You can get the "Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader" at the University Press of Mississippi at this web page.
http://www.upress.state.ms.us/books/1338
At this link you can get "Neo-Confederacy: A Critical Introduction."
https://utpress.utexas.edu/books/hagneo
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Neo-Confederate culture of violence
I have always said that raising the issue of the Lost Cause would surface who people really are.
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/08/29/georgia-republican-warns-democrat-she-could-go-missing-over-criticism-of-civil-war-monuments/
On Facebook a Republican Georgia State Rep. Jason Spencer warns Georgia State Rep. LaDawn Jones that she might go missing if she continues to criticize Confederate monument.
This is what Confederate "heritage" is about.
http://politics.blog.ajc.com/2017/08/29/georgia-republican-warns-democrat-she-could-go-missing-over-criticism-of-civil-war-monuments/
On Facebook a Republican Georgia State Rep. Jason Spencer warns Georgia State Rep. LaDawn Jones that she might go missing if she continues to criticize Confederate monument.
This is what Confederate "heritage" is about.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Kevin M. Levin weather vane UPDATE: UPDATE 2:
Kevin M. Levin had this extraordinary posting. The title of which is, "In Favor of Confederate Monuments."
http://cwmemory.com/2017/08/29/in-favor-of-confederate-monuments/
The author we are told is, "a experience instructor in professional military education, who wishes to remain anonymous." Levin also has a disclaimer "Publication of this piece should not be interpreted as constituting agreement with its content."
Since it is anonymous the question has to be asked whether Levin himself wrote it. I don't think he did since I don't think he is a dishonest person. However, without a name of an acknowledged author, we can't entirely exclude Levin. Perhaps the author will step forward, but until he does, we can't exclude Levin.
There was a lot of negative feedback by the people who read his blog. However, Levin doesn't really make a clear statement. Levin in an update writes, "I hear you and will re-consider my policy. I fully admit that I may have dropped the ball one this one." So Levin "fully admits" a "may"? A self-cancelling statement. Also, he will "re-consider," which means he may not do anything in regards to any "policy" he has.
Normally postings that are anonymous aren't taken seriously, but Levin has adopted a policy to give anonymous postings credibility.
The essay is delusional, a historical and really rubbish. It is a rant.
Even if you wanted to have a policy where you published counter-pieces to your opinions, I think that you would want the opposing opinions to be credible. You could be accused of picking opposing essays that were bad to support your position.
I speculate what might be happening is this. A lot of civil war enthusiasts, Civil War Round Tables, Lost Cause people, Romance of Reunion and Civil War Centennial types are enraged. A lot of the local historical society types are enraged. The Confederate statues are tumbling down everywhere. They probably aren't happy with Kevin M. Levin's new position. He is probably getting some fairly strong feedback on his recent shift in opinion on Confederate monuments. Enthusiasts for the Confederacy can be fairly vitriolic and faces turn red when you are not buying into their rationalizations.
So it seems to me that Levin has come up with a plan to have his blog push two two opposing opinions on monuments to placate these people and yet still keep his position as being opposed to Confederate monuments. Suddenly the blog with a point of view is becoming a forum.
Levin justifies the post saying it is "getting people engaged with the argument of whether you or I agree with it." I suppose it does. A holocaust denial piece would likely do the same thing.
A posting advocating a flat earth would engage people but would be of little value.
The essay by the anonymous author is so bad does it really engage anyone? As a piece to argue for Confederate monuments is is just ranting and can't be considered an effective argument for Confederate statues. Levin abandons any pretense of editorial quality in publishing it.
As for the anonymity of the posting, it seems to me a little cowardly.
UPDATE:
Levin has this post by himself in which he explains how much he disagrees with the anonymous posting. I think we see Levin's strategy in operation. He can placate Lost Causers and then reject them and position himself as anti-Lost Cause while still providing the Lost Cause people a platform.
http://cwmemory.com/2017/08/31/a-response-to-anonymous/
UPDATE2:
Perhaps the anonymous essay is a soft ball pitched so Levin can hit it with a bat.
http://cwmemory.com/2017/08/29/in-favor-of-confederate-monuments/
The author we are told is, "a experience instructor in professional military education, who wishes to remain anonymous." Levin also has a disclaimer "Publication of this piece should not be interpreted as constituting agreement with its content."
Since it is anonymous the question has to be asked whether Levin himself wrote it. I don't think he did since I don't think he is a dishonest person. However, without a name of an acknowledged author, we can't entirely exclude Levin. Perhaps the author will step forward, but until he does, we can't exclude Levin.
There was a lot of negative feedback by the people who read his blog. However, Levin doesn't really make a clear statement. Levin in an update writes, "I hear you and will re-consider my policy. I fully admit that I may have dropped the ball one this one." So Levin "fully admits" a "may"? A self-cancelling statement. Also, he will "re-consider," which means he may not do anything in regards to any "policy" he has.
Normally postings that are anonymous aren't taken seriously, but Levin has adopted a policy to give anonymous postings credibility.
The essay is delusional, a historical and really rubbish. It is a rant.
Even if you wanted to have a policy where you published counter-pieces to your opinions, I think that you would want the opposing opinions to be credible. You could be accused of picking opposing essays that were bad to support your position.
I speculate what might be happening is this. A lot of civil war enthusiasts, Civil War Round Tables, Lost Cause people, Romance of Reunion and Civil War Centennial types are enraged. A lot of the local historical society types are enraged. The Confederate statues are tumbling down everywhere. They probably aren't happy with Kevin M. Levin's new position. He is probably getting some fairly strong feedback on his recent shift in opinion on Confederate monuments. Enthusiasts for the Confederacy can be fairly vitriolic and faces turn red when you are not buying into their rationalizations.
So it seems to me that Levin has come up with a plan to have his blog push two two opposing opinions on monuments to placate these people and yet still keep his position as being opposed to Confederate monuments. Suddenly the blog with a point of view is becoming a forum.
Levin justifies the post saying it is "getting people engaged with the argument of whether you or I agree with it." I suppose it does. A holocaust denial piece would likely do the same thing.
A posting advocating a flat earth would engage people but would be of little value.
The essay by the anonymous author is so bad does it really engage anyone? As a piece to argue for Confederate monuments is is just ranting and can't be considered an effective argument for Confederate statues. Levin abandons any pretense of editorial quality in publishing it.
As for the anonymity of the posting, it seems to me a little cowardly.
UPDATE:
Levin has this post by himself in which he explains how much he disagrees with the anonymous posting. I think we see Levin's strategy in operation. He can placate Lost Causers and then reject them and position himself as anti-Lost Cause while still providing the Lost Cause people a platform.
http://cwmemory.com/2017/08/31/a-response-to-anonymous/
UPDATE2:
Perhaps the anonymous essay is a soft ball pitched so Levin can hit it with a bat.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Euan Hague and my article on the Jefferson Davis Highway basis of an article in the JSTOR daily and in "The Atlantic."
JSTOR for those who aren't familiar with it is a repository of academic articles which you can search.
I was quite surprised to get a Google alert yesterday for the JSTOR Daily that they had an article on the Jefferson Davis highway titled, "What is the Jefferson Davis Highway?"
https://daily.jstor.org/what-is-the-jefferson-davis-highway/
Then today I come across this article in The Atlantic titled, "The Lost Dream of a Superhighway to Honor the Confederacy."
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/08/jefferson-davis-highways/538062/
There is this article about streets named after Confederate generals and it has a map.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40459028/these-maps-show-which-u-s-streets-are-named-for-confederate-leaders
It has maps you can zoom in and out of.
I was quite surprised to get a Google alert yesterday for the JSTOR Daily that they had an article on the Jefferson Davis highway titled, "What is the Jefferson Davis Highway?"
https://daily.jstor.org/what-is-the-jefferson-davis-highway/
Then today I come across this article in The Atlantic titled, "The Lost Dream of a Superhighway to Honor the Confederacy."
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/08/jefferson-davis-highways/538062/
There is this article about streets named after Confederate generals and it has a map.
https://www.fastcompany.com/40459028/these-maps-show-which-u-s-streets-are-named-for-confederate-leaders
It has maps you can zoom in and out of.
Where are we now and is there an emerging counter revolution on Confederate statues
When a movement is at flood tide it is easy for the people in that movement to believe that their forces are irresistible and that they will sweep away all opposition. History shows that this is very often not true. The opposition is thinking and strategizing. They are testing methods and refining them or changing them if they don't work.
Suddenly an effective opposition emerges or effective tactics and the movement which seemed irresistible now is stalled.
So where are we now?
Seven things are working in favor of the monuments being removed.
1. They are located in center cities which aren't very Republican, have high minority populations, and are more populated by liberals and leftists. The poll for the nation or a state or even the local metropolitan area may be in favor of keeping the statue, but in the center city the polls are very likely to be against the Confederate monument.
An counter strategy might be to put a monument on private land, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) have put flags on private plots of land. However, this strategy has limitations. It does show that there is an opposition and an opposition large enough to afford the land and flag pole. However, it isn't on public land and so it doesn't have the cultural authority of a monument on public land.
Further, being a private plot of land and flagpole, the maintenance cost falls on the individuals or group behind the plot of land. Something they have to keep up over decades. Monuments on public land usually are kept up by the local municipal government or they get donors since they are on public land.
2. As monuments go down elsewhere the cities with remaining monuments will look aberrant. The monument will be references as an indicator of what type of town the city is. Corporations will note the monuments when considering locations of a factory or business unit. They will be concerned about recruiting employees to live there and realize that Confederate monuments will be a negative. Competing towns and cities which have removed their monuments will make reference to the Confederate monument in the city.
