VICTORY In Alexandria! Confederate Monument To STAY PUT!

It appears that Alexandria's lawmakers have taken the pulse of their constituents and decided that trying to move the monument would not be good for their political careers! They have REFUSED Alexandria City Council's request to petition the legislature for permission to remove the monument. 

"Appomattox" will remain right where he should! 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/not-so-fast-alexandrias-confederate-symbols-will-stay-put-for-now/2016/11/30/9f7bd61a-b731-11e6-959c-172c82123976_story.html?utm_term=.d6d97c8913d3 

"State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), the senior local legislator, told the council that there was no reason to think the legislature would approve an exemption from a state law that prohibits the relocation of war memorials.

“It wouldn’t help us advance the rest of our priorities, and it’s not a productive use of our time,” Ebbin said.

Del. Charniele Herring (D) agreed, adding that there is no legal basis for requesting an exemption. Del. Mark Levine (D) said that after the council’s vote, he received about a dozen calls opposing the statue’s move and none in favor.Ebbin had earlier signaled the unlikelihood of getting such a bill through the legislature, calling it “a non-starter” unless the United Daughters of the Confederacy, which owns the statue, would publicly back the idea of moving it. Mayor Allison Silberberg (D), who met with the group’s local president, said the organization would not take such a stance."

God bless the ladies of the Alexandria UDC Chapter who DID NOT BACK DOWN OR COMPROMISE!

After the Alexandria City Council voted to try to move the “Appomattox” statue out of this intersection, someone posted a sign on its base calling council members “cowards.” (Linda Kramer Jenning) 

What a great day in the Commonwealth!  

Charlottesville Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy Under Fire For Racist, Homophobic, Sexist Tweets

Several news outlets are reporting that there are growing concerns among Charlottesville residents and increasing calls for the resignation of Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy after the revelation of numerous social media posts by Mr. Bellamy which contained lewd, vulgar, sexist, racist, and homophobic material.

The Daily Progress was the first to break the story:  http://www.dailyprogress.com/news/local/past-bellamy-tweets-draw-ire/article_2c5a86fa-b514-11e6-88b1-878551ca38ab.html

Followed shortly by UVA’s Cavalier Daily.  WARNING:  GRAPHIC CONTENT!  http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2016/11/wes-bellamy-charlottesville-twitter

Bellamy is the man behind the push to tear down the Robert E. Lee monument in Charlottesville and rename Lee Park. Working with fellow councilman Kristen Szakos, Vice-Mayor Bellamy bullied council into spending over $10K to appoint a "commission" to evaluate the statues, based on his false "white supremacy" narrative. Clearly, Bellamy is the true "supremacist" in Charlottesville.

Ironically, Bellamy recently led the lynch mob against a UVA professor who made a social media comment comparing the Black Lives Matter group to a hate group.  The Vice-Mayor called for his removal as a guest lecturer, and a boycott of his business.  Bellamy organized and led a protest at his restaurant, based on one social media comment. 

Shortly after the illicit tweets surfaced, Bellamy locked down his Twitter account, but the links had been archived and in his public apology, Bellamy did not deny that he was the author.  Interestingly, when a local news outlet offered an apology for a post which Bellamy deemed inappropriate, he refused to accept it: “Yes, the station did offer an on air and social media apology, but for many, including myself that is not enough.” – November 12, 2016  His supporters are pointing to his more recent tweets and claiming he is a “changed man”.  We tend to believe it is more likely a timely illustration of politicians "saying one thing in private, another in public", as former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton put it. Those of us who have been involved in the fight to save the Robert E. Lee Monument and Lee park were aware of Bellamy’s blatant disrespect for us and our heritage, