books from them as part of my research into the neo-Confederates.
The other press of interest is Transaction Press at Rutgers in New Jersey.
Hopefully this article will get the public aware of the issue and other presses will think about what they are doing.
I am not saying that these author's shouldn't be able to get their books published, what I am raising with university presses is why are you deciding that you want to publish this stuff and lend your reputation to this and is publishing this material in keeping with your purported mission.
If Liberty University was publishing this material I wouldn't see it as being contrary to its mission at all.
Friday, November 27, 2015
Tanya Robertson submits a ballot secession resolution to Texas State Republican Executive Committee/ Is this a gift to the Democratic party? UPDATE: SREC votes against ballot measure.
Tanya Robertson, member of the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) has submitted a secession ballot resolution to be put on the Republican primary ballot.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/texas-independence-secession-republic-TNM-texian-6654896.php
The leadership of the Texas Republican Party is against the resolution. I am thinking that Robertson submitted the resolution to force a vote. It is some factional battle in which the Texas Republican establishment members of the SREC will be forced to vote against it and then they can be targeted by Tea Party Republicans.
The Texas Nationalist Movement (TMN) is still collecting signatures. They claim that they have 75% of the signatures, that they are close as they explain at this link.
http://www.thetnm.org/petition_2015_we_are_close
Though the estimate of 75% includes what they estimate are signatures on lists in the field and not turned in. Perhaps a few petitions fell under the sofa or behind the desk. The new deadline is Dec. 15, 2015. So it seems that signatures are not coming in as fast as they thought. They need 68,000 some signatures to get on the Republican Primary Ballot. I would have thought they could have gotten these signatures easily, but evidently even in Texas there aren't that many far right secessionists.
Maybe the movement is just a website mostly with a small membership.
I think the Democrats are waiting with great hopes that the petition is successful. How tempting it must be for a leading Democrat to condemn publicly the TMN and help them get the necessary signatures. A condemnation by Obama probably would get them the signatures in a couple days out of a reflexive opposition to any opinion Obama has.
Yet it would be so obvious a move that Democrats could be criticized for aiding and abetting a noxious movement inimical to the United States.
However, if either the petition or the SREC places a secession measure on the Texas Republican Party ballot it would be a great benefit to the Democrats.
Changing the international borders of the United States of America is a national issue. Suddenly every Congressional Representative, every U.S. Senator, every presidential candidate, every candidate for national office will have to have a position on Texas secession, the right of a state to secede, and what would be their policy if a state attempted to secede.
I suspect Donald Trump will be caught in a bind. He is the candidate of ignorant opinion, but even for him, Texas secession might give him pause, or maybe not.
Every Texas state elected official would suddenly have to have a position on the same questions. Even local officials would have to take a stand. Questions will come up about Texas secession at the start of the Civil War.
Democrats would speak out against it.
Opinion polls would be taken in Texas. I think there would be enough Texas Republicans that would say they are for it, even though they really aren't, just to express some anti-government or anti-Obama sentiment to amount to some significant percentage that would be for the ballot measure.
National opinion polls would be taken. After all it is a national issue. What policy do people support if a state does attempt to secede.
In Texas there are probably sections of the state which might want to proposed seceding from Texas to be part of the United States of America in the event of a Texas secession. Local groups everywhere would be passing resolutions for and against.
It could provoke a real backlash against the Republicans nationally. The excitement would enable every fringe and crack pot group.
The whole issue of the Confederacy would be drawn into it. Confederate monuments would be looked at differently when secession is no longer a dead issue, no longer settled long ago.
What I think will likely happen though is that the TNM will fall short in their petition drive, but they will have gotten a fairly good list of names to outreach to and to approach when they attempt this again. But also a defeat might make people give up on the movement and a tiny remnant will persist.
The SREC won't adopted Tanya Robertson's resolution, but she has probably earned the determined enmity of the Republican Party establishment which won't be happy until her political career is entirely ended.
Dec. 15th is a date to mark on your calendar.
UPDATE:
The SREC voted against the ballot measure this afternoon 12/5/2015.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas-gop-votes-not-to-put-secession-question-on-p/npczK/
The signature effort is still going and they have 6 days. The recent news coverage has probably been of help in getting signatures since they have gotten some publicity.
I think the national Republican party probably freaked out when the Resolution Committee voted for it. It would put Texas secession into the presidential campaigns as an issue.
Republicans were worried that it would make them a "laughingstock." hmmm.
Tanya Robertson has given the Republican Party a lot of heartburn. Perhaps her career can be ended.
I think though she did this to get ahead in politics, and probably knew that it would be defeated by the general vote.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/texas-independence-secession-republic-TNM-texian-6654896.php
The leadership of the Texas Republican Party is against the resolution. I am thinking that Robertson submitted the resolution to force a vote. It is some factional battle in which the Texas Republican establishment members of the SREC will be forced to vote against it and then they can be targeted by Tea Party Republicans.
The Texas Nationalist Movement (TMN) is still collecting signatures. They claim that they have 75% of the signatures, that they are close as they explain at this link.
http://www.thetnm.org/petition_2015_we_are_close
Though the estimate of 75% includes what they estimate are signatures on lists in the field and not turned in. Perhaps a few petitions fell under the sofa or behind the desk. The new deadline is Dec. 15, 2015. So it seems that signatures are not coming in as fast as they thought. They need 68,000 some signatures to get on the Republican Primary Ballot. I would have thought they could have gotten these signatures easily, but evidently even in Texas there aren't that many far right secessionists.
Maybe the movement is just a website mostly with a small membership.
I think the Democrats are waiting with great hopes that the petition is successful. How tempting it must be for a leading Democrat to condemn publicly the TMN and help them get the necessary signatures. A condemnation by Obama probably would get them the signatures in a couple days out of a reflexive opposition to any opinion Obama has.
Yet it would be so obvious a move that Democrats could be criticized for aiding and abetting a noxious movement inimical to the United States.
However, if either the petition or the SREC places a secession measure on the Texas Republican Party ballot it would be a great benefit to the Democrats.
Changing the international borders of the United States of America is a national issue. Suddenly every Congressional Representative, every U.S. Senator, every presidential candidate, every candidate for national office will have to have a position on Texas secession, the right of a state to secede, and what would be their policy if a state attempted to secede.
I suspect Donald Trump will be caught in a bind. He is the candidate of ignorant opinion, but even for him, Texas secession might give him pause, or maybe not.
Every Texas state elected official would suddenly have to have a position on the same questions. Even local officials would have to take a stand. Questions will come up about Texas secession at the start of the Civil War.
Democrats would speak out against it.
Opinion polls would be taken in Texas. I think there would be enough Texas Republicans that would say they are for it, even though they really aren't, just to express some anti-government or anti-Obama sentiment to amount to some significant percentage that would be for the ballot measure.
National opinion polls would be taken. After all it is a national issue. What policy do people support if a state does attempt to secede.
In Texas there are probably sections of the state which might want to proposed seceding from Texas to be part of the United States of America in the event of a Texas secession. Local groups everywhere would be passing resolutions for and against.
It could provoke a real backlash against the Republicans nationally. The excitement would enable every fringe and crack pot group.
The whole issue of the Confederacy would be drawn into it. Confederate monuments would be looked at differently when secession is no longer a dead issue, no longer settled long ago.
What I think will likely happen though is that the TNM will fall short in their petition drive, but they will have gotten a fairly good list of names to outreach to and to approach when they attempt this again. But also a defeat might make people give up on the movement and a tiny remnant will persist.
The SREC won't adopted Tanya Robertson's resolution, but she has probably earned the determined enmity of the Republican Party establishment which won't be happy until her political career is entirely ended.
Dec. 15th is a date to mark on your calendar.
UPDATE:
The SREC voted against the ballot measure this afternoon 12/5/2015.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/texas-gop-votes-not-to-put-secession-question-on-p/npczK/
The signature effort is still going and they have 6 days. The recent news coverage has probably been of help in getting signatures since they have gotten some publicity.
I think the national Republican party probably freaked out when the Resolution Committee voted for it. It would put Texas secession into the presidential campaigns as an issue.
Republicans were worried that it would make them a "laughingstock." hmmm.
Tanya Robertson has given the Republican Party a lot of heartburn. Perhaps her career can be ended.
I think though she did this to get ahead in politics, and probably knew that it would be defeated by the general vote.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
One of the persons who shot at the Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis has the Bonnie Blue Confederate flag. UPDATE:
One thing that persons sympathetic to the Confederacy do and think it is clever is fly the Bonnie Blue flag. It is a lesser known flag of the Confederacy.
It has a deep blue field with one large five pointed white star in the center. Most people don't realize it is a Confederate flag and so it is a way of signaling Confederate sympathies in plain view to other Confederate enthusiasts without the public knowing about it.
Well, until now.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203983484164732&set=pb.1151731044.-2207520000.1448488049.&type=3&theater
This is a picture on the Facebook page of a Lance Scarsella. Reports says that from information on the page it seems to indicate that this is the same Lance Scarsella arrested in the matter of Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis. The comment by Scarsella is that it isn't the flag of Somalia.
As reported in Gawker activists found this Facebook page and noticed the Bonnie Blue flag.
http://gawker.com/minneapolis-protest-shooting-suspect-has-a-confederate-1744627811
After today if you think you are going to fly the Bonnie Blue flag and not have people realize it is a Confederate flag, you are very wrong.
With friends like this, the Confederacy doesn't need enemies.
The Confederacy was a violent insurrection over white supremacy and slavery, it shouldn't be surprising that persons who are violent and white supremacists fly the Confederate flag.
Also, there is a fraternity which I have seen flying the Bonnie Blue flag in Dallas and I wonder if they will continue to do this.
UPDATE:
http://www.startribune.com/county-attorney-gets-deadline-extension-for-charges-against-men-accused-of-shooting-north-side-protesters/353970681/
There was a video on YouTube which has been taken down showing the white group involved filming the #Black Lives Matter group, including one of the shooters, saying all sorts of racist trash with two Confederate flags.
It has a deep blue field with one large five pointed white star in the center. Most people don't realize it is a Confederate flag and so it is a way of signaling Confederate sympathies in plain view to other Confederate enthusiasts without the public knowing about it.
Well, until now.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203983484164732&set=pb.1151731044.-2207520000.1448488049.&type=3&theater
This is a picture on the Facebook page of a Lance Scarsella. Reports says that from information on the page it seems to indicate that this is the same Lance Scarsella arrested in the matter of Black Lives Matter protesters in Minneapolis. The comment by Scarsella is that it isn't the flag of Somalia.
As reported in Gawker activists found this Facebook page and noticed the Bonnie Blue flag.
http://gawker.com/minneapolis-protest-shooting-suspect-has-a-confederate-1744627811
After today if you think you are going to fly the Bonnie Blue flag and not have people realize it is a Confederate flag, you are very wrong.
With friends like this, the Confederacy doesn't need enemies.
The Confederacy was a violent insurrection over white supremacy and slavery, it shouldn't be surprising that persons who are violent and white supremacists fly the Confederate flag.
Also, there is a fraternity which I have seen flying the Bonnie Blue flag in Dallas and I wonder if they will continue to do this.
UPDATE:
http://www.startribune.com/county-attorney-gets-deadline-extension-for-charges-against-men-accused-of-shooting-north-side-protesters/353970681/
There was a video on YouTube which has been taken down showing the white group involved filming the #Black Lives Matter group, including one of the shooters, saying all sorts of racist trash with two Confederate flags.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Georgetown University changes name of hall named after slave owner president. Neo-Confederate world is tumbling down.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/georgetown-university-to-rename-two-buildings-that-reflect-schools-ties-to-slavery/2015/11/15/e36edd32-8bb7-11e5-acff-673ae92ddd2b_story.html?tid=sm_tw
Everywhere the old order where rationalizations were made to excuse slave owning are being brushed away.
Everywhere the old order where rationalizations were made to excuse slave owning are being brushed away.
Saturday, November 14, 2015
Is the Texas Nationalist Movement resolution actually going to get on the ballot? UPDATE: Tanya Robertson did submit the Texas Nationalist Movement ballot measure
WOAI radio is reporting that Texas Nationalist Movement (TMN) has made a break through in getting a resolution on independence on the ballot.
http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-sponsored-by-five-119078/texas-gop-asked-to-consider-resolution-14110464/
According to the TNM their resolution had previously been rebuffed by the State Republican Election Committee, but this recently changed.
The Texas Republican Party establishment strategy is to ignore them to avoid giving them free publicity. WOIA probably well understands that their coverage aides the TNM.
If it was every thought that the TNM had any reasonable chance it would be disastrous for the Texas economy. How many national headquarters of major businesses would have to leave? What would be the value of mortgages on property in Texas? Would companies want to build national distribution centers in Texas?
In the national job market, many would not want to move to a state and buy a home that they might not be able to sell if they had to move out of Texas. Companies in Texas, universities in Texas might find it difficult to recruit people from a national labor pool.
Finally, why would secession stop as an issue at the state level. If large sections of Texas don't want to secede wouldn't it be reasonable to break up Texas so some sections could stay part of the United States of America? That is one question secessionists don't really consider. They want a geographic area to secede, but aren't too fond of further secession.
However, all of this very likely idle speculation since it is not likely that this measure will get on the ballot.
If it does get on the ballot it brings to the front Confederate statues and flags and other such things. After all when you honor violent secessionists doesn't that send a message of encouragement to people who make up groups such as the TNM?
I personally love the idea of an America where you can drive for thousands of miles.
UPDATE:
Tanya Robertson did submit the Texas Nationalist Republic ballot measure to the SREC and defends doing so. Our exchange is as follows:
11/14, 3:12pm
http://www.woai.com/articles/woai-local-news-sponsored-by-five-119078/texas-gop-asked-to-consider-resolution-14110464/
According to the TNM their resolution had previously been rebuffed by the State Republican Election Committee, but this recently changed.
"That changed this week when SREC member Tanya Robertson formally introduced the TNM’s resolution for consideration by the Resolutions Committee in December."http://www.thetnm.org/tx_ind_srec#addreaction
However, I checked Tanya Robertson's Facebook page and didn't see that she had mentioned that she was going to introduce the measure. I would think that something big like this would be mentioned.
