Virginia Flaggers Respond to Possible Merger

 After receiving information regarding the possible merger of the Museum of the Confederacy (MOC) with the PC Civil War Center at Tredegar and Virginia Historical Society, the Va Flaggers stretched the line on Saturday, forwarding the colors across the City of the Monuments.

On Friday, information began to circulate regarding the merger.  http://richmag.com/news/blogs_the408.php
 
As of this writing, there has been no public statement issued from Rawls, or any other Museum official, to confirm or deny the reports.

News of the possible merger comes as no surprise to anyone who has been following Rawls and his "transformation" of the MOC.  The "official" Sesquicentennial commemoration in Richmond and the Commonwealth is nothing more than a convenient conduit to highlight emancipation and slavery, and the MOC has been marching in step with Tredegar and the VHS  in their "interpretation" of the Confederacy for some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MMrGCErG5_8#at=19
 
Va Flaggers stood vigil at the Museum of the Confederacy from 10:30am – 3:00pm. Traffic was heavy and we spoke with lots of folks as they entered and exited the museum.
 

One young man came out and asked us why we were there. He proceeded to tell us that “we lost the war” and so "there is no Confederacy". When we pointed out that we "lost" in Vietnam as well, but still honor the brave men who fought there, he agreed that we had a good point, and walked away. Most of the employees ignored us as they passed.  One lady came out of the hospital after getting her lunch. She was very nice and said she felt sorry for us because we didn't have any water. I told her we were fine but she could do us a favor and give Waite Rawls a message to leave the Museum and its name as is.  With a look of dismay, she said that she had tried...but had not been successful. :(

 

The majority of people we talked with agreed with us that the Museum of the Confederacy should retain its name, and its autonomy.
 
Meanwhile, across town, 10 Flaggers gathered at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts to protest the illegal removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the portico of the Confederate Memorial Chapel.

 

Traffic and convos were light, but the weather was beautiful and Flaggers would stay on the sidewalk until well past the usual 3:00 quitting time.  One man stopped to talk with us and told us that although he was from New Jersey, he supported our efforts and did not understand why people were so uneducated and ignorant when it comes to the history of the Confederacy.

More photos here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.261889363936356.1073741907.186485551476738&type=1
 
Our next flagging is TOMORROW afternoon, Tuesday, July 30th, 3:00 p.m. - Dusk.  Join us on the Boulevard in Richmond, and be a part of those taking a stand for our ancestors and the flags under which they fought and died.

Excellent article here...  http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/07/28/people-of-color-under-confederate-battle-flag-colors/
 
Please share!  :)
RETURN the flags!
RESTORE the honor!
 

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

 




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UPCOMING EVENTS:
 
Tuesday, July 30th:  Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 3:00 p.m. - Dusk
 
Thursday, August 15th:  Susan will be traveling to Emporia to speak at the monthly meeting of the John. R. Chambliss, Jr. Camp # 1779, SCV, 7:30 p.m., at the Emporia Library.

Sunday, September 29th :  SAVE THE DATE,  Va Flaggers 2nd Anniversary Celebration/Picnic
 
April 19, 2014:  Susan will be traveling to Quincy, FL to speak at the Confederate Memorial Day Service at the Soldier's Cemetery, sponsored by the Finley's Brigade, SCV.

Va Flaggers Report/Call To Action

 On Thursday, July 25th, 5 Flaggers would gather on the Boulevard in what would turn out to be a VERY eventful afternoon/evening. The weather was gorgeous in the Capital of the Confederacy, and Scalawags and Carpetbaggers got an eyeful of Confederate flags and an earful of facts and information.  

Our Flaggers were cursed at and taunted…not by the usual suspects…but by a Scalawag member of one of our own Heritage Organizations! Next we had the rare opportunity to flag Alex Nyerges, the Director of the VMFA and the man ultimately responsible for removing the Battle Flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel, up close and IN PERSON. We called out to Nyerges, who at first responded pleasantly, and then beat a hasty retreat when asked “why won’t you just put the flags back on the Chapel!?!?!” Finally, we had the opportunity to send a message to Museum officials via one of the museum guards, who engaged our Flaggers in a discussion about the violations and illegal acts that have occurred.