I have been amazed that Confederate things that only a few specialists like me and the neo-Confederates know about have been removed. What remains will really stick out.
3. Trump has come out for Confederate monuments which has provoked a reaction of many people to suddenly care much more about the issue and be willing to take actions against the monuments. For some people if Trump is for something they are against it. Others were against Confederate monuments but now it is on the top or near top of their agenda. Some people started to think about the issue and now care about removing Confederate monuments.
More importantly a lot of people who might otherwise chatter about rationalizations to keep the monuments are keeping quiet. Trump has discredited for many the arguments they might make.
4. There is an ongoing shift in peoples attitudes to be increasingly against the Confederacy. The high school American history textbooks are still terrible, but they aren't believed. There have been movies giving a more accurate history of the American past.
The percentage of people who grew up with segregated schools is declining. Fewer and fewer people support the Confederacy. The Civil War Round Table population is aging out.
So when there are incidents, like the Charleston Massacre or the murder of Heather Heyer, there is a sudden burst of activity. A lot of people who have rejected the Confederacy already and for them when there is some event they have just had it and they want the Confederate stuff to go.
It was just a few years ago, people who were against neo-Confederacy would tell me solemnly that they couldn't make comparisons to the Nazis. Now it is mainstream. People discuss how the Germans process the historical memory of the Third Reich. They compare honoring the Confederates to honoring other horrific people in history. The climate has really changed and is changing.
5. Finally for the residents in a lot of cities the failure to remove Confederate monuments will be a big revelation about what city they live in and who the city leaders really are. Residents will ask why does their city still has Confederate monuments when so many others have removed them. This would be a question that some city leaders don't want to make and a revelation about their city and themselves that they don't want residents to make. A mayor who is against the removal of a Confederate monument is just not going to be take seriously when he or she has some pronouncement about Martin Luther King day or has a statement to make in the case of a police shooting of an African American.
6. Politicians who have greater ambitions then elected city office will have to consider how having the retention of a Confederate monument on their resume will impact their political futures.
7. Various scholars and others have folded on this issue, like Kevin Levin. Preservation societies, local historical associations have to consider if they want to have defending Confederate statues as part of their history when they so often go to city hall to appeal for one thing or another.
However, there is an opposition.
Right Wing:
The right wing press is defending the monuments. Breitbart in particular is reporting every incident of excess. There have been calls to remove other monuments that aren't Confederate and this is being reported as an inevitable consequence of Confederate monument removal. It is an appeal to white racial fear.
Donald Trump is in favor of the Confederate monuments thus mobilizing his base in favor of Confederate monuments. He is also the president of the United States which has its advantages.
There is an organized neo-Confederate movement. Many African American conservatives are speaking out to retain monuments. Though this strategy doesn't seem to be that important. This strategy was brilliantly satirized in this hilarious YouTube Video, "Buy Confederate Flags From a Black Guy."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is7SeH-gkHM
I think the right wing opposition will actually fuel more action against Confederate monuments. States with Republican Party majorities will have to wonder whether they want to be the party of the Confederacy. I am sure that in Alabama the Republican legislature has some regrets.
Neo-Confederates:
They aren't that relevant anymore. There aren't many that are going to be persuaded by arguments for the Confederate monuments because the Confederacy was a good thing.
I think that there will be people dropping out of the groups since they don't want to be explaining to their relatives, fellow club members, fellow church members or co-workers why they are members. They will quit if they aren't purged first.
Centrist Democrats:
The centrist Democrats, aka neo-Liberals are I think a serious factor to consider. I have an earlier blog posting with links to articles where they argue against a campaign against Confederate statues because it is falling into a trap that Trump is setting.
What the real reason they are against it is that they want to get more white voters in the next election. This is part of a campaign among many in the Democratic Party who are saying that "identity politics" needs to be de-emphasized which can be translated as, "let's drop civil rights from the Democratic Party agenda."
I haven't heard anything from Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton on the issue.
However, what the centrist Democrats can do is limited. They have lost both houses of Congress and lost the presidency to Donald Trump. They have no power in government and they have lost a lot of credibility with Democrats and the general public. Their politics have led to Donald Trump being in the White House. They have limited ability to control the agenda.
The centrists run the risk that by waffling on Confederate statues or effectively opposing any real action against Confederate statues they will be further revealed as a group that stands for nothing but re-election and fudging on the issues.
Richmond mayor Levar Stoney and Charlottesville mayor Michael Signer are probably now regretting their respective courses of action. They will have eventually to have the monuments taken down, but they will get no credit for it since initially they opposed removal, but they will anger all the supporters of the Confederate monuments.
However, I think that there will be cases where individuals, organizational leaders, and some elected officials will use centrist Democratic arguments to not take action. It will act as a drag in the effort to remove Confederate monuments.
Left:
There are exceptions, like Mother Jones which is covering the movement to remove statues, but a lot of the left publications aren't giving this issue much attention. However, they will continue to drift into irrelevancy and it isn't much of a concern.
OVERALL:
I think at some point the movement to remove Confederate monuments will slow down. One reason is that the monuments that can be easily removed will be removed. The monuments that remain will be in rural areas and small cities where the opposition to Confederate monuments is limited and the support for them is strong. Though in those cases the chamber of commerce will be concerned about their city's image and wish they could just go away.
The centrist Democrats are mobilizing on this issue and more generally on a campaign against "identity politics" which means dump civil rights. Their reasoning is that minorities have no place to go so lets not do much on civil rights. However, I think that there are probably a lot of Democrats who aren't ready to sign up for this. Long term demographics argue against it.
However, I don't think any fraction of the establishment can put a break on this issue. Independent groups, both for and against Confederate monuments, are going to be taking actions on their own which will continue to put the issue before the public. Trump and the conservative media will then comment on this issue. Centrist Democrats will find themselves looking like centrist Democrats. Other Democrats will decide that they don't want to look like centrist Democrats.
This issue of Confederate monument removal after the initial easy removals will then become an issue of protracted struggles over the monuments that remain in cities where the support for monument removal isn't so strong. These struggles will keep it in the news. Right wing media and Donald Trump will keep it in the news.
The struggle will then result in the removal of monuments, one city at a time. After awhile it cities will decide that they don't want the constant agitation and decided that they need to go.
I think that after 2018 we will find it an ongoing struggle. It will require a developed strategy and a focused effort.
However, by the end of the next 12 months there will have been removed a great many Confederate monuments and those remaining will appear to be aberrant, an indicator of backwardness. Many residents in those cities will find them a painful reminder of what type of city they live in.
Also, at that time there should be a campaign about churches hosting neo-Confederate groups, the U.S. military working with neo-Confederate groups, and American history textbooks which pander to neo-Confederate groups. These campaigns will be synergistic with the campaigns to remove Confederate monuments and likely necessary for the success of campaigns to remove Confederate monuments.
Suddenly an effective opposition emerges or effective tactics and the movement which seemed irresistible now is stalled.
So where are we now?
Seven things are working in favor of the monuments being removed.
1. They are located in center cities which aren't very Republican, have high minority populations, and are more populated by liberals and leftists. The poll for the nation or a state or even the local metropolitan area may be in favor of keeping the statue, but in the center city the polls are very likely to be against the Confederate monument.
An counter strategy might be to put a monument on private land, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) have put flags on private plots of land. However, this strategy has limitations. It does show that there is an opposition and an opposition large enough to afford the land and flag pole. However, it isn't on public land and so it doesn't have the cultural authority of a monument on public land.
Further, being a private plot of land and flagpole, the maintenance cost falls on the individuals or group behind the plot of land. Something they have to keep up over decades. Monuments on public land usually are kept up by the local municipal government or they get donors since they are on public land.
2. As monuments go down elsewhere the cities with remaining monuments will look aberrant. The monument will be references as an indicator of what type of town the city is. Corporations will note the monuments when considering locations of a factory or business unit. They will be concerned about recruiting employees to live there and realize that Confederate monuments will be a negative. Competing towns and cities which have removed their monuments will make reference to the Confederate monument in the city.
I have been amazed that Confederate things that only a few specialists like me and the neo-Confederates know about have been removed. What remains will really stick out.
3. Trump has come out for Confederate monuments which has provoked a reaction of many people to suddenly care much more about the issue and be willing to take actions against the monuments. For some people if Trump is for something they are against it. Others were against Confederate monuments but now it is on the top or near top of their agenda. Some people started to think about the issue and now care about removing Confederate monuments.
More importantly a lot of people who might otherwise chatter about rationalizations to keep the monuments are keeping quiet. Trump has discredited for many the arguments they might make.
4. There is an ongoing shift in peoples attitudes to be increasingly against the Confederacy. The high school American history textbooks are still terrible, but they aren't believed. There have been movies giving a more accurate history of the American past.
The percentage of people who grew up with segregated schools is declining. Fewer and fewer people support the Confederacy. The Civil War Round Table population is aging out.
So when there are incidents, like the Charleston Massacre or the murder of Heather Heyer, there is a sudden burst of activity. A lot of people who have rejected the Confederacy already and for them when there is some event they have just had it and they want the Confederate stuff to go.
It was just a few years ago, people who were against neo-Confederacy would tell me solemnly that they couldn't make comparisons to the Nazis. Now it is mainstream. People discuss how the Germans process the historical memory of the Third Reich. They compare honoring the Confederates to honoring other horrific people in history. The climate has really changed and is changing.
5. Finally for the residents in a lot of cities the failure to remove Confederate monuments will be a big revelation about what city they live in and who the city leaders really are. Residents will ask why does their city still has Confederate monuments when so many others have removed them. This would be a question that some city leaders don't want to make and a revelation about their city and themselves that they don't want residents to make. A mayor who is against the removal of a Confederate monument is just not going to be take seriously when he or she has some pronouncement about Martin Luther King day or has a statement to make in the case of a police shooting of an African American.
6. Politicians who have greater ambitions then elected city office will have to consider how having the retention of a Confederate monument on their resume will impact their political futures.
7. Various scholars and others have folded on this issue, like Kevin Levin. Preservation societies, local historical associations have to consider if they want to have defending Confederate statues as part of their history when they so often go to city hall to appeal for one thing or another.
However, there is an opposition.
Right Wing:
The right wing press is defending the monuments. Breitbart in particular is reporting every incident of excess. There have been calls to remove other monuments that aren't Confederate and this is being reported as an inevitable consequence of Confederate monument removal. It is an appeal to white racial fear.
Donald Trump is in favor of the Confederate monuments thus mobilizing his base in favor of Confederate monuments. He is also the president of the United States which has its advantages.
There is an organized neo-Confederate movement. Many African American conservatives are speaking out to retain monuments. Though this strategy doesn't seem to be that important. This strategy was brilliantly satirized in this hilarious YouTube Video, "Buy Confederate Flags From a Black Guy."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is7SeH-gkHM
I think the right wing opposition will actually fuel more action against Confederate monuments. States with Republican Party majorities will have to wonder whether they want to be the party of the Confederacy. I am sure that in Alabama the Republican legislature has some regrets.
Neo-Confederates:
They aren't that relevant anymore. There aren't many that are going to be persuaded by arguments for the Confederate monuments because the Confederacy was a good thing.
I think that there will be people dropping out of the groups since they don't want to be explaining to their relatives, fellow club members, fellow church members or co-workers why they are members. They will quit if they aren't purged first.
Centrist Democrats:
The centrist Democrats, aka neo-Liberals are I think a serious factor to consider. I have an earlier blog posting with links to articles where they argue against a campaign against Confederate statues because it is falling into a trap that Trump is setting.
What the real reason they are against it is that they want to get more white voters in the next election. This is part of a campaign among many in the Democratic Party who are saying that "identity politics" needs to be de-emphasized which can be translated as, "let's drop civil rights from the Democratic Party agenda."
I haven't heard anything from Bill Clinton or Hillary Clinton on the issue.
However, what the centrist Democrats can do is limited. They have lost both houses of Congress and lost the presidency to Donald Trump. They have no power in government and they have lost a lot of credibility with Democrats and the general public. Their politics have led to Donald Trump being in the White House. They have limited ability to control the agenda.
The centrists run the risk that by waffling on Confederate statues or effectively opposing any real action against Confederate statues they will be further revealed as a group that stands for nothing but re-election and fudging on the issues.
Richmond mayor Levar Stoney and Charlottesville mayor Michael Signer are probably now regretting their respective courses of action. They will have eventually to have the monuments taken down, but they will get no credit for it since initially they opposed removal, but they will anger all the supporters of the Confederate monuments.
However, I think that there will be cases where individuals, organizational leaders, and some elected officials will use centrist Democratic arguments to not take action. It will act as a drag in the effort to remove Confederate monuments.
Left:
There are exceptions, like Mother Jones which is covering the movement to remove statues, but a lot of the left publications aren't giving this issue much attention. However, they will continue to drift into irrelevancy and it isn't much of a concern.
OVERALL:
I think at some point the movement to remove Confederate monuments will slow down. One reason is that the monuments that can be easily removed will be removed. The monuments that remain will be in rural areas and small cities where the opposition to Confederate monuments is limited and the support for them is strong. Though in those cases the chamber of commerce will be concerned about their city's image and wish they could just go away.
The centrist Democrats are mobilizing on this issue and more generally on a campaign against "identity politics" which means dump civil rights. Their reasoning is that minorities have no place to go so lets not do much on civil rights. However, I think that there are probably a lot of Democrats who aren't ready to sign up for this. Long term demographics argue against it.
However, I don't think any fraction of the establishment can put a break on this issue. Independent groups, both for and against Confederate monuments, are going to be taking actions on their own which will continue to put the issue before the public. Trump and the conservative media will then comment on this issue. Centrist Democrats will find themselves looking like centrist Democrats. Other Democrats will decide that they don't want to look like centrist Democrats.
This issue of Confederate monument removal after the initial easy removals will then become an issue of protracted struggles over the monuments that remain in cities where the support for monument removal isn't so strong. These struggles will keep it in the news. Right wing media and Donald Trump will keep it in the news.
The struggle will then result in the removal of monuments, one city at a time. After awhile it cities will decide that they don't want the constant agitation and decided that they need to go.
I think that after 2018 we will find it an ongoing struggle. It will require a developed strategy and a focused effort.
However, by the end of the next 12 months there will have been removed a great many Confederate monuments and those remaining will appear to be aberrant, an indicator of backwardness. Many residents in those cities will find them a painful reminder of what type of city they live in.
Also, at that time there should be a campaign about churches hosting neo-Confederate groups, the U.S. military working with neo-Confederate groups, and American history textbooks which pander to neo-Confederate groups. These campaigns will be synergistic with the campaigns to remove Confederate monuments and likely necessary for the success of campaigns to remove Confederate monuments.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Peter S. Carmichael, Director of Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College is effectively defending local Gettysburg industry.
What is the local Gettysburg industry? It is the selling of stuff like this.
Click on photos to see the entire photo.
Peter S. Carmichael, Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College has this article.
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/27/civil-war-historian-peter-carmichael-keep-the-statues-focus-on-racial-injustice/
The article shows how clueless Carmichael is and how he is denying the rather clear record on Confederate monuments and their purpose. I am sure the Gettysburg Chamber of Commerce is grateful that he is making this effort. I am sure that Carmichael is not consciously defending these items. I think the Civil War Institute needs to think if they will be relevant by 2030.
When I visited Gettysburg April 2017, the story I was repeatedly told is that a very large fraction of the visitors are from the South and that in 2015 they did a tremendous business in Confederate flag memorabilia. People actually believed the Confederate flag would be banned. However, now the sale of Confederate junk is way down. You have to wonder what type of people would think they urgently needed to buy Confederate flags after the massacre in Charleston, but that is what evidently puts food on many tables in Gettysburg.
Also, that Confederate reenacting is down. The Civil War Sesquicentennial seemed to be the last hurrah.
The city of Gettysburg is already switching to ghosts tours and that seems to be the coming industry. However, it seems to me you could do ghost tours anywhere there were old buildings and gullible people which is most anywhere. Dallas only has one of the two components. Having a ghost in Dallas would be seen as anti-real estate development which is Dallas's highest moral value.
Peter S. Carmichael represents the Civil War historians whose efforts will make the Civil War of little interest to future generations.
Gettysburg College should consider, along with the city of Gettysburg that they owe John Sims an apology.
Click on photos to see the entire photo.
Peter S. Carmichael, Director of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College has this article.
http://www.salon.com/2017/08/27/civil-war-historian-peter-carmichael-keep-the-statues-focus-on-racial-injustice/
The article shows how clueless Carmichael is and how he is denying the rather clear record on Confederate monuments and their purpose. I am sure the Gettysburg Chamber of Commerce is grateful that he is making this effort. I am sure that Carmichael is not consciously defending these items. I think the Civil War Institute needs to think if they will be relevant by 2030.
When I visited Gettysburg April 2017, the story I was repeatedly told is that a very large fraction of the visitors are from the South and that in 2015 they did a tremendous business in Confederate flag memorabilia. People actually believed the Confederate flag would be banned. However, now the sale of Confederate junk is way down. You have to wonder what type of people would think they urgently needed to buy Confederate flags after the massacre in Charleston, but that is what evidently puts food on many tables in Gettysburg.
Also, that Confederate reenacting is down. The Civil War Sesquicentennial seemed to be the last hurrah.
The city of Gettysburg is already switching to ghosts tours and that seems to be the coming industry. However, it seems to me you could do ghost tours anywhere there were old buildings and gullible people which is most anywhere. Dallas only has one of the two components. Having a ghost in Dallas would be seen as anti-real estate development which is Dallas's highest moral value.
Peter S. Carmichael represents the Civil War historians whose efforts will make the Civil War of little interest to future generations.
Gettysburg College should consider, along with the city of Gettysburg that they owe John Sims an apology.
Sure glad that the "Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader" didn't win the Museum of the Confederacy Jefferson Davis medal
I am working with activists here and there working to get rid of Confederate monuments.
I have been handing out free some of my books including the "Reader."
With Jefferson Davis statues being taken down I am certainly glad that I don't have a Jefferson Davis medal printed on the 2nd edition, or some nonsense about it getting a Jefferson Davis award. Or something like this on the web page for the book or in book advertisements. I had to work on making sure this didn't happen. I had to put up with a lot of stuff and nonsense trying to persuade me to submit the book for the award.
This is the first part of the series I wrote on the Museum of the Confederacy which discusses why I wrote it so my book would not get the award.
http://www.blackcommentator.com/441/441_museum_confederacy_sebesta_guest_share.html
I am glad that I don't have to try to explain this away, with explanations that wouldn't be believed.
