We will not go quietly into the night!
I have been a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans for 40 years this Summer. I aged out of the Children of the Confederacy on my 21st birthday and and on that day Past Commander in Chief Ralph Green signed me up in the Brigadier General W. L. Cabell Camp Sons of Confederate Veterans of Dallas, Texas. I attended my first national SCV reunion that Summer (in Dallas) and went on to help recharter the Major George Washington Littlefield Camp #59 SCV as its first Commander. I am now the adjutant of my Camp in Black Mountain, NC
In the last 40 years I have been in the trenches with many of my compatriots fighting for our ancestor’s good name.
So to my brothers in Virginia Division please accept this letter as a criticism (not attack) of your ill-advised press release (see below) on the recent Charlottesville torchlight rally that only gives aid and comfort to our enemies and confusion and frustration to our community and allies.
The press release conjures up the term “useful idiot.” Now, I am not calling you this. But our dearest enemies, the marxists who hate us, who labeled all of us as “white supremacists”, who seek our extinction and have muscled their way into the forefront of anti-Confederate-ism, reserve this term for members of our community who unknowingly do their bidding.
Remember what our Mothers always told us: “If you can’t say something nice about someone….don’t say anything at all!”
And that is the teaching moment – y’all didn’t need to say anything at all about the event. The spineless mayor and piece of excrement Wes Bellamy spread enough horse manure to fill a pasture. Adding to that sort of message by y’all consoles our enemies and discourages our friends. I have spent the past week defending the SCV to all sorts of fellow Confederates on social media – in and out of the organization. They are mad, they feel betrayed – long serving SCV members throw up their hands & threaten not to renew their membership.
So, what was so wrong with a torchlight rally? Answer: NOTHING! It was beautiful, it was peaceful, it was moving, it was powerful – IT WAS EFFECTIVE! we all know it was effective, that’s why the City sewer mouths had to discredit it by comparing it to a klan rally (how silly), an act of intimidation (false) and ad nauseum. Of course the Alt Left’s own recent candlelight event was OK. The corrupt media and establishment attacked the torchlight rally because it was EFFECTIVE. And if the SCV had been behind the event our masters would not have spared us the use of their trademarked “white supremacy” babble. Just like they will not give the Virginia Division any credit for distinguishing the SCV from the brave (and overwhelmingly) young people with their torches.
Get it? To the Left, to the media, to government, if you support traditional values in general and Confederate heritage in particular – you are a “white supremacist.” You are “Heritage AND Hate.” Bleating to the press that you are not gets you no participation points in diversity. That day, if it ever existed, is over, gone, done. The left and media finally pushed the Confederate Community out of the “mainstream” with the excuse of Dylan Roof’s crimes in 2015 and the sooner we own up to that fact and the current nature of the struggle for any traditional free speech and possession of the streets, the more effective we will be.
The political discourse in this country has become divided and ugly, very similar to 1850’s America – and we all know what came after that. We, of course, will not descend to Antifa’s level – but maybe we should look at our brave “allies” with a little more compassion, especially when very intelligent, well behaved yankees, Southerners, westerners and europeans are in that number.
You don’t have to agree with everything the torchlight flaggers believe, to applaud their taking a stand in defense of our heritage, and western civilization in general. And if some of the “torchers” are not Christians – should they not be part of our natural missionary effort? After all no one in the League of the South ever tried to rip a Confederate flag out of my hand. No one in Identitare (who are leading the resistance to the Islamic takeover of Europe) ever showered me with F-bombs for taking a stand at Lee Circle in New Orleans. No one in the Alt Right ever razor sliced or maced peaceful protesters in front of Jefferson Davis. And no right wingers attacked Black Confederates in New Orleans on May Day! And yet the Left, Antifa and others bombard the airwaves (and the streets) with overt anti-white hate, “kill white people,” ” hate whitey” and Virginia Division labels the torcher’s behavior as “disgusting” because they are not willing to be beheaded by ISIS or killed by Antifa without a fight?
I know what some of the brethren will say about my advocacy here – what many compatriots have whispered behind my back for years and what Dees the sleeze and his hate-filled SPLC have said about me for over a generation. Lyons is saying that because he is “one of them.” Those of you who bothered to get to know me over the last 40 years, know where my loyalties are.
But like it or not, like me or not, we are ALL deplorables now. We are all “white supremacists” (trademark) now. we are all “racists” (copyright) now. The Left, their media allies and most of government will never be dissuaded from this opinion of us. We are not allowed the luxury in this late day in our struggle of getting to pick and choose our allies and we certainly cannot let people who hate us and seek our extinction define who our friends and allies should be or more importantly should not be!
If HK Edgerton (who I, with Neill Payne, brought into the Confederate faith 20 years ago), General Arlene Barnum and “KK” can work and cooperate with these folks in New Orleans, why can’t everyone else in the Confederate community? Yes HK and General Arlene Barnum are probably not the Alt Right’s favorite Confederates, but at least the Alt Right has not classed these Confederates of Color as “race traitors” and threatened to kill them as our Antifa friends have done – and that is the point!
Virginia Division you do get a lot of credit in my book for supporting and paying for the lawsuits to protect our common heritage – that is important work and I strenuously defend you, my brothers, against the “do nothing” charges from others in our community on that score. But can we, looking inward and without unfriending anyone on Facebook, agree that we can do better in the “boots on the ground” department? Lee is still up in Charlottesville and New Orleans. Much can still be done!
So let us have a little perspective. Corey Stewart, a candidate for Governor of Virginia, focused his criticism on the mayor and Wes Bellamy and did not criticize the torchers, neither have the Virginia Flaggers.
So my brothers: Go thou and do likewise! Or better yet – put boots on the ground, and let’s hold another torchlight event at the Lee monument. All people of good will are welcome! And please support www.slrc-csa.org
Most Sincerely,
Kirk D. Lyons
SCV member number 1509
PS to Mayor Signer and Wes Bellamy: While you wipe away your crocodile tears, if you really think the recent torch light rally reminded you of a klan rally, maybe you should attend one so you will readily know the difference. And if you want to know what authentic intimidation is like attend a pro Monument vigil in New Orleans. Now grow up and leave General Lee alone!
Sons of Confederate Veterans – Virginia Division Facebook Statement:
For Immediate Release:
Virginia Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans’ stance on recent developments in Charlottesville:
For just a moment we thought we might, for once, agree with Mayor Signer on the monument situation in his city.
We too (The Virginia Division SCV) condemn such actions as were demonstrated this past Saturday night.
Further statements by the Mayor caused the break down of any possible discussion. He spoke of intolerance and diversity. Who’s intolerance and diversity? It is the Charlottesville City Council’s lack of tolerance and diversity that has brought us to the point we are at today. They only have tolerance for their views. Where is the diversity in considering the view of anyone not agreeing with the council?
As usual the media’s coverage of this was completely biased. If they did not out right lie, they certainly twisted the truth like a pretzel.
Both CBS and the Washington Post tried to link anyone in favor of the monuments with the Alt-right group that caused Saturday nights disturbance. The Washington Post even tried to connect Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Corey Stewart with this disgusting behavior.
Of course we (the SCV) do not endorse candidates, however, we do defend anyone attacked in this way. We are not surprised when a candidate who shares our views on Heritage is attacked by the media.
The Press also attempted to link us to the Alt-right through the lawsuit that has been filed. The Virginia Division did indeed file suit. Concerned citizens of Charlottesville are also listed as co-plaintiffs on that suit. Neither the Alt-right nor any other radical group is connected with the Virginia Division SCV or any of the legal proceedings.
In 1952 an out of state Klan like group sought to link itself with the Virginia Division SCV. Then Division Commander John H. Johnson told them they would receive “cold comfort” in Virginia. Commander Johnson also called this groups actions “transgressions of decency and propriety”.
Just as we state today, Commander Johnson stated then, that no such groups should operate under the good name of the Confederate Army.
It is the duty of the Sons of Confederate Veterans to emulate the high moral standards of those who fought and died to protect their home land. We represent Southern Heritage NOT White Supremacy. People of all races, religions, and colors fought to defend their Southern homes in the War for Southern Independence.
Those who show up with torches and making inflammatory statements are in no way connected with or indorsed by the SCV. These people only serve to play right into the hands of those who would label us all as racists. In the end, they may do more to bring down monuments than the actions of our enemies.
Yes, the Virginia Division SCV has filed suit in court. Yes, we will vote for the political candidates who share our views on Heritage. That is how civilized people in a civilized society get things done.
B. Frank Earnest,
Heritage Defense Coordinator Virginia Division SCV,
Southern Patriot
Exec
May 18, 2017
Monuments