Along the way, we were able to talk to folks about the VMFA and their discriminatory acts, and in defense of our honorable Confederate ancestors… forwarding the colors…and CHANGING HEARTS AND MINDS! The gentleman pictured below stopped to ask what we were up to. When he heard our story, he asked to take a photo with us.

RETURN THE FLAGS! RESTORE THE HONOR!

JOIN US Saturday, July 27th, on the Boulevard as we forward the colors and take a stand for our ancestors and the flags under which they fought and died.

If you cannot be physically present, please take a moment out of your day to call or write the Director of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) and let him know how you feel about the forced removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the Confederate War Memorial Chapel. Contact Alex Nyerges: alex.nyerges@vmfa or by phone (804) 340-1504 or FAX (804) 340-1502

Since October 1, 2011, the Va Flaggers have been steadfast in our purpose, which is to RESTORE THE CONFEDERATE BATTLE FLAGS to the Confederate Memorial Chapel on the grounds of the Old Soldiers Home in Richmond Va, which were forcibly removed by officials of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, a State Agency.

We are resolved and will stand firm in this fight, in the same manner as our honorable ancestors.
We WILL NOT be moved.
We WILL NOT retreat.
We WILL NOT be pressured to change our methods, demands, or mission to suit the wishes of others who refuse to join the fight.

The flags WILL fly on the Chapel again, and the honor and valor of the Confederate Soldier WILL NOT be forgotten in Richmond, VA.

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

 




"I hold concession or compromise to be fatal. If we concede an inch, concession would follow compromise, until our ranks would be so broken that effectual resistance would be impossible...." - John C. Calhoun
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https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConfederataeFlaggers/?fref=ts
 
www.vaflaggers.blogspot.com/


Check out our Confederate and Family Friendly Search Engine...  www.confederatearchives.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Saturday, July 27th:  Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 30th:  Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 3:00 p.m. - Dusk

Thursday, August 15th:  Susan will be traveling to Emporia to speak at the monthly meeting of the John. R. Chambliss, Jr. Camp # 1779, SCV, 7:30 p.m., at the Emporia Library.

Sunday, September 29th :  SAVE THE DATE,  Va Flaggers 2^nd Anniversary Celebration/Picnic 

April 19, 2014:  Susan will be traveling to Quincy, FL to speak at the Confederate Memorial Day Service at the Soldier's Cemetery, sponsored by the Finley's Brigade, SCV. 

Vicksburg Welcomes Confederate Heritage Supporters

The Honorable Mayor George Flaggs, Jr.
City of Vicksburg
Mayor's Office
PO Box 150
Vicksburg, MS 39181
mayor@vicksburg.org

Dear Mayor Flaggs,

I recently attended the Sons of Confederate Veterans National Reunion in Vicksburg and felt compelled to take pen to hand (or fingers to keyboard, as the case may be) to let you know how pleasurable my visit was. So often as citizens, our only form of communication with municipalities is in the form of a complaint, and it gives me great pleasure to have the opportunity to do just the opposite.

I found it remarkable, and heard others comment likewise, that just about every person I came into contact with in your city was welcoming, polite, and eager to please. From the police officer who had to chase me out of the Confederate Cemetery when the gate was closing for the night, to the drive-thru window attendants, to the folks at the convention center, I was always greeted with a smile and a warm welcome.

My room at the Candlewood Suites was clean, comfortable, and reasonably priced, and the staff there was wonderful. I enjoyed several great meals in the downtown area and noted the clean, well-kept condition of the streets and sidewalks.

Kudos to you, Sir, and warmest wishes for continued success. I do hope the SCV plans a return visit, as my only regret was that I did not have time to see all that I had hoped. I will be sure and let all of my friends and many contacts know that Vicksburg, MS welcomes ALL Southerners, and has much to offer those of us who honor our Confederate heritage.

Sincerely,
Susan Hathaway
Richmond, Va

We're Back!