Of course this made me rather unpopular in the Civil War History profession. Many denunciations on Kevin Levin's blog.
http://cwmemory.com/2012/03/04/has-edward-sebesta-ever-visited-the-museum-of-the-confederacy/
http://cwmemory.com/2011/12/06/a-response-to-edward-sebesta/
http://cwmemory.com/2011/09/15/calling-out-edward-sebesta-and-calling-on-james-loewen/
http://cwmemory.com/2011/09/14/a-quick-response-to-edward-sebesta/
http://cwmemory.com/2010/12/09/the-edward-sebesta-circus-continues/
The "circus continues" is reference to an earlier activity in which I got a group of scholars to co-sign a letter to Obama asking him not to send a wreath to the Arlington Confederate memorial. That Levin is implying is a circus also, thus it is continuing.
Brook D. Simpson was critical of this as well.
https://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/ed-sebestas-dilemma/
https://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/edward-sebestas-publicity-stunt/
Simpson was on the masthead of Civil War History.
Neither of them would read even the first installment of the history.
Outside the Civil War history profession scholars thought my position was both sensible and obvious. One even wondered whether Loewen had gone "Genovese."
However, now in retrospect these denunciations just document how increasingly out of touch the Civil War history profession was and how they live in a Civil War Round Table reality, a world which is fading away.
What might be considered is how these Confederate monuments served to normalize the Civil War Round Table world and a historical profession that pandered to them and now as the monuments leave how abnormal the Civil War Round Table world will be perceived.
Of course there will always be a place for the Civil War Round Table where they can ruminate on brass alloys used in Civil War uniform buttons or perhaps the topic of mosquitoes and other biting insects at Gettysburg battlefield and resolutely ignore the issues of neo-Confederacy and race. This would likely be at the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.
Interest in the Civil War is dying because of a Civil War history profession and Civil War Round Tables which have a focus which isn't of interest to the modern world.
I have been handing out free some of my books including the "Reader."
With Jefferson Davis statues being taken down I am certainly glad that I don't have a Jefferson Davis medal printed on the 2nd edition, or some nonsense about it getting a Jefferson Davis award. Or something like this on the web page for the book or in book advertisements. I had to work on making sure this didn't happen. I had to put up with a lot of stuff and nonsense trying to persuade me to submit the book for the award.
This is the first part of the series I wrote on the Museum of the Confederacy which discusses why I wrote it so my book would not get the award.
http://www.blackcommentator.com/441/441_museum_confederacy_sebesta_guest_share.html
I am glad that I don't have to try to explain this away, with explanations that wouldn't be believed.
Of course this made me rather unpopular in the Civil War History profession. Many denunciations on Kevin Levin's blog.
http://cwmemory.com/2012/03/04/has-edward-sebesta-ever-visited-the-museum-of-the-confederacy/
http://cwmemory.com/2011/12/06/a-response-to-edward-sebesta/
http://cwmemory.com/2011/09/15/calling-out-edward-sebesta-and-calling-on-james-loewen/
http://cwmemory.com/2011/09/14/a-quick-response-to-edward-sebesta/
http://cwmemory.com/2010/12/09/the-edward-sebesta-circus-continues/
The "circus continues" is reference to an earlier activity in which I got a group of scholars to co-sign a letter to Obama asking him not to send a wreath to the Arlington Confederate memorial. That Levin is implying is a circus also, thus it is continuing.
Brook D. Simpson was critical of this as well.
https://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/ed-sebestas-dilemma/
https://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2010/12/09/edward-sebestas-publicity-stunt/
Simpson was on the masthead of Civil War History.
Neither of them would read even the first installment of the history.
Outside the Civil War history profession scholars thought my position was both sensible and obvious. One even wondered whether Loewen had gone "Genovese."
However, now in retrospect these denunciations just document how increasingly out of touch the Civil War history profession was and how they live in a Civil War Round Table reality, a world which is fading away.
What might be considered is how these Confederate monuments served to normalize the Civil War Round Table world and a historical profession that pandered to them and now as the monuments leave how abnormal the Civil War Round Table world will be perceived.
Of course there will always be a place for the Civil War Round Table where they can ruminate on brass alloys used in Civil War uniform buttons or perhaps the topic of mosquitoes and other biting insects at Gettysburg battlefield and resolutely ignore the issues of neo-Confederacy and race. This would likely be at the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College.
Interest in the Civil War is dying because of a Civil War history profession and Civil War Round Tables which have a focus which isn't of interest to the modern world.
Kevin Levin's continues to push "Confederate fabulous" image. A direct assault on the LGBT community.
The rainbow flag has been recently redesigned with a black and brown strip added to represent non-white LGBT or as the news articles report, "people of color."
These are some articles.
CNN reports that the city of Philadelphia released the new flag.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/13/health/new-pride-flag-colors-trnd/index.html
https://baltimoreoutloud.com/lgbtq-news/item/4910-a-new-pride-flag?
Now the rainbow flag in itself was to represent the idea that LGBT are in every group or come from every group. It is a flag adopted globally, on every continent, by any organization of LGBT on this planet. It supplanted the pink triangle and the stupid lambda symbol.
So on the surface of things it should not be necessary to add additional strips. The new flag still has the basic colors in the eight crayon box. This opens up the idea that other groups will add other strips to localize a flag. The global rainbow flag will become splintered.
However, I can full well understand why this happened. Discriminatory practices at bars over decades, attitudes by some in the LGBT community, and exclusionary practices have made it so that racial minorities in the LGBT community felt it necessary to add the strips to make a point.
In Dallas there are two LGBT pride events. There is a separate event for the African American LGBT community.
So we don't need "Confederate fabulous" as Kevin M. Levin posts here in Sept. 28, 2016 in his blog as part of his efforts to rationalize the retention of Confederate monuments.
http://cwmemory.com/2016/09/28/charlottesvilles-lee-park-could-be-confederate-fabulous/
He is still using this image.
http://cwmemory.com/2017/08/19/my-position-on-confederate-monuments/
"fabulous" is a popular word used in LGBT forms of English. The picture shows part of a rainbow balloon structure at a LGBT celebration in Charlottesville, Virginia.
I pointed out Dec. 16, 2016 that this was harmful to the LGBT community.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2016/12/no-kevin-levin-lgbt-community.html#.WaQDWCiGOiM
This has come up as a topic with Levin before.
http://cwmemory.com/rainbow/ This image that was in the blog posting discussed below.
You can see in the comments in the following blog posting it has been discussed before. Levin and I had a dialog on this.
http://cwmemory.com/2011/03/19/swiss-confederates-meet-green-day/
I don't think there was intentional harm then, but rather a posting that was unaware of the implications. However, it was rather extensively explained to Levin in the comments. He pulled the image.
However, I did alert some contacts in Boston who I had helped with a story sometime in 2006.
Yet now Levin is pushing "Confederate fabulous."
These are some articles.
CNN reports that the city of Philadelphia released the new flag.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/13/health/new-pride-flag-colors-trnd/index.html
https://baltimoreoutloud.com/lgbtq-news/item/4910-a-new-pride-flag?
Now the rainbow flag in itself was to represent the idea that LGBT are in every group or come from every group. It is a flag adopted globally, on every continent, by any organization of LGBT on this planet. It supplanted the pink triangle and the stupid lambda symbol.
So on the surface of things it should not be necessary to add additional strips. The new flag still has the basic colors in the eight crayon box. This opens up the idea that other groups will add other strips to localize a flag. The global rainbow flag will become splintered.
However, I can full well understand why this happened. Discriminatory practices at bars over decades, attitudes by some in the LGBT community, and exclusionary practices have made it so that racial minorities in the LGBT community felt it necessary to add the strips to make a point.
In Dallas there are two LGBT pride events. There is a separate event for the African American LGBT community.
So we don't need "Confederate fabulous" as Kevin M. Levin posts here in Sept. 28, 2016 in his blog as part of his efforts to rationalize the retention of Confederate monuments.
http://cwmemory.com/2016/09/28/charlottesvilles-lee-park-could-be-confederate-fabulous/
He is still using this image.
http://cwmemory.com/2017/08/19/my-position-on-confederate-monuments/
"fabulous" is a popular word used in LGBT forms of English. The picture shows part of a rainbow balloon structure at a LGBT celebration in Charlottesville, Virginia.
I pointed out Dec. 16, 2016 that this was harmful to the LGBT community.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2016/12/no-kevin-levin-lgbt-community.html#.WaQDWCiGOiM
This has come up as a topic with Levin before.
http://cwmemory.com/rainbow/ This image that was in the blog posting discussed below.
You can see in the comments in the following blog posting it has been discussed before. Levin and I had a dialog on this.
http://cwmemory.com/2011/03/19/swiss-confederates-meet-green-day/
I don't think there was intentional harm then, but rather a posting that was unaware of the implications. However, it was rather extensively explained to Levin in the comments. He pulled the image.
However, I did alert some contacts in Boston who I had helped with a story sometime in 2006.
Yet now Levin is pushing "Confederate fabulous."
Friday, August 25, 2017
Extensively quoted in article in "Atlanta Black Star" about schools named after Confederates
The link is here:
http://atlantablackstar.com/2017/08/25/reading-writing-racist-thousands-black-students-attends-schools-named-confederate-figures/
This is the other front against memorializing the Confederacy as being a positive. Public schools which are named after Confederate leaders.
http://atlantablackstar.com/2017/08/25/reading-writing-racist-thousands-black-students-attends-schools-named-confederate-figures/
This is the other front against memorializing the Confederacy as being a positive. Public schools which are named after Confederate leaders.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
The Centrist Democratic Counter Revolution Arises to Retain Confederate monuments, Update: More articles.
I have been wondering where the Counter Revolution to retain Confederate monuments would come from. Pres. Donald Trump has come to the defense of Confederate monuments, but since the monuments are located in the center cities of urban areas this can be more an incentive for them to come down.