The WOAI article states:
WOAI article doesn't mentioned whether they confirmed that Robertson has actually done this.
The TNM also states on their website
Resolutions on issues to be placed before the voters in the primary can only be presented by members of the State Republican Executive Committee.So Miller says SREC member Tanya Robertson has formally introduced their TNM's resolution for consideration by the Resolutions Committee in December.
WOAI article doesn't mentioned whether they confirmed that Robertson has actually done this.
The TNM also states on their website
The language of the resolution is substantially similar to the TNM’s resolution introduced in the Texas Legislature by State Representative James White as HCR 77 and places the question of Texas independence on the ballot in much the same way as the petition campaign.Again, in checking the Facebook page I can't find any statement by James White about the TNM. I am checking the link that the TNM page gave. James White's HCR 77 says that Texas has the right to secede, but it doesn't say that Texas should. However, it should be thought of as pandering to secessionists. Other online sources do suggest that Texas State Rep. did actually submit HCR 77. I think going forward it should be understood that White can't take the oath of any Federal office in good faith.
Both Robertson and White may well support the TNM. I am just not finding confirmation using Google.
I think the State Republican Election Committee would be very opposed to getting a TNM measure on the ballot.
The deadline for signatures is December 1, 2015. The TNM website isn't reporting numbers.
If the TNM measure did get on the Republican Party primary ballot it would be a huge benefit to the Democrats in Texas and across the country. It would be a disaster for the Republicans.
The Texas Republicans would have to decide whether to debate against it or for it.
If they argue against it they are indirectly rejecting secession, the Confederacy, and the general spirit of cranky anti-Federalism that now pervades the Republican Party. Are they going to argue that remaining a part of the United States of America and the Federal government a good thing and at the same time rail against all things Federal as good Tea Party members.
If they argue for it, then they join the ranks of the officially crazy in the public mind. It undermines the image of the Republican Party as being more patriotic than the Democrats. A Republican who argues for the TNM position will find that he or she will have to face their record as having supported the TNM in any election they face, and any institution that works with them will be criticized. Whether they can take the oath of office for a Federal position in good faith can be doubted.
For the Democrats this can be used nationally to discredit the Republicans, more so if it passes. It would bring under suspicion Republicans everywhere whether their patriotism for the United States is basically contingent. Also, if the TNM resolution passed, or even made a better than expected showing, fringe groups everywhere would feel empowered. Republican Party establishments everywhere would be besieged by secessionists groups.
I do think that the TNM is struggling to get the necessary signatures. If they were making real progress I would think they would be posting numbers to encourage petition collectors to work the home stretch with only about 15 days to go.
I think the State Republican Election Committee would be very opposed to getting a TNM measure on the ballot.
The deadline for signatures is December 1, 2015. The TNM website isn't reporting numbers.
If the TNM measure did get on the Republican Party primary ballot it would be a huge benefit to the Democrats in Texas and across the country. It would be a disaster for the Republicans.
The Texas Republicans would have to decide whether to debate against it or for it.
If they argue against it they are indirectly rejecting secession, the Confederacy, and the general spirit of cranky anti-Federalism that now pervades the Republican Party. Are they going to argue that remaining a part of the United States of America and the Federal government a good thing and at the same time rail against all things Federal as good Tea Party members.
If they argue for it, then they join the ranks of the officially crazy in the public mind. It undermines the image of the Republican Party as being more patriotic than the Democrats. A Republican who argues for the TNM position will find that he or she will have to face their record as having supported the TNM in any election they face, and any institution that works with them will be criticized. Whether they can take the oath of office for a Federal position in good faith can be doubted.
For the Democrats this can be used nationally to discredit the Republicans, more so if it passes. It would bring under suspicion Republicans everywhere whether their patriotism for the United States is basically contingent. Also, if the TNM resolution passed, or even made a better than expected showing, fringe groups everywhere would feel empowered. Republican Party establishments everywhere would be besieged by secessionists groups.
I do think that the TNM is struggling to get the necessary signatures. If they were making real progress I would think they would be posting numbers to encourage petition collectors to work the home stretch with only about 15 days to go.
The Texas Republican Party establishment strategy is to ignore them to avoid giving them free publicity. WOIA probably well understands that their coverage aides the TNM.
If it was every thought that the TNM had any reasonable chance it would be disastrous for the Texas economy. How many national headquarters of major businesses would have to leave? What would be the value of mortgages on property in Texas? Would companies want to build national distribution centers in Texas?
In the national job market, many would not want to move to a state and buy a home that they might not be able to sell if they had to move out of Texas. Companies in Texas, universities in Texas might find it difficult to recruit people from a national labor pool.
Finally, why would secession stop as an issue at the state level. If large sections of Texas don't want to secede wouldn't it be reasonable to break up Texas so some sections could stay part of the United States of America? That is one question secessionists don't really consider. They want a geographic area to secede, but aren't too fond of further secession.
However, all of this very likely idle speculation since it is not likely that this measure will get on the ballot.
If it does get on the ballot it brings to the front Confederate statues and flags and other such things. After all when you honor violent secessionists doesn't that send a message of encouragement to people who make up groups such as the TNM?
I personally love the idea of an America where you can drive for thousands of miles.
UPDATE:
Tanya Robertson did submit the Texas Nationalist Republic ballot measure to the SREC and defends doing so. Our exchange is as follows:
·
Conversation started Saturday
Conversation started Saturday
·
11/14, 3:12pm
Is it true that you
submitted the Texas Nationalist Movement resolution to the SREC?
·
Wednesday
·
11/18, 10:54pm
I submitted it to be
added as a March 1st Republican Primary ballot initiative.
·
11:00pm
How unpatriotic. I
don't see how you can do the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag in good
faith. Also, I want my home in Texas to remain in America. Also, are you aware
that the 1st Republican president was Abraham Lincoln who preserved the Union?
I presumed you were
being misrepresented.
·
11/18, 11:04pm
Whether you agree with
it or not, the people of TX should have a voice in the matter.
·
11:08pm
We live in a Republic
not a democracy, both at the national and state level. Let them see what means
they can find to get something like this on the ballot. Not every measure goes
on the ballot, there is a requirement for signatures for a reason. Yet you have
aided them. You have assisted a group which seeks to disunite the United States
of America. You can not claim to love our country.
Monday, October 26, 2015
"The Chronicles of Higher Education" has article about universities which allow United Daughters of the Confederacy Awards.
The link to the article is:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/bowdoin-ends-confederate-heritage-award-like-many-still-offered-by-u-s-service-academies/106066
I was interviewed by Peter Schmidt some months ago. I am quoted in the article.
This article covers the fact that the U.S. military academies have Confederate awards and some of them named after racists.
I believe the Univ. of Virginia still has a UDC Jefferson Davis award also.
This publication is widely read by university leaders and professors everywhere and anyone of consequence in academic institutions. Administrators at these universities are probably wondering if they have a UDC connection of some sort and should seek to end it.
I plan on sending this articles to the heads of the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) so that they realize that these issues get in the news. They have been either not responding to my letters or giving meaningless replies. There is nothing like the prospect that you might be in the news having to explain yourself to give moral clarity to the thinking of a government functionary.