Please accept our apologies for the lack of updates recently and what will likely be a flood of them over the next few days. Since mid-July, our email has been down. This was the last update, which never made it out. More to follow. It would be very much appreciated if those who do receive this, reply with a simple "MESSAGE RECEIVED" or something to let us know the email was received. Thank you!

On Saturday, June 22nd, 9 Flaggers, in all, would forward the colors on a muggy Saturday in the Capital of the Confederacy. Traffic was light and conversations sparse, but Confederate Battle Flags flew once again in place of those that were forcibly removed from the Confederate War Memorial by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

The Flaggers reported that what conversations were held were very positive, and those who were engaged agreed that the flags SHOULD be returned to the Chapel.

More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.495063153899488.1073741827.100001874243048&type=1

June 22nd was a very special day for Va Flagger Laurel S., as it was her first opportunity to carry her new 4th VA Infantry battle flag.

The 4h Va Infantry (Stonewall Brigade) was composed mostly of soldiers from Rockbridge and Montgomery Counties, Virginia. Two of her ancestors, Silas Lafayette Walthall and William Henry Walthall (brothers) fought for Co. G, the "Montgomery Fencibles." This flag was made by Preston Furlow to the exact specs of the Battle Flag captured at the Wilderness, which is now at the MOC.

We can only imagine how proud Ms. Laurel's ancestors are that their battle flag is once again on the front lines, in their hands of their own kin... as the "contest has entered a new arena."

****

Later that afternoon, the Va Flaggers gathered to say farewell to our Norwegian friend, Kristian Arntzen, who returns to his home this week.

Kristian has been in the U.S. working on a thesis for his anthropology studies at the University of Oslo. After seeing the Va Flaggers on the Boulevard in Richmond, Kristian became intrigued by our passion for our heritage and soon joined us in our endeavors. He was able to observe us and study the Southern Heritage Movement in the United States, and we were able to teach him about the War Between the States and the honor and bravery of our ancestors.

Along the way, a mutual friendship was formed, and on Saturday we presented Kristian with several tokens of our appreciation, including the signed flag pictured here...

We wish you all the best Kristian, and will be praying for safe travels home, and an A+ on that thesis! :) God bless you always!

More photos here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151731406959274.1073741837.698334273&type=3

Thursday, June 27th saw 7 Flaggers on the ground on the Boulevard. As the vacation season kicks off, we are seeing more and more out-of-towners and having more opportunities to educate those from other areas of the U.S.
More photos here... https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.255609094564383.1073741893.186485551476738&type=3

The VERY NEXT day...Va Flaggers - Flagging the VMFA - Spontaneously!

Va Flagger Tommy C took his cousins, visiting from New Jersey, for a tour of Richmond today. Of course, no visit to Richmond is complete... without a little Flagging!

These little guys were so cute that they were even allowed to walk on the grounds of Confederate Memorial Park WITH a Confederate flag...and WITHOUT being threatened with arrest!

The following day, Saturday, June 29th, saw 8 Flaggers forward the colors. The following Saturday, July 6th, we had 8 Flaggers out again, despite temperatures that reached 93 degrees. Traffic was light, but there were a few good conversations, including these folks from Idaho, who wanted to pose for a photo once they heard why we were there, and a gentleman who was considering moving to Virginia...

More photos here... https://www.facebook.com/JudyPSmithPhotography?fref=ts

Thursday, July 11th found good weather and 5 Flaggers forwarding the colors in the Capital of the Confederacy. Conversations were plentiful and very positive. Many were shocked to learn that the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts had forced the removal of Confederate Battle Flags from the Confederate Memorial Chapel.  
Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

"I hold concession or compromise to be fatal. If we concede an inch, concession would follow compromise, until our ranks would be so broken that effectual resistance would be impossible...." - John C. Calhoun

Follow us:
 @VaFlagger

 www.vaflaggers.blogspot.com/

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/ConfederataeFlaggers/?fref=ts

Check out our Confederate and Family Friendly Search Engine... www.confederatearchives.com

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Thursday, July 25th: Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 3:00 p.m. - Dusk

Saturday, July 27th: Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, Noon - 4:00 p.m.