When there is a social revolution there can be the illusion that the social revolution is unstoppable. Often the forces of social revolution are surprised when the counter revolution arises and is unprepared.
The movement to remove Confederate monuments is not unstoppable and the counter revolution has shown up. It is being lead by the centrist Democrats.
This article first showed up on Slate, the news website of the centrist Democrats.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/08/18/trump_impeachment_chances_confederate_statue_edition.html
The title is "Are Democrats Making a Mistake by Fixating on Confederate Statues?" I don't think the Democrats are "fixating" on Confederate statues. The author, Ben Mathis-Lilley is with the title trying to stigmatize Democratic concern over Confederate monuments by using the term "fixating."
Mathis-Lilley's thinking is driven by polls and wants Democrats to focus on Trump's support for white nationalism and avoid the topic of the Confederate monuments.
Then there is this column reported in the S.F. Chronicle and then reported by Breitbart.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/williesworld/article/Trump-lays-a-trap-and-Pelosi-walks-into-it-11943839.php
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/08/21/ex-sf-mayor-willie-brown-nancy-pelosi-dems-fell-for-trumps-identity-politics-trap/
Now we have a prominent African American Democrat saying we shouldn't go after Confederate monuments. It is supposed to be a clever trap laid by Trump. The Republicans have their Walter Williams, it seems centrist Democrats have Willie Brown.
Now Dershowitz is comparing liberals who want to take down statues to Stalinists.
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/08/22/dershowitz-liberals-stalin-statue-issue/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social
Or course Breitbart wants this generally known.
I don't know why Dershowitz is called a liberal.
These articles give a rational for many liberal/left individuals to oppose efforts to remove Confederate monuments on the basis that they want to fight white nationalism but not fall into a trap or be a Stalinist. The reality is that these individuals are banal white nationalists unwilling to give up a white landscape.
I would think Democrats would learn from a policy of having candidates always triangulate their positions and filter their principles through five focus groups from the results of recent elections.
UPDATE:
As more articles like this appear I will put them in this update.
Article quoting a Democratic centrist warning that the anti-Confederate statue campaign will undermine the Democrats.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/monuments-confederacy-remove-rename.html?platform=hootsuite&mtrref=t.co
A quote from the article.
Another article from Politico titled, "Charlottesville fallout divides Democrats." The lead for the story is, "The party is wrestling with how much to focus on Confederate statues, or racially tinged issues at all." That is some are wanting to dump civil rights from the agenda.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/charlottesville-democrats-race-confederate-statues-242109
UPDATE:
This is a valuable article to show a larger context for this centrist neoliberal counter effort in the Democratic Party. This one of the few magazines I subscribe to.
https://thebaffler.com/latest/mark-lillas-comfort-zone
When there is a social revolution there can be the illusion that the social revolution is unstoppable. Often the forces of social revolution are surprised when the counter revolution arises and is unprepared.
The movement to remove Confederate monuments is not unstoppable and the counter revolution has shown up. It is being lead by the centrist Democrats.
This article first showed up on Slate, the news website of the centrist Democrats.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/08/18/trump_impeachment_chances_confederate_statue_edition.html
The title is "Are Democrats Making a Mistake by Fixating on Confederate Statues?" I don't think the Democrats are "fixating" on Confederate statues. The author, Ben Mathis-Lilley is with the title trying to stigmatize Democratic concern over Confederate monuments by using the term "fixating."
Mathis-Lilley's thinking is driven by polls and wants Democrats to focus on Trump's support for white nationalism and avoid the topic of the Confederate monuments.
Then there is this column reported in the S.F. Chronicle and then reported by Breitbart.
http://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/williesworld/article/Trump-lays-a-trap-and-Pelosi-walks-into-it-11943839.php
http://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/08/21/ex-sf-mayor-willie-brown-nancy-pelosi-dems-fell-for-trumps-identity-politics-trap/
Now we have a prominent African American Democrat saying we shouldn't go after Confederate monuments. It is supposed to be a clever trap laid by Trump. The Republicans have their Walter Williams, it seems centrist Democrats have Willie Brown.
Now Dershowitz is comparing liberals who want to take down statues to Stalinists.
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/08/22/dershowitz-liberals-stalin-statue-issue/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social
Or course Breitbart wants this generally known.
I don't know why Dershowitz is called a liberal.
These articles give a rational for many liberal/left individuals to oppose efforts to remove Confederate monuments on the basis that they want to fight white nationalism but not fall into a trap or be a Stalinist. The reality is that these individuals are banal white nationalists unwilling to give up a white landscape.
I would think Democrats would learn from a policy of having candidates always triangulate their positions and filter their principles through five focus groups from the results of recent elections.
UPDATE:
As more articles like this appear I will put them in this update.
Article quoting a Democratic centrist warning that the anti-Confederate statue campaign will undermine the Democrats.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/25/us/monuments-confederacy-remove-rename.html?platform=hootsuite&mtrref=t.co
A quote from the article.
Paul Begala, the Democratic strategist, said his party was “driving straight into a trap Trump has set,” because the president seeks to shift the focus away from comments he made about white supremacists to his charge that opponents are trying to “take away our history.”
“While I understand the pain those monuments cause,” said Mr. Begala, who was an adviser to President Bill Clinton, “I just think it in some ways dishonors the debate to allow Trump to hijack it.”
Begala's last statement just doesn't make sense.Another article from Politico titled, "Charlottesville fallout divides Democrats." The lead for the story is, "The party is wrestling with how much to focus on Confederate statues, or racially tinged issues at all." That is some are wanting to dump civil rights from the agenda.
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/charlottesville-democrats-race-confederate-statues-242109
UPDATE:
This is a valuable article to show a larger context for this centrist neoliberal counter effort in the Democratic Party. This one of the few magazines I subscribe to.
https://thebaffler.com/latest/mark-lillas-comfort-zone
Monday, August 21, 2017
Three Critical Cities and the neo-Confederacy's ultimate redoubt. UPDATE:
There are three cities that are critical as ultimate hold outs for Confederacy monuments and the Lost Cause mentality in general. These are: Richmond, Lexington, and Dallas.
Dallas is on the list since not only does it have a in-depth neo-Confederate and Lost Cause past, it is known as a reactionary city. People say that it is the city that the civil rights movement passed by. It is the city which Martin Luther King said the African American community slammed the door in his face. It has the replica Arlington plantation house. Dallas is notorious for far right groups.
Richmond is on the list since it is the former capital of the Confederacy. It has Monument Avenue full of Confederate monuments. It has the Museum of the Confederacy now part of the American Civil War Museum. It has an elite which identifies with the Confederacy.
Lexington, Virginia is like the holy city of the Confederacy. I visited in July 2017 and did extensive photo documentation and bought a lot, a lot of artifacts. There is Washington & Lee University, named after George Washington and Robert E. Lee. There is the Virginia Military Institute which is self-identified with the Confederacy. It has a church with a picture of Confederate soldiers fighting behind the stage. There is the Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church. VMI manages the Virginia Civil War Museum by Market Place.
I would like to say that when I visited the Lee Chapel and the Washington & Lee Campus, I thought of Kevin Levin's condescending comments to some African American law students who were trying to get the university to lose the Lost Cause. I was disgusted.
The whole town is living in a time warp in the Confederacy. There shouldn't be a university like Washington & Lee or a military institute like the Virginia Military Institute in America.
Lexington, Virginia will be the last redoubt of the Lost Cause, a little white Valhalla of the Confederacy.
It seems to be a small upscale town with the two universities and some tourism as the local industry. It is fairly white as far as I can tell.
I think the pressure points are that a Confederate university or institute may not seem very desirable for an academic career and the university and institute might not be well thought of.
When I was there I visited Stonewall House and they told me that the numbers visiting having been declining each year. I think the tourism component of this Lost Cause city of the Confederacy will be declining. I don't think that Confederate identified institutions of higher education make a local climate for start ups.
I think that students will come to see the university as some antique hold over in a back water and not the place to get an education for the future. The students the university and institute get will be those who don't care or aren't put off by going to a Confederate university or institute, in a such a city. The student body will thus acquire a reputation which will further put off many students and intensify the process of self-selection of students who would want to live in such a Confederate bubble like Lexington. The process will feed upon itself.
UPDATE:
Stone Mountain is an important point also in the Lost Cause built environment. This article is very interesting both for what it says about the topic, and also that it comes from the Smithsonian, the publisher of Kevin Levin
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-will-happen-stone-mountain-americas-largest-confederate-memorial-180964588/
Dallas is on the list since not only does it have a in-depth neo-Confederate and Lost Cause past, it is known as a reactionary city. People say that it is the city that the civil rights movement passed by. It is the city which Martin Luther King said the African American community slammed the door in his face. It has the replica Arlington plantation house. Dallas is notorious for far right groups.
Richmond is on the list since it is the former capital of the Confederacy. It has Monument Avenue full of Confederate monuments. It has the Museum of the Confederacy now part of the American Civil War Museum. It has an elite which identifies with the Confederacy.
Lexington, Virginia is like the holy city of the Confederacy. I visited in July 2017 and did extensive photo documentation and bought a lot, a lot of artifacts. There is Washington & Lee University, named after George Washington and Robert E. Lee. There is the Virginia Military Institute which is self-identified with the Confederacy. It has a church with a picture of Confederate soldiers fighting behind the stage. There is the Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church. VMI manages the Virginia Civil War Museum by Market Place.
I would like to say that when I visited the Lee Chapel and the Washington & Lee Campus, I thought of Kevin Levin's condescending comments to some African American law students who were trying to get the university to lose the Lost Cause. I was disgusted.
The whole town is living in a time warp in the Confederacy. There shouldn't be a university like Washington & Lee or a military institute like the Virginia Military Institute in America.
Lexington, Virginia will be the last redoubt of the Lost Cause, a little white Valhalla of the Confederacy.
It seems to be a small upscale town with the two universities and some tourism as the local industry. It is fairly white as far as I can tell.
I think the pressure points are that a Confederate university or institute may not seem very desirable for an academic career and the university and institute might not be well thought of.
When I was there I visited Stonewall House and they told me that the numbers visiting having been declining each year. I think the tourism component of this Lost Cause city of the Confederacy will be declining. I don't think that Confederate identified institutions of higher education make a local climate for start ups.
I think that students will come to see the university as some antique hold over in a back water and not the place to get an education for the future. The students the university and institute get will be those who don't care or aren't put off by going to a Confederate university or institute, in a such a city. The student body will thus acquire a reputation which will further put off many students and intensify the process of self-selection of students who would want to live in such a Confederate bubble like Lexington. The process will feed upon itself.
UPDATE:
Stone Mountain is an important point also in the Lost Cause built environment. This article is very interesting both for what it says about the topic, and also that it comes from the Smithsonian, the publisher of Kevin Levin
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/what-will-happen-stone-mountain-americas-largest-confederate-memorial-180964588/
Cross comparing American processing of the historical memory of the Civil War to the German processing of the historical memory of the 3rd Reich is now mainstream
As shown in this Politico article. You can't get more mainstream than that.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/20/why-there-are-no-nazi-statues-in-germany-215510?lo=ap_f1
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/20/why-there-are-no-nazi-statues-in-germany-215510?lo=ap_f1
Global Perspective on Confederate Monument removal in the United States and campaigns against monuments to Cecil Rhodes abroad.
What is happening in the United States is part of a larger global movement. These articles will provide some of that perspective.
http://chicagoreporter.com/in-dealing-with-confederate-monuments-south-africa-provides-a-model/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/19/charlottesville-stellenbosch-south-africa-racism-history
https://www.businesslive.co.za/rdm/world/2017-08-21-john-lloyd-from-cecil-john-rhodes-to-general-robert-e-lee-statues-are-under-fire/
http://chicagoreporter.com/in-dealing-with-confederate-monuments-south-africa-provides-a-model/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/19/charlottesville-stellenbosch-south-africa-racism-history
https://www.businesslive.co.za/rdm/world/2017-08-21-john-lloyd-from-cecil-john-rhodes-to-general-robert-e-lee-statues-are-under-fire/
My speech at the Saturday Rally
This isn't the actual text of my speech. I decided to further simplify it. However, it is what I talked about to a cheering audience. After the monuments there are other things to which we need to attend.
I think with the monuments being down, some of these things will happen without anyone asking.
I do however, plan a mass mailing to churches where a church has hosted the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I do plan to write all the denominations which have lent their facilities to a national neo-Confederate convention. I think it will help that they know that someone is tracking this. The U.S. Military, the National Park Service, and the textbook publishers will be more of a challenge but I have some ideas.
I think after the monuments go down, they will be less willing to retain practices that enable neo-Confederacy and the Lost Cause.
As monuments start coming down, people will expect that their city follow suit. Chamber of Commerce groups will not want their city to have a Confederate monument. It will be a marker of backwardness and make their city an object of ridicule.
I am planning on making a video about what I saw at the Gettysburg National Park.
So with yesterdays speech I launched these topics.
I think with the monuments being down, some of these things will happen without anyone asking.
I do however, plan a mass mailing to churches where a church has hosted the United Daughters of the Confederacy or the Sons of Confederate Veterans. I do plan to write all the denominations which have lent their facilities to a national neo-Confederate convention. I think it will help that they know that someone is tracking this. The U.S. Military, the National Park Service, and the textbook publishers will be more of a challenge but I have some ideas.
I think after the monuments go down, they will be less willing to retain practices that enable neo-Confederacy and the Lost Cause.
As monuments start coming down, people will expect that their city follow suit. Chamber of Commerce groups will not want their city to have a Confederate monument. It will be a marker of backwardness and make their city an object of ridicule.
I am planning on making a video about what I saw at the Gettysburg National Park.
So with yesterdays speech I launched these topics.
I
have been researching and leading a small resistance against the
neo-Confederate movement for 25 years.
In
2015 after the Charleston massacre my co-author called and pointed out that not
until peopled died did the state of South Carolina do the right thing and take
down the Confederate flag.
After
Heather Heyer was killed last Saturday the nation is flooded with calls to
remove Confederate monuments, plaques, flags across the nation.
This
leads me to ask.
How
many will have to die before the National Park Service stops accommodating the
Confederacy?
How
many will have to die
before the U.S. Military academies stop letting the United Daughters of the
Confederacy give Confederate awards to cadets?
How
many will have to die
before the U.S. Military High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps
program stop allowing the Sons of Confederate Veterans to give awards to
cadets?
How
many will have to die
before American History textbooks, particularly in Texas, stop being Lost
Causes, stop pandering to pro-Confederates?
How
many church massacres will there have to be before American churches,
mainstream churches, stop lending their facilities to the Sons of Confederate
Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy?
People
shouldn’t have to die before we do
the right thing.
In
closing, I ask the United States military, I ask the textbook publishers, I ask
the churches, I ask the National Park Service, I ask our city, our state, our
nation, let us do the right thing, give up the Confederacy.
University of Texas at Austin finally does the right thing
I downloaded the report of the special committee charged with evaluating the removal of Confederate statues at University of Texas - Austin. Lots of nonsense in it and they ended up removing only one statues, Jefferson Davis, out of five Confederate statues. The head of the committee was the person who was the head of diversity at Univ. of Texas - Austin. Gives a person an indication how seriously Univ. of Texas -- Austin's diversity efforts are. Not very in my mind.
Suddenly they are taking down the other four statues.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/higher-education/2017/08/20/ut-austin-take-4-statues-leaders-confederacy
This started late Sunday night, 8/20/2017. Evidently the Committee's report was thrown into the trash bin. Seems there was suddenly a need to do the right thing and babbling nonsense didn't seem to be of much use.
The statues are now removed.
http://kxan.com/2017/08/20/overnight-removal-of-confederate-statues-from-ut-ordered-by-president-fenves/
The Committee at the Univ. of Texas - Austin now looks to be fools.
Suddenly they are taking down the other four statues.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/higher-education/2017/08/20/ut-austin-take-4-statues-leaders-confederacy
This started late Sunday night, 8/20/2017. Evidently the Committee's report was thrown into the trash bin. Seems there was suddenly a need to do the right thing and babbling nonsense didn't seem to be of much use.
The statues are now removed.
http://kxan.com/2017/08/20/overnight-removal-of-confederate-statues-from-ut-ordered-by-president-fenves/
The Committee at the Univ. of Texas - Austin now looks to be fools.
"Blue & Gray" shut down. I am glad. Civil War historians should take note
Blue & Gray has shut down.
I am glad. They were the typical Civil War Round Table mentality that the Civil War was all about fighting and to bring up the issue of race was uncouth.
I think that the Civil War history professors need to realize that the Civil War Round Table generation is going away and how they might not appear as a bunch of left overs from the past.
I am glad. They were the typical Civil War Round Table mentality that the Civil War was all about fighting and to bring up the issue of race was uncouth.
I think that the Civil War history professors need to realize that the Civil War Round Table generation is going away and how they might not appear as a bunch of left overs from the past.
Richmond, Virginia, oh what will the neoliberals favorite mayor do?
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney originally came out with a plan for contextualization. But that was several weeks ago. That was before Charlottesville. Confederate monuments are coming down all over the place.
So now he sees both sides of the debate.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-richmond-confederate-monuments-08182017-story.html
Well that was two days ago in the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
This is a Richmond Times-Dispatch article on Mayor Stoney, August 14, 2017 about his being committed to Confederate monument contextualization.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/mayor-stoney-richmond-s-confederate-monuments-should-stay-with-context/article_b8cbb743-410f-520f-9197-2a58450d128a.html
So in the end the monuments will go, but Mayor Stoney will not get credit for any vision or being like Mitch Landrieu.
Instead he will be remembered as a mayor who didn't think that the winds can shift and the weather van can suddenly turn around. That is a mayor who didn't have any convictions and guessed wrong on where this issue is headed. The wages of a centrist Democrat who triangulated wrongly.
Perhaps Mayor Stoney can be known as the great waffler.
Some more articles about Richmond and the struggle there.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/richmond-mayor-confederate-monument-debate-trump-doesnt-live/story?id=49313827
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/richmond-could-be-next-confederate-monument-battleground-n793741
At this point even the ACLU is calling for the monuments removal. Wonders never cease.
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/aclu-calls-for-removal-of-confederate-memorials-in-virginia/article_0f80a646-52d3-5e64-aba2-5d077b3d92d5.html
So now he sees both sides of the debate.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-richmond-confederate-monuments-08182017-story.html
Well that was two days ago in the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"As memorials toppled across the country, the African American mayor of the former capital of the Confederacy defended his city’s own.
Removal doesn't do “anything for telling the actual truth,” Levar Stoney said.
That was Monday.
Two days later, the Richmond mayor said Confederate monuments had become a “rallying point for division and intolerance” and should be removed.
This is a Richmond Times-Dispatch article on Mayor Stoney, August 14, 2017 about his being committed to Confederate monument contextualization.
http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/mayor-stoney-richmond-s-confederate-monuments-should-stay-with-context/article_b8cbb743-410f-520f-9197-2a58450d128a.html
So in the end the monuments will go, but Mayor Stoney will not get credit for any vision or being like Mitch Landrieu.