One of the primary themes of Schmidt's article is that Bowdoin College suddenly changed their mind after the Charleston massacre even though just a few months earlier they said that they weren't planning to get rid of the Jefferson Davis award.
On record are the military academies saying that the Confederate awards are alright, even if named after nasty racists. They are probably thinking of changing their minds also.
Other writers have brought up different aspects of the U.S. military honoring the Confederacy or aiding and abetting neo-Confederacy.
The article also brings up my 2011 letter to Obama about the Arlington Confederate Monument and has a link to it.
As I have said, one Confederate defeat leads to another. I am really planning on pressing on.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Bowdoin College drops Jefferson Davis Award UPDATE: Chronicle Education does article on Bowdoin dropping the UDC. Discusses other university with UDC connections. Mentioned in article.
The law college at Bowdoin College in Maine has dropped the Jefferson Davis award and is giving the award's endowment back to the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).
https://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/22/news/midcoast/bowdoin-college-drops-award-honoring-confederate-president/?ref=moreInpolitics
The UDC each year would mention the award and who got it in their magazine. It has been on my to do list to write all the U.S. military service academies asking them to stop working with the UDC. This will be a good article to send along with that letter. Precedent often has an effect on decision making.
However, this event is important for other reasons than that its elimination makes other such awards seem anomalous and a cycle which works to make the Confederacy less and less legitimate as the elimination of one thing leads to the elimination of other Confederate things.
This is the effect on the UDC itself. As the award is rejected, the UDC is rejected. Giving the award to Bowdoin College gave the UDC prestige with its membership. Rejection not only reduces one item for which annually the giving of the award was also giving the UDC prestige. There is an old saying, "We honor others to honor ourselves." I am not sure it is always true, but with UDC their giving an award was always self-promotional.
As the UDC finds its awards rejected it loses prestige among its members.
UPDATE:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/bowdoin-ends-confederate-heritage-award-like-many-still-offered-by-u-s-service-academies/106066
Article brings up the U.S. Military service academies and the fact that they work with the UDC and the fact that the awards are named after racists.
https://bangordailynews.com/2015/10/22/news/midcoast/bowdoin-college-drops-award-honoring-confederate-president/?ref=moreInpolitics
The UDC each year would mention the award and who got it in their magazine. It has been on my to do list to write all the U.S. military service academies asking them to stop working with the UDC. This will be a good article to send along with that letter. Precedent often has an effect on decision making.
However, this event is important for other reasons than that its elimination makes other such awards seem anomalous and a cycle which works to make the Confederacy less and less legitimate as the elimination of one thing leads to the elimination of other Confederate things.
This is the effect on the UDC itself. As the award is rejected, the UDC is rejected. Giving the award to Bowdoin College gave the UDC prestige with its membership. Rejection not only reduces one item for which annually the giving of the award was also giving the UDC prestige. There is an old saying, "We honor others to honor ourselves." I am not sure it is always true, but with UDC their giving an award was always self-promotional.
As the UDC finds its awards rejected it loses prestige among its members.
UPDATE:
http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/bowdoin-ends-confederate-heritage-award-like-many-still-offered-by-u-s-service-academies/106066
Article brings up the U.S. Military service academies and the fact that they work with the UDC and the fact that the awards are named after racists.
Wednesday, October 21, 2015
Confederacy vanishing, losing legitimization day by day
These are just some of the events where practices which legitimized the Confederacy are being eliminated.
The Florida Senate dumps the Confederate battleflag from its seal.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article40308723.html
Capitol of Arkansas renames Confederate Boulevard.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/us-arkansas-confederate-idUSKCN0SF02920151021
This is a counter effort to raise the Confederate flag voted down by 20 to 1.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/10/19/tenn-co-no-raising-confederate-flag.html
The above is just one day of Google alerts.
As I have stated before, as each Confederate symbol vanishes the remaining Confederate symbols seem to be more anomalous which increases the pressure to get rid of them, and when one of them is removed it then makes the remaining Confederate symbols, now fewer in number, seem even more anomalous, which repeats the process.
Also, each specific type of Confederate symbol removal sets a precedent. Such as the Florida Senate getting rid of the Confederate flag from their seal. It makes people in other states start to wonder what the seals of their legislative bodies contain, and what other seals of other institutions contain.
I expect the effort to slow down after awhile because there won't be as many Confederate symbols to remove and those that remain will be in reactionary areas and places not amenable to change. These remaining Confederate symbols will look very anomalous and the local chamber of commerce will be very interested in getting rid of them so their local community won't look like idiots.
The Florida Senate dumps the Confederate battleflag from its seal.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article40308723.html
Capitol of Arkansas renames Confederate Boulevard.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/21/us-arkansas-confederate-idUSKCN0SF02920151021
This is a counter effort to raise the Confederate flag voted down by 20 to 1.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/10/19/tenn-co-no-raising-confederate-flag.html
The above is just one day of Google alerts.
As I have stated before, as each Confederate symbol vanishes the remaining Confederate symbols seem to be more anomalous which increases the pressure to get rid of them, and when one of them is removed it then makes the remaining Confederate symbols, now fewer in number, seem even more anomalous, which repeats the process.
Also, each specific type of Confederate symbol removal sets a precedent. Such as the Florida Senate getting rid of the Confederate flag from their seal. It makes people in other states start to wonder what the seals of their legislative bodies contain, and what other seals of other institutions contain.
I expect the effort to slow down after awhile because there won't be as many Confederate symbols to remove and those that remain will be in reactionary areas and places not amenable to change. These remaining Confederate symbols will look very anomalous and the local chamber of commerce will be very interested in getting rid of them so their local community won't look like idiots.
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Breitbart article against the Confederate flag
The Lost Cause is really lost when the more "expressive" conservative media is against you.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/15/honor-american-flag-discarding-relics-past/
I think the conservative movement has decided that the whole Lost Cause thing is baggage they don't need, don't want to have to drag along, don't want. Also, if some conservatives don't like it they can vote Democratic.
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/10/15/honor-american-flag-discarding-relics-past/
I think the conservative movement has decided that the whole Lost Cause thing is baggage they don't need, don't want to have to drag along, don't want. Also, if some conservatives don't like it they can vote Democratic.
With friends like this, you don't need enemies dept.: Republican party election official asked to resign over his racial comments and pro-Confederate comments.
Butner made national news last year for Facebook postings extolling the Confederacy, denouncing gays and lesbians, and blasting demonstrators protesting the priorities of Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Pat McCrory.
On Facebook, Butner displayed a photo taken at one demonstration in Raleigh and noted the black participants. "I GUESS THE WHITE FOLK COULD NOT GET OFF BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO BUSY BEING PRODUCTIVE GOOD CITIZENS," Butner wrote in 2013.
1
Butner also commented on Twitter about Oprah Winfrey receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom: "@Oprah WELL YOU GOT YOUR MOF THANKS TO YOUR BLACK PREZ AND A LOT OF WHITE WOMEN. CAN YOU EVER DO ANYTHING ON YOUR OWN?"
Butner was chairman of a local housing agency at the time and a public housing resident complained anonymously to a U.S. Housing and Urban Development official in Greensboro. Butner did not seek reappointment when his term ended in August 2014.