Tuesday, July 30th: Flagging the VMFA, 200 N. Boulevard, Richmond, 3:00 p.m. - Dusk

Thursday, August 15th: Susan will be traveling to Emporia to speak at the monthly meeting of the John. R. Chambliss, Jr. Camp # 1779, SCV, 7:30 p.m., at the Emporia Library.

Sunday, September 29th : SAVE THE DATE, Va Flaggers 2nd Anniversary Celebration/Picnic

April 19, 2014: Susan will be traveling to Quincy, FL to speak at the Confederate Memorial Day Service at the Soldier's Cemetery, sponsored by the Finley's Brigade, SCV.

Why I Carry the Confederate Battle Flag

Why I carry the Battle Flag...

Just a few months after I began flagging, I was attending a local War Between The States event alone, and was carrying my Confederate Battle Flag. I was approached by an older gentleman in the local SCV. He introduced himself and said he wanted to talk with me. He began by telling me that he was proud of what I had been doing and that he appreciated my efforts. He then went on to say that he thought that I would be much better off, and have more success, if I would stop carrying the Battle Flag, and carry the First National instead. He told me it would be much safer, cause less controversy, and would be less "offensive".

He may have been the first one to give me such a lecture, but he has not been the last. I have been told it was "unlady-like" to walk through the streets of Richmond with my Battle Flag with the SCV at the 2012 Heritage Rally, and scores of folks online and in person, mostly within our own Heritage community, have urged me to carry a different flag.

My response was, and always has been, that EVERYTHING I do is about the Confederate soldier. I carry the ANV battle flag because all four of my G-G-Grandfathers who fought in the WBTS, served under that flag. It is the SOLDIER'S FLAG. I love all of the Confederate flags, and often carry different ones for different occasions, but my first love always has been and always will be the Confederate Battle Flag.

Just today, I was advised that we should fly/carry the First National because "no one knows what it is". HUH???? I believe that is exactly the reasoning that has gotten us where we are today. By buying into the guilt by association hogwash, our own folks have shunned the battle flag, leaving the impression that we are all ashamed of it and prefer it stay "in a museum", hidden from public view, just as our enemies suggest.

For those who think that the First National is a "safe flag", there is nothing further from the truth. There was NO battle flag involved in the display banned in Lexington, and there are many, many other examples. Once the battle flag is completely gone from public view (and we are getting close to that point) they will come after every other flag, until all traces of the Confederacy are removed.

We Take Our Stand (by Carolyn Kent, Southern Cross Chapter #2578, UDC)

"The Battle Flag has suffered much abuse and we, the descendants of the Confederate heroes whose honor that Cross verifies, must continually do battle with ignorance and defamation from those who choose to misunderstand our heritage. We, whose ancestors gave us that centuries-old Cross, have a duty to protect it, to restore it to its position of dignity and respect, and that we must do. The Confederates were neither cold nor timid...neither can we be.

It is a privilege to have inherited the Southern Cross, to have such an honorable standard with which to align our hopes and dreams for the future. Just as the Southern Cross has become popular in other countries and is used by them as a beacon of courage, so to, will there surely be a renaissance in our own country...a renewal of things good and noble and pleasant and right. The time will arrive when ALL people are allowed to honor their history, yes, even Southerners. The day will come (and IT WILL) when people learn what we already know. They will realize where the true patriots of freedom thrive, and their eyes will turn Southward. And the Southern Cross, as it has for centuries, will lead us all. Deo Vindice."

Celebrate Independence Day By Honoring ALL of America's Patriots

"I do affirm, in the presence of God, that I renounce and refuse all allegiance to the King of Great Britain, his heirs and accessions, and that I will be faithful to bear true allegiance to the Commonwealth of Virginia as a free and independent state ..." ~ from the Amelia Court House Oath of Allegiance to the Commonwealth and the USA, signed by 124 men on August 23, 1777

Funny how we consider these men Patriots, and yet those who exercised the same right and swore a similar oath in 1861 are now deemed "traitors" by ignorant and self-serving Americans.  

God bless America...and God bless those who have the courage to stand in the face of tyranny...whether it be in 1776...1861...or 2013!