Instead he will be remembered as a mayor who didn't think that the winds can shift and the weather van can suddenly turn around. That is a mayor who didn't have any convictions and guessed wrong on where this issue is headed. The wages of a centrist Democrat who triangulated wrongly.
Perhaps Mayor Stoney can be known as the great waffler.
Some more articles about Richmond and the struggle there.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/richmond-mayor-confederate-monument-debate-trump-doesnt-live/story?id=49313827
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/richmond-could-be-next-confederate-monument-battleground-n793741
At this point even the ACLU is calling for the monuments removal. Wonders never cease.
http://www.richmond.com/news/virginia/government-politics/aclu-calls-for-removal-of-confederate-memorials-in-virginia/article_0f80a646-52d3-5e64-aba2-5d077b3d92d5.html
Baltimore Stops making excuses and has removed its Confederate statues.
Baltimore has removed it statues. Suddenly, after the death of Heather Heyer there are no more excuses and the monuments disappeared in a couple days in the middle of the night. Where previously there was a lack of money, suddenly there seems to be money.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-baltimore-improved-image-20170818-story.html
As you know I said all the talk about the lack of money was an excuse and the plan to give the monuments away was a delaying tactic. This is a previous post. Though the prior mayor was in particular full of nonsense and did the so-called contextualization, the current mayor wasn't in a hurry either regardless what the Baltimore Sun might say in the above article.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/baltimore-next-to-remove-confederate.html#.WZq7iCiGOiM
What this shows is that a lot of excuses are given but where there is a will there is a way. Someone had to die before Baltimore would do the right thing. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has a place in history that perhaps she will not appreciate.
Also, when it could have made a real difference Baltimore failed. It would have been great to have Baltimore start taking down Confederate monuments, it would have keep the pace of Confederate monument removal moving along. It would have made nearby Confederate monuments less tenable. It also would have applied pressure on Richmond to get the monuments taken down.
As it was Baltimore did it after some cities and when a lot of cities have decided to take monuments down. I think people in Baltimore should ask who really runs Baltimore.
This was a contextualization plaque that was put up in Baltimore. I was in Baltimore and took photos.
I think it shows how pathetic Baltimore is. The plaque is the little white dot on the left side.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-baltimore-improved-image-20170818-story.html
As you know I said all the talk about the lack of money was an excuse and the plan to give the monuments away was a delaying tactic. This is a previous post. Though the prior mayor was in particular full of nonsense and did the so-called contextualization, the current mayor wasn't in a hurry either regardless what the Baltimore Sun might say in the above article.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/05/baltimore-next-to-remove-confederate.html#.WZq7iCiGOiM
What this shows is that a lot of excuses are given but where there is a will there is a way. Someone had to die before Baltimore would do the right thing. Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has a place in history that perhaps she will not appreciate.
Also, when it could have made a real difference Baltimore failed. It would have been great to have Baltimore start taking down Confederate monuments, it would have keep the pace of Confederate monument removal moving along. It would have made nearby Confederate monuments less tenable. It also would have applied pressure on Richmond to get the monuments taken down.
As it was Baltimore did it after some cities and when a lot of cities have decided to take monuments down. I think people in Baltimore should ask who really runs Baltimore.
This was a contextualization plaque that was put up in Baltimore. I was in Baltimore and took photos.
I think it shows how pathetic Baltimore is. The plaque is the little white dot on the left side.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Hell has frozen over! Kevin Levin changes his mind about Confederate monuments
Hell has frozen over! Beelzebub is ice skating. Lucifer is throwing snowballs. Satan is wearing mittens and a heavy overcoat.
I present this article by Kevin M. Levin in The Atlantic titled, "Why I Changed My Mind About Confederate Monuments."
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/why-i-changed-my-mind-about-confederate-monuments/537396/
If Levin has changed his mind, what was his opinion before?
Levin gives some very good reasons for seeing that empty pedestals offer an opportunity for learning about history. I think it offers good reasons for others clinging to Confederate monuments to give them up.
I think it also signals to the Civil War history profession and public historians that they too should give up on retaining Confederate monuments.
So there are a lot of good things about this article.
However, I think Levin saw the freight train of history and decided to not get run over by it.
It is nice that Levin has changed his opinion. However, his historical role against Confederate monument removal can't be denied.
I am very busy doing historical research to support the local Dallas effort for monument removal.
I think that later this year it needs to be reviewed what was the role of the Civil War history profession in this revolution regarding Confederate memorialization. Blue & Gray has folded, perhaps the community of Civil War historians should consider that some Civil War Round Table attitudes need to be folded also.
Incidentally with Jefferson Davis statues being taken down I am so glad that I rejected strenuously the effort to get "The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader" a Jefferson Davis medal.
It will be interesting also to see if the Museum of the Confederacy stops its trade in Confederate nostalgia.
I present this article by Kevin M. Levin in The Atlantic titled, "Why I Changed My Mind About Confederate Monuments."
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/why-i-changed-my-mind-about-confederate-monuments/537396/
If Levin has changed his mind, what was his opinion before?
Levin gives some very good reasons for seeing that empty pedestals offer an opportunity for learning about history. I think it offers good reasons for others clinging to Confederate monuments to give them up.
I think it also signals to the Civil War history profession and public historians that they too should give up on retaining Confederate monuments.
So there are a lot of good things about this article.
However, I think Levin saw the freight train of history and decided to not get run over by it.
It is nice that Levin has changed his opinion. However, his historical role against Confederate monument removal can't be denied.
I am very busy doing historical research to support the local Dallas effort for monument removal.
I think that later this year it needs to be reviewed what was the role of the Civil War history profession in this revolution regarding Confederate memorialization. Blue & Gray has folded, perhaps the community of Civil War historians should consider that some Civil War Round Table attitudes need to be folded also.
Incidentally with Jefferson Davis statues being taken down I am so glad that I rejected strenuously the effort to get "The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader" a Jefferson Davis medal.
It will be interesting also to see if the Museum of the Confederacy stops its trade in Confederate nostalgia.
Thursday, August 17, 2017
The ideology of violence of the neo-Confederate movement, op-ed published in the "Dallas Morning News"
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/17/confederate-heritage-root-recent-tragedies-troubles
I discuss the Red Shirts, Michael Andrew Grissom, Frank Conner, "South Under Siege," "Southern by the Grace of God."
Some excerpts:
The United Daughters of the Confederacy renovated and operates the Oakley Park Museum in Edgefield, S.C., of which a 2001 UDC Magazine article explains, "Today it stands as a shrine to the Red Shirt campaign of 1876."
Radical neo-Confederate writing is also directed at Unitarians, the LGBT community, Muslims, Hispanics and others. The publications of pro-monument groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans incite fear and suspicion for a lengthy list of enemies. We should not be surprised that their publications incite violence and, sadly, we should prepare for more to come.
I discuss the Red Shirts, Michael Andrew Grissom, Frank Conner, "South Under Siege," "Southern by the Grace of God."
Some excerpts:
The United Daughters of the Confederacy renovated and operates the Oakley Park Museum in Edgefield, S.C., of which a 2001 UDC Magazine article explains, "Today it stands as a shrine to the Red Shirt campaign of 1876."
Radical neo-Confederate writing is also directed at Unitarians, the LGBT community, Muslims, Hispanics and others. The publications of pro-monument groups such as the Sons of Confederate Veterans incite fear and suspicion for a lengthy list of enemies. We should not be surprised that their publications incite violence and, sadly, we should prepare for more to come.
Maurice Ash of Up n UP News has produced this video of what is happening in Dallas and Charlottesville
This is the link to the video. If you are on Facebook please share.
https://www.facebook.com/UpnUpNews/videos/1993425950873175/
It is about the struggle against Confederate monuments in Dallas and Charlottesville.
https://www.facebook.com/UpnUpNews/videos/1993425950873175/
It is about the struggle against Confederate monuments in Dallas and Charlottesville.
I wonder if Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church is re-thinking keeping their name.
With current events I have been swamped with keeping track of what is happening. However, I want to share this from my 7/25/2017 trip to Lexington, Virginia where I visited the Robert E. Lee Episcopal Church next to the Washington & Lee University campus.
They have a Confederate Christ. The staffer there was annoyed by people being concerned about it.
Notice that the banner with Robert E. Lee is up on the church stage. I think it is time that the Episcopal Church deal with the Confederacy. I would emphasize that they are not as bad as the United Methodist Church. St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia has dealt with the Confederacy and were really great. However, they are hoping to reach an urban demographic, whereas Lexington, Virginia is very white.
My web page on mainstream denominations and the Confederacy.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churches-of-the-confederacy.html
They have a Confederate Christ. The staffer there was annoyed by people being concerned about it.
Notice that the banner with Robert E. Lee is up on the church stage. I think it is time that the Episcopal Church deal with the Confederacy. I would emphasize that they are not as bad as the United Methodist Church. St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia has dealt with the Confederacy and were really great. However, they are hoping to reach an urban demographic, whereas Lexington, Virginia is very white.
My web page on mainstream denominations and the Confederacy.
http://www.templeofdemocracy.com/churches-of-the-confederacy.html
Tuesday, August 08, 2017
Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans Facebook calls me evil. UPDATE: Kirk D. Lyon's Comments. UPDATE2: Some music videos
There was a Facebook posting with a photo of the Dallas Morning News edition Viewpoints section with our letter asking that Confederate monuments be taken down.
https://www.facebook.com/SCVTexas/photos/a.264003920314001.69905.180884138625980/1433289023385479/?type=3
There are a variety of cranky statements.