Read more at http://www.wral.com/ncarolina-elections-board-weighs-dumping-official-over-posts/14970618/#vsqPlsOwHeqT1u7o.99
"National Review" uses "Confederate" as a term of denigration
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/425564/sanctuary-cities-illegal-immigration-confederates-nullification
This is an article by Victor Davis Hanson in National Review online criticizing the sanctuary city practice regarding undocumented immigrants.
What struck my interest is that as part of Hanson's criticism of the sanctuary city movement is that he compares them to the Confederates and does so in the title of the article.
The Lost Cause has really gone down when a leading conservative magazine writer thinks likening an opponent or a movement of which he doesn't approve to the Confederacy or Confederates is a good tactic.
This is an article by Victor Davis Hanson in National Review online criticizing the sanctuary city practice regarding undocumented immigrants.
What struck my interest is that as part of Hanson's criticism of the sanctuary city movement is that he compares them to the Confederates and does so in the title of the article.
The Lost Cause has really gone down when a leading conservative magazine writer thinks likening an opponent or a movement of which he doesn't approve to the Confederacy or Confederates is a good tactic.
With Friends like this you don't need enemies. Confederate flag supporters charged with terrorism
http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/10/15/confederate-flag-charges-georgia-savidge-dnt-ac.cnn/video/playlists/top-news-videos/
Confederate flag supporters were charged with terrorism.
Confederate flag supporters were charged with terrorism.
Maryland likely recalling Confederate license plates.
The article is at this link in the Washington Post.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-is-likely-to-begin-recalling-license-plates-with-confederate-flag-images/2015/10/15/296179ae-7384-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html
Yet another state recalling Confederate automobile license plates. This is important not just for the momentum it drives for other states to recall their Confederate license plates. It is important also because it makes it very unlikely that any state that hasn't a Confederate license plate to adopt one.
However, the most important thing is that each time a Confederate symbol is removed from display by the government, it makes the remaining displays by government seem more aberrant which leads to another governmental unit dropping another Confederate symbol which then leads to other governmental units dropping a Confederate symbol and so on.
As governmental display of Confederate symbols become less frequent the remaining ones brand the governmental units that display them as being backward and raise questions about the locality.
Peoples spouses are less comfortable moving their with their children when their are displays of Confederate symbols by the local municipality. Companies usually need to recruit specialized talents to run their operations from a national labor market, and when the candidate and spouse visit, having a big old Confederate flag at the court house is off putting, especially if the engineer, or programmer, or other STEM professional is a minority member.
People don't want their children having their high school memories involving the Rebels or some other Confederate name.
Minority parents will have to wonder how their children will be treated in the local schools.
More than a few chamber of commerce groups are probably figuring out that their local Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) camp and UDC chapter are liabilities.
When a SCV camp or a UDC chapter is able to successfully defend a governmental Confederate symbol I am sure neighboring counties will take note.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-is-likely-to-begin-recalling-license-plates-with-confederate-flag-images/2015/10/15/296179ae-7384-11e5-9cbb-790369643cf9_story.html
Yet another state recalling Confederate automobile license plates. This is important not just for the momentum it drives for other states to recall their Confederate license plates. It is important also because it makes it very unlikely that any state that hasn't a Confederate license plate to adopt one.
However, the most important thing is that each time a Confederate symbol is removed from display by the government, it makes the remaining displays by government seem more aberrant which leads to another governmental unit dropping another Confederate symbol which then leads to other governmental units dropping a Confederate symbol and so on.
As governmental display of Confederate symbols become less frequent the remaining ones brand the governmental units that display them as being backward and raise questions about the locality.
Peoples spouses are less comfortable moving their with their children when their are displays of Confederate symbols by the local municipality. Companies usually need to recruit specialized talents to run their operations from a national labor market, and when the candidate and spouse visit, having a big old Confederate flag at the court house is off putting, especially if the engineer, or programmer, or other STEM professional is a minority member.
People don't want their children having their high school memories involving the Rebels or some other Confederate name.
Minority parents will have to wonder how their children will be treated in the local schools.
More than a few chamber of commerce groups are probably figuring out that their local Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) camp and UDC chapter are liabilities.
When a SCV camp or a UDC chapter is able to successfully defend a governmental Confederate symbol I am sure neighboring counties will take note.
Supposedly Professional Civil War Museum promotes "Black Confederate" mythology
Kevin M. Levin while visiting the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania came across an exhibit at the museum which showed a picture of Black Confederate soldiers.
http://cwmemory.com/2015/09/27/ex-slaves-attend-confederate-veterans-reunion/
From Levin's blog posting.
A larger question, which Levin doesn't raise, is why a supposedly professionally curated museum in 2015 would even make such a claim. The nonsense of the neo-Confederate claims of Black Confederates has been extensively discussed and these claims have been shown to be nonsense. Kevin Levin has done an excellent job of doing this.
The reality is that the Civil War industry panders to Lost Cause believers. Those who know better don't criticize this pandering.
http://cwmemory.com/2015/09/27/ex-slaves-attend-confederate-veterans-reunion/
From Levin's blog posting.
While walking through the exhibit I came across an image of African American men in attendance at a U.C.V. reunion in Tampa in 1927. There is nothing unusual about this image, though unfortunately, the museum labeled it, “Reunion of African-American veterans of the Confederate Army, 1927.” I took a quick pic of it and put it out of my mind until Wayne showed me the original image. At first we didn’t see it it but then someone noticed that at least one of the ribbons clearly states “Ex-Slave.”What Levin doesn't state is whether the museum corrected the exhibit. Even if they did, it might interesting to see if the correction remains or the photo is re-deployed in another exhibit to create the same impression that Black Confederate soldiers exist.
A larger question, which Levin doesn't raise, is why a supposedly professionally curated museum in 2015 would even make such a claim. The nonsense of the neo-Confederate claims of Black Confederates has been extensively discussed and these claims have been shown to be nonsense. Kevin Levin has done an excellent job of doing this.
The reality is that the Civil War industry panders to Lost Cause believers. Those who know better don't criticize this pandering.
St. Paul Episcopal Church moves to rid itself of Confederate symbols, Ashley Luskey chatters to try to save the white geographic space
In 2014 as a result of my letters to them, St. Paul's Episcopal Church dis-invited the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).
http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2014/nov/07/confederates-hold-service-downtown-church/
This is part of my general campaign to get churches to not host neo-Confederate groups.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churches-of-the-confederacy.html
To my surprise St. Paul's Episcopal Church has further decided to get ride of Confederate memorials that are part of the church itself.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_fda4f734-e732-5c7f-bbe3-5f66f1f09cb3.html
This effort is not unique to St. Paul's Cathedral. Another Episcopal Church, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. is getting rid of its Confederate stain glass.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/29/living/national-cathedral-confederate-images/
The effort by St. Paul's has led to discussions by historians, including one by Ashley Luskey who published a rational for St. Paul's to keep the Confederate memorials.
Kevin Levin did an interesting blog posting with links to two articles on the topic.
Kevin Levin's blog posting is:
http://cwmemory.com/2015/10/01/st-pauls-episcopal-and-the-limits-of-public-history/
Christopher Graham blog posting is:
https://whighill.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/historians-doing-historian-things-on-confederate-monuments-is-not-enough/
Then there is Ashley Luskey's writing on the topic:
http://publichistorycommons.org/ashley-luskey-civil-war-memory-post/
She voices the usual justifications, "history is being white washed" etc. She doesn't seem to get it that the Confederate symbols glorify the Confederacy and have power as long as they are in their place.
I have written this before, "Every Confederate monument whispers, 'Civil Rights might be the slogan of the day, but white supremacy is for the ages.'"
Kevin Levin's blog posting and Christopher Graham's posting make good points and refute Luskey.
I think that all three however miss the big picture about race and Christianity and these historic churches.
These historic churches are usually downtown in metropolises of substantial size. In many cases people whose parents or grandparents attended those churches have moved (fled) to the suburbs. In a lot of cases the church is finally closed down and sold to another denomination with an urban demographic. ( I mean minorities.)
There is a church in my neighborhood a few blocks away which was sold since the members were getting tired of driving from the suburbs into Oak Cliff, a part of Dallas. I was told that they held on for a while, but as the older members died off and the younger members were growing up in the suburbs it finally came to an end.
In other cases, for churches that think they are universal and that have a history of African American and Hispanic members will, they will consider recruiting members from those people that live downtown.
I can tell you that Ashley Luskey's chattering rationalizations aren't going to be generally accepted by minority members. I am sure that the Walter Williams of the world will be glad to go to a church with Confederate symbols, but most African Americans don't want Confederate symbols around when they are dealing with life issues.
Another issue is that Christianity's center of gravity is leaving the West. Christianity started as a religion in Asia and its center of gravity is leaving or has left the West. Interest in religion is declining in the West. Christianity is thriving outside the West.
The Anglican Communion has a great many members in Africa. It is a global faith.
The Confederacy is baggage that American Episcopal church doesn't need if it wishes to be connected to a global Christianity. The same goes for other American churches.
Besides planning on writing Richardson and Dallas churches in the coming year, I am planning on writing religious leaders concerned with race overseas and in Africa. Let the United Methodist Church explain to their members there why they are fooling around with the Confederacy.
http://richmondfreepress.com/news/2014/nov/07/confederates-hold-service-downtown-church/
This is part of my general campaign to get churches to not host neo-Confederate groups.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churches-of-the-confederacy.html
To my surprise St. Paul's Episcopal Church has further decided to get ride of Confederate memorials that are part of the church itself.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_fda4f734-e732-5c7f-bbe3-5f66f1f09cb3.html
This effort is not unique to St. Paul's Cathedral. Another Episcopal Church, the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. is getting rid of its Confederate stain glass.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/29/living/national-cathedral-confederate-images/
The effort by St. Paul's has led to discussions by historians, including one by Ashley Luskey who published a rational for St. Paul's to keep the Confederate memorials.
Kevin Levin did an interesting blog posting with links to two articles on the topic.
Kevin Levin's blog posting is:
http://cwmemory.com/2015/10/01/st-pauls-episcopal-and-the-limits-of-public-history/
Christopher Graham blog posting is:
https://whighill.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/historians-doing-historian-things-on-confederate-monuments-is-not-enough/
Then there is Ashley Luskey's writing on the topic:
http://publichistorycommons.org/ashley-luskey-civil-war-memory-post/
She voices the usual justifications, "history is being white washed" etc. She doesn't seem to get it that the Confederate symbols glorify the Confederacy and have power as long as they are in their place.
I have written this before, "Every Confederate monument whispers, 'Civil Rights might be the slogan of the day, but white supremacy is for the ages.'"
Kevin Levin's blog posting and Christopher Graham's posting make good points and refute Luskey.
I think that all three however miss the big picture about race and Christianity and these historic churches.
These historic churches are usually downtown in metropolises of substantial size. In many cases people whose parents or grandparents attended those churches have moved (fled) to the suburbs. In a lot of cases the church is finally closed down and sold to another denomination with an urban demographic. ( I mean minorities.)
There is a church in my neighborhood a few blocks away which was sold since the members were getting tired of driving from the suburbs into Oak Cliff, a part of Dallas. I was told that they held on for a while, but as the older members died off and the younger members were growing up in the suburbs it finally came to an end.
In other cases, for churches that think they are universal and that have a history of African American and Hispanic members will, they will consider recruiting members from those people that live downtown.
I can tell you that Ashley Luskey's chattering rationalizations aren't going to be generally accepted by minority members. I am sure that the Walter Williams of the world will be glad to go to a church with Confederate symbols, but most African Americans don't want Confederate symbols around when they are dealing with life issues.
Another issue is that Christianity's center of gravity is leaving the West. Christianity started as a religion in Asia and its center of gravity is leaving or has left the West. Interest in religion is declining in the West. Christianity is thriving outside the West.
The Anglican Communion has a great many members in Africa. It is a global faith.
The Confederacy is baggage that American Episcopal church doesn't need if it wishes to be connected to a global Christianity. The same goes for other American churches.
Besides planning on writing Richardson and Dallas churches in the coming year, I am planning on writing religious leaders concerned with race overseas and in Africa. Let the United Methodist Church explain to their members there why they are fooling around with the Confederacy.
Martin Luther King statue at Stone Mountain
The Stone Mountain Association wants to put up a Martin Luther King statue at Stone Mountain.
Here is an article on the proposal:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/10/11/a-monument-to-mlk-will-crown-stone-mountain/
I think it is a fairly obvious tactic to preserve Confederate monuments. Tack on some monument to an African American nearby and blab on about diversity and tolerance and acknowledgement or whatever.
The leadership in the African American community sees this obvious ploy and has objected to it.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-stone-mountain-martin-luther-king-20151013-story.html
What is interesting is the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans' response to the proposed monument.
http://gascv.org/scv-responds-to-attempt-to-place-mlk-statue-on-stone-mountain/
From the Georgia SCV press release:
It is always gratifying to see the opposition shoot themselves in the foot.
Here is an article on the proposal:
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2015/10/11/a-monument-to-mlk-will-crown-stone-mountain/
I think it is a fairly obvious tactic to preserve Confederate monuments. Tack on some monument to an African American nearby and blab on about diversity and tolerance and acknowledgement or whatever.
The leadership in the African American community sees this obvious ploy and has objected to it.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-stone-mountain-martin-luther-king-20151013-story.html
What is interesting is the Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans' response to the proposed monument.
http://gascv.org/scv-responds-to-attempt-to-place-mlk-statue-on-stone-mountain/
From the Georgia SCV press release:
The Georgia Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans responded today to the proposal by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association to erect a monument to MLK, former black civil rights activist. This decision by the Stone Mountain Memorial Association is wholly inappropriate in that it is an intentional act of disrespect toward the stated purpose of the Stone Mountain memorial from its inception as well as a possible violation of the law which established the Stone Mountain Memorial Association and charged it with promoting the mountain as a Confederate memorial.Besides showing that the Georgia SCV is none too bright, it also quickly dissipates all their efforts to moderated their image by parading about H.K. Edgerton, making up mythologies about Black Confederate soldiers, and talking about "Heritage Not Hate."
It is always gratifying to see the opposition shoot themselves in the foot.
Exploited African American family wises up and gets rid of Confederate memorial marker for their ancestor
The story is here online.
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_72691a31-c659-510f-a770-47e471a8c9b0.html
Originally the family had accepted the marker for their ancestor, but has since wised up.
This family isn't unique, there are a lot of African Americans like this who would be flattered to have a Confederate memorial or honor. That is why a lot of these Confederate memorials and holidays and flags persist in the South, there are African Americans who don't mind the Confederacy.
When there was a vote in Mississippi about the state's flag which has a Confederate battle flag on it there were places where a clear majority of African Americans voted to keep the Mississippi flag as it is.
I don't know if this represents a trend or not. I suspect some family members and African Americans in the community expressed some opinion to the family and that got them to thinking.
I don't know though.
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/article_72691a31-c659-510f-a770-47e471a8c9b0.html
Originally the family had accepted the marker for their ancestor, but has since wised up.
This family isn't unique, there are a lot of African Americans like this who would be flattered to have a Confederate memorial or honor. That is why a lot of these Confederate memorials and holidays and flags persist in the South, there are African Americans who don't mind the Confederacy.
When there was a vote in Mississippi about the state's flag which has a Confederate battle flag on it there were places where a clear majority of African Americans voted to keep the Mississippi flag as it is.
I don't know if this represents a trend or not. I suspect some family members and African Americans in the community expressed some opinion to the family and that got them to thinking.
I don't know though.
League of the South leader complains about the crazies he meets as a League of the South Leader
The irony of the following League of the South blog posting is hilarious.
http://www.lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-not-to-respond-to-police.html
Tuggle's complaint is:
A secessionist calling a group which claims to have "re-established" a government "fruitcakes" is really too hilarious.
I was told that the ancient temple at Delphi had an inscription which translates as "Know thyself." I recommend that League of the South members consider that.
http://www.lsrebellion.blogspot.com/2015/10/how-not-to-respond-to-police.html
Tuggle's complaint is:
These two are members of the minuscule but VERY vocal "Re-Establishment" movement. They're often confused with the "Sovereign Citizen" groups, but are in fact a different brand of fruitcake. I should know -- when I was the State chair of the North Carolina League of the South, I got to see and hear these characters up close and all too often.I suggest that the League of the South members and leaders consider the old cliche': "Birds of a feather flock together."
A secessionist calling a group which claims to have "re-established" a government "fruitcakes" is really too hilarious.
I was told that the ancient temple at Delphi had an inscription which translates as "Know thyself." I recommend that League of the South members consider that.
Disturbing, huge Russian audience for this blog
DISTURBING. HUGE RUSSIAN AUDIENCE FOR MY BLOG ON NEO-CONFEDERATES
On my blog http://newtknight.blogspot.com/ I have reported on the Russian support for neo-Confederates in the United States, specifically the League of the South.
Here is one of my postings. http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2014/12/league-of-south-allowing-it-to-be-used.html#.ViOhCH6rSM8
You can find the rest of the postings using the search term "Russia."
I have been tied up with other projects, but have a back log of blog postings I need to do. So I logged on this morning to my blog to start posting. I immediately notice that I am having a lot of readership which is surprising. If I haven't been posting it is usually 75 to 150 a day, typically around 100. That was the readership rate when I last checked about 2-3 weeks ago.
THIS MORNING, I am seeing 300 and 400+ readers. I start using Google's tracking features and I see that I have a huge readership in Russia. See the above graphic. There are 3 times as many readers of my blog in Russia than from the United States last week. Russia 1308, United States 439, Ukraine 58, Germany 40, Switzerland 27.
It could be that opposition to the Russian are reading my blog to see what type of movement the Russian government is backing. Or a lot of Russian government officials and supporters are reading my blog as part of their plans to back the neo-Confederates. I am inclined to think it is the latter, though I can't give a good reason why. Maybe it is both.
I have had a lot of Russian and Ukranian readership before for certain weeks. I have had weeks where the overseas interest has been very high. I find this odd for something of an internal historical matter for which the American media has very limited interest.
I don't mind overseas readers and I expect some. I think some are stray views for American Civil War students in other nations. It is just that I find having such a surge from Russia to be troubling. Maybe nationalists there are into imagining the United States breaking up and my blog is of interest to them.
I really don't know. Why would my blog be of interest to Russians that much For other countries it is just two digits.
On my blog http://newtknight.blogspot.com/ I have reported on the Russian support for neo-Confederates in the United States, specifically the League of the South.
Here is one of my postings. http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2014/12/league-of-south-allowing-it-to-be-used.html#.ViOhCH6rSM8
You can find the rest of the postings using the search term "Russia."
I have been tied up with other projects, but have a back log of blog postings I need to do. So I logged on this morning to my blog to start posting. I immediately notice that I am having a lot of readership which is surprising. If I haven't been posting it is usually 75 to 150 a day, typically around 100. That was the readership rate when I last checked about 2-3 weeks ago.
THIS MORNING, I am seeing 300 and 400+ readers. I start using Google's tracking features and I see that I have a huge readership in Russia. See the above graphic. There are 3 times as many readers of my blog in Russia than from the United States last week. Russia 1308, United States 439, Ukraine 58, Germany 40, Switzerland 27.
It could be that opposition to the Russian are reading my blog to see what type of movement the Russian government is backing. Or a lot of Russian government officials and supporters are reading my blog as part of their plans to back the neo-Confederates. I am inclined to think it is the latter, though I can't give a good reason why. Maybe it is both.
I have had a lot of Russian and Ukranian readership before for certain weeks. I have had weeks where the overseas interest has been very high. I find this odd for something of an internal historical matter for which the American media has very limited interest.
I don't mind overseas readers and I expect some. I think some are stray views for American Civil War students in other nations. It is just that I find having such a surge from Russia to be troubling. Maybe nationalists there are into imagining the United States breaking up and my blog is of interest to them.
I really don't know. Why would my blog be of interest to Russians that much For other countries it is just two digits.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Without money from New York and California the South would be Bangladesh
I think the title is a little much. However, if you look at economic statistics, the South doesn't do as well despite all the army bases and Federal enterprises placed there. I once saw a map of the per capita income and you see a South of poverty. I think the cities are doing better now days and there are places in the South doing better. These are places that neo-Confederates hate, such as South Florida, Atlanta.
Click on the video window to get it full size. Also, you might have to wait to skip a commercial.
Click on the video window to get it full size. Also, you might have to wait to skip a commercial.
Thomas Fleming is no longer with Rockford Institute. Founder of the League of the South now runs Fleming Foundation. Institution dedicated to wailing "All is Lost."
Thomas Fleming is no longer with the Rockford Institute. He is now running the Fleming Foundation which seems to consist of himself as he pointed out.
Link to the Fleming Foundation: https://fleming.foundation/
This is his Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thomas.fleming.5249?fref=ts
It seems he left in March 2015 which he announced on his Facebook page.
He was the editor at Chronicles magazine of the Rockford Institute since 1984.
https://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/blogs/thomas-fleming/
The person who founded the Rockford Institute and probably provided a good deal of the money, John Addison Howard, has passed way in August 2015.
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2015/October/39/10/magazine/article/10829597/
I don't know if Howard's passing is related to Fleming's exit from the Rockford Institute. It could be that Howard was incapacitated and didn't have influence on the running of the Rockford Institute at the time of Fleming's exit, or it could be that Howard faced with the end of his life decided that he needed to finally act to preserve the Rockford Institute. I doubt I will ever find out.