These are some of the comments. I think they show the true spirit of Confederate "heritage."
Greg Loren Durand stated:
They can't seem to be able to spell my name correctly. I am not a Marxist. Durand should contemplate that after the Lee statue is removed and the park deConfederated, there will be Gay Pride celebrations there once a year.
However what was really interesting was that the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans declared me to be "evil."
I will have to take my Gothic vampire cape to the dry cleaners tomorrow.
Then there is this hope that I die.
The supporters of the Confederacy are reduced to a raging residual, a Confederacy of cranks.
Tracking this struggle to get rid of Confederate monuments is also like watching a insane comedy.
UPDATE:
Kirk D. Lyons has this little homophobic comment. I am called the crawfag. I used to use the name Crawfish A. Crustacean as an online name.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1091960527605290&id=378823865585630
UPDATE2: Some music videos. Might as well have some fun with these clowns.
https://youtu.be/L1u2WuaStrc
Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor. You have heard this before.
Nothing is really as impressive as this piece by Bach, but that is my view. There is a lot of Gothic type organ music on YouTube but I feel it is largely derivative from this piece by Bach.
These are some other classical music pieces.
Then there is Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens.
https://youtu.be/YyknBTm_YyM
There is Suite Gothique by Leon Boellmann.
https://youtu.be/G0Fj3UD8gBI
Of course I think that Mussgorsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Fantasia would be a worthy addition.
https://youtu.be/SLCuL-K39eQ
https://www.facebook.com/SCVTexas/photos/a.264003920314001.69905.180884138625980/1433289023385479/?type=3
There are a variety of cranky statements.
These are some of the comments. I think they show the true spirit of Confederate "heritage."
Greg Loren Durand stated:
They can't seem to be able to spell my name correctly. I am not a Marxist. Durand should contemplate that after the Lee statue is removed and the park deConfederated, there will be Gay Pride celebrations there once a year.
However what was really interesting was that the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans declared me to be "evil."
I will have to take my Gothic vampire cape to the dry cleaners tomorrow.
Then there is this hope that I die.
The supporters of the Confederacy are reduced to a raging residual, a Confederacy of cranks.
Tracking this struggle to get rid of Confederate monuments is also like watching a insane comedy.
UPDATE:
Kirk D. Lyons has this little homophobic comment. I am called the crawfag. I used to use the name Crawfish A. Crustacean as an online name.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1091960527605290&id=378823865585630
UPDATE2: Some music videos. Might as well have some fun with these clowns.
https://youtu.be/L1u2WuaStrc
Bach's Toccata & Fugue in D Minor. You have heard this before.
Nothing is really as impressive as this piece by Bach, but that is my view. There is a lot of Gothic type organ music on YouTube but I feel it is largely derivative from this piece by Bach.
These are some other classical music pieces.
Then there is Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saens.
https://youtu.be/YyknBTm_YyM
There is Suite Gothique by Leon Boellmann.
https://youtu.be/G0Fj3UD8gBI
Of course I think that Mussgorsky's Night on Bald Mountain, Fantasia would be a worthy addition.
https://youtu.be/SLCuL-K39eQ
Protest by reactionary groups planned for Dallas.
See this previous post about This Is Texas Freedom Force and their support by the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans for a protest in San Antonio this coming Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. It will give you a lot of background information.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/08/this-is-texas-freedom-force-working.html#.WYndIVGGOiM
On Facebook This Is Texas Freedom Force have a July 28th posting in which they explain that they have two members in Dallas-Fort Worth talking to an unspecified local organization.
They state that they are there:
https://www.facebook.com/1318988724858579/photos/rpp.1318988724858579/1385301474893970/?type=3&theater
Actually the Black Lives Matter movement is totally not involved with this effort to remove Confederate monuments. Or I should say I don't know of any involvement.
I don't know what local organization to which they are referring.
Things are developing fast. Yesterday Michael Phillips was interviewed for KLIF, a local AM radio channel. I have been finding out that the Freedom Shrine at the Frank Crowley Courts building that has the Robert E. Lee letter is only one of many across the country. The George Allen Court building in Dallas also has this same Freedom Shrine. I did a lot of photo documentation.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/08/this-is-texas-freedom-force-working.html#.WYndIVGGOiM
On Facebook This Is Texas Freedom Force have a July 28th posting in which they explain that they have two members in Dallas-Fort Worth talking to an unspecified local organization.
They state that they are there:
This is the link to their posting.
"... to talk to the local organization about their plan of attack/how they want to handle the Confederate Monument attacks by the Mayor & BLM here in Dallas."
https://www.facebook.com/1318988724858579/photos/rpp.1318988724858579/1385301474893970/?type=3&theater
Actually the Black Lives Matter movement is totally not involved with this effort to remove Confederate monuments. Or I should say I don't know of any involvement.
I don't know what local organization to which they are referring.
Things are developing fast. Yesterday Michael Phillips was interviewed for KLIF, a local AM radio channel. I have been finding out that the Freedom Shrine at the Frank Crowley Courts building that has the Robert E. Lee letter is only one of many across the country. The George Allen Court building in Dallas also has this same Freedom Shrine. I did a lot of photo documentation.
This Is Texas Freedom Force working with the Texas Division Sons of Confederate Veterans planning on rally in defense of Confederate statue in San Antonio. Counter protest planned. UPDATE: They are working with people in the DFW area to have a pro-Confederate rally in Dallas.
UPDATE: The This is Texas Freedom Force is evidently working with groups in the DFW area to have a rally for Confederate monuments in Dallas. See my blog posting that follows this one.
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/08/protest-by-reactionary-groups-planned.html#.WYpvZFGGOiM
It seems the contest over Confederate statues is going to be very different than Richmond and New Orleans. It isn't going to be a country club tea party (Richmond) or a simple removal in the face of threats of violence (New Orleans.)
http://newtknight.blogspot.com/2017/08/protest-by-reactionary-groups-planned.html#.WYpvZFGGOiM
It seems the contest over Confederate statues is going to be very different than Richmond and New Orleans. It isn't going to be a country club tea party (Richmond) or a simple removal in the face of threats of violence (New Orleans.)
Texas is a state in transition from a reactionary Republican state to a multiracial Democratic state. We have the issues of immigration and a large Hispanic population. In my daily life I hear Spanish all the time. Reactionary groups here are bonkers over immigration.
I feel that the situation is potentially explosive. I don't want to be alarmist, but I also feel that I always want to underestimate the potential outcome of a situation. So many people are alarmist on the Internet you can develop an instinctive aversion to saying that a situation is something that people should feel alarmed about.
So this is what is happening.
This is the Facebook link for the pro-Confederate protest.
You can see that they use as their image a combined Texas/Confederate flag.
This is the Facebook page for This Is Texas Freedom Force
This is their web page.
The Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans is planning on giving this event their support, and I think they are planning on giving them their full support.
In this post the Texas Division states that This Is Texas Freedom Force needs to be supported and reposts This Is Texas Freedom Force posting for the rally.
In this post the Texas Division says that they have 134 members committed to showing up.
Further they are mobilizing their membership to show and are asking that each SCV camp commander be called to get persons to show up. They hope to double the number of attendees to over 250. The Texas Division is going all out to support this pro-Confederate event.
What type of group is This Is Texas Freedom Force?
This photo states "This is how TITFF handles parking lot logistics." Which shows soldiers with machine guns.
From their web page pictures I see persons carrying guns and machine guns and persons dressed in fatigues. I am assuming these are members of This Is Texas Freedom Force.
It is very revealing that the Texas Division SCV is willing to work with This Is Texas Freedom Force. I think it reveals who they are.
Further I think this issue will surface the reality of Texas.
Sunday, August 06, 2017
My Voice Segment on WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas on taking down Confederate monuments.
Ed Gray did this short My Voice segment on WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas to get the Confederate monuments removed.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/inside-texas-politics-8617/462208923
http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/inside-texas-politics-8617/462208923
Saturday, August 05, 2017
Rally in Dallas to take down Confederate monuments
This is the link to the Facebook event.
https://www.facebook.com/events/315156162228508/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22bookmarks%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmarks_menu%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D%2C%7B%22surface%22%3A%22dashboard%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D]%2C%22ref%22%3A46%2C%22source%22%3A2%7D
It is at Pioneer Park in Dallas from Thursday, August 10th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm. I definitely plan to be there.
It is being hosted by In Solidarity.
https://www.facebook.com/InSolidarityMovement/
https://www.facebook.com/events/315156162228508/?acontext=%7B%22action_history%22%3A[%7B%22mechanism%22%3A%22bookmarks%22%2C%22surface%22%3A%22bookmarks_menu%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D%2C%7B%22surface%22%3A%22dashboard%22%2C%22mechanism%22%3A%22calendar_tab_event%22%2C%22extra_data%22%3A%22[]%22%7D]%2C%22ref%22%3A46%2C%22source%22%3A2%7D
It is at Pioneer Park in Dallas from Thursday, August 10th, 6:30 to 7:30 pm. I definitely plan to be there.
It is being hosted by In Solidarity.
https://www.facebook.com/InSolidarityMovement/
Friday, August 04, 2017
"Dallas Morning News" publishes our letter asking for Confederate monuments to come down and wedding functions at Robert E. Lee Park to stop.
The article is online here.
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/04/dallas-confederate-memorials-scream-white-supremacy
We have already gotten our first national organization supporting us.
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/posts/10155042602247695
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/04/dallas-confederate-memorials-scream-white-supremacy
We have already gotten our first national organization supporting us.
https://www.facebook.com/CAIRNational/posts/10155042602247695
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