Link to the Fleming Foundation: https://fleming.foundation/
This is his Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/thomas.fleming.5249?fref=ts
It seems he left in March 2015 which he announced on his Facebook page.
He was the editor at Chronicles magazine of the Rockford Institute since 1984.
https://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/blogs/thomas-fleming/
The person who founded the Rockford Institute and probably provided a good deal of the money, John Addison Howard, has passed way in August 2015.
http://www.chroniclesmagazine.org/2015/October/39/10/magazine/article/10829597/
I don't know if Howard's passing is related to Fleming's exit from the Rockford Institute. It could be that Howard was incapacitated and didn't have influence on the running of the Rockford Institute at the time of Fleming's exit, or it could be that Howard faced with the end of his life decided that he needed to finally act to preserve the Rockford Institute. I doubt I will ever find out.
Howard is most remembered in Rockford, Illinois for his attempt, as president of Rockford College, to make the college a right wing college with purges of those who he didn't like.
The first change of Fleming's status at the Rockford Institute was that he was no longer its president but he was to remain Editor of Chronicles magazine as announced in the March 2015 issue of Chronicles. There was some comment about his replacement able to get donors interested in the institute. In the March, April, May and June issues, articles by Fleming were run in his usual place in the magazine. Then he is not there.
As his America changed towards greater democracy and inclusion of minorities of all types and with immigration Fleming saw that his hope for a reactionary restoration was not going to happen. However, I don't think you can get support for a magazine or an institution if your message is that things are hopeless and that your goal is to save some cultural items for the future as if a new dark ages is coming.
Fleming mentally existed in the ancient classical world of the Greeks and Romans, including the Byzantines and has never really left it, if anything he has more and more existed mentally within that world.
Having read 30 years of Fleming's essays, I can tell you they often had a theme, but he would start out in the classical world (Ancient Rome and Greece) and work his way through the medieval world and thorough modern times and then get to his subject which the history he related was supposed to illustrate.
The Fleming Foundation has chosen Boethius to identify with. Boethius lived at the end of the Western Roman Empire and represents the idea of the Fleming Foundation that they are repeating the work of Boethius for a coming dark ages.
Thomas Fleming is now no longer with the Rockford Institute where he had at least the comradeship of his fellow reactionaries, though he probably has supporters in Rockford, Illinois who will go to his activities of the Fleming Foundation.
I don't have any sympathy with Fleming's plight. He hoped to break up the United States of America, he hoped to reverse all the accomplishments of the Civil Rights movement. He was hostile to every movement giving social justice to any minority and women. In the June 1987 Chronicles magazine, page 37, Jane Greer is gleeful that the jury supported a gay basher.
Fleming was quite adamant about reactionaries consider the need for violence at some point.
Instead of achieving these goals he lives in a world with gay marriage and an African American president.
To Fleming it is a dark ages since he doesn't see a future where a reactionary regime with the subordination and persecution of many groups can be accomplished. Where even Tea Party elements think he is fringe. His agenda has no hope. When he founded the Southern Partisan in 1979, and even when he started being the editor of Chronicles in 1984 there was still the possibility that the election of Reagan might be the start of a long trek to the right in politics with the reversing the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, with the defeat of the gay rights movement and feminism.
The counter-revolution never came. Fleming can see with immigration and the changing attitudes of Americans that his counter-revolution will not happen in his life time and not in any future visible to the present.
Fleming probably feels his world is coming to end also because he can see the declining interest in classical studies. (studies of the Romans and Greeks). When I was young knowing about the Romans and Greeks was essential to be considered educated and I read a great deal. I even purchased Theodore Mommsen's "Provinces of the Roman Empire," two volumes. Maybe someday I will read it.
In the early and mid-twentieth century the fall of Rome was a topic of popular interest, reasons given usually were related to someones political agenda.
However, in the 1960s Latin was being dropped from the high schools. Interest has declined steadily. Now it is a specialist topic in history like others.
I doubt that there will be much interest in the Fleming Foundation.
And for Fleming, he goes raging, frothing, into the night.
The first change of Fleming's status at the Rockford Institute was that he was no longer its president but he was to remain Editor of Chronicles magazine as announced in the March 2015 issue of Chronicles. There was some comment about his replacement able to get donors interested in the institute. In the March, April, May and June issues, articles by Fleming were run in his usual place in the magazine. Then he is not there.
As his America changed towards greater democracy and inclusion of minorities of all types and with immigration Fleming saw that his hope for a reactionary restoration was not going to happen. However, I don't think you can get support for a magazine or an institution if your message is that things are hopeless and that your goal is to save some cultural items for the future as if a new dark ages is coming.
Fleming mentally existed in the ancient classical world of the Greeks and Romans, including the Byzantines and has never really left it, if anything he has more and more existed mentally within that world.
Having read 30 years of Fleming's essays, I can tell you they often had a theme, but he would start out in the classical world (Ancient Rome and Greece) and work his way through the medieval world and thorough modern times and then get to his subject which the history he related was supposed to illustrate.
The Fleming Foundation has chosen Boethius to identify with. Boethius lived at the end of the Western Roman Empire and represents the idea of the Fleming Foundation that they are repeating the work of Boethius for a coming dark ages.
Thomas Fleming is now no longer with the Rockford Institute where he had at least the comradeship of his fellow reactionaries, though he probably has supporters in Rockford, Illinois who will go to his activities of the Fleming Foundation.
I don't have any sympathy with Fleming's plight. He hoped to break up the United States of America, he hoped to reverse all the accomplishments of the Civil Rights movement. He was hostile to every movement giving social justice to any minority and women. In the June 1987 Chronicles magazine, page 37, Jane Greer is gleeful that the jury supported a gay basher.
Fleming was quite adamant about reactionaries consider the need for violence at some point.
Instead of achieving these goals he lives in a world with gay marriage and an African American president.
To Fleming it is a dark ages since he doesn't see a future where a reactionary regime with the subordination and persecution of many groups can be accomplished. Where even Tea Party elements think he is fringe. His agenda has no hope. When he founded the Southern Partisan in 1979, and even when he started being the editor of Chronicles in 1984 there was still the possibility that the election of Reagan might be the start of a long trek to the right in politics with the reversing the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s, with the defeat of the gay rights movement and feminism.
The counter-revolution never came. Fleming can see with immigration and the changing attitudes of Americans that his counter-revolution will not happen in his life time and not in any future visible to the present.
Fleming probably feels his world is coming to end also because he can see the declining interest in classical studies. (studies of the Romans and Greeks). When I was young knowing about the Romans and Greeks was essential to be considered educated and I read a great deal. I even purchased Theodore Mommsen's "Provinces of the Roman Empire," two volumes. Maybe someday I will read it.
In the early and mid-twentieth century the fall of Rome was a topic of popular interest, reasons given usually were related to someones political agenda.
However, in the 1960s Latin was being dropped from the high schools. Interest has declined steadily. Now it is a specialist topic in history like others.
I doubt that there will be much interest in the Fleming Foundation.
And for Fleming, he goes raging, frothing, into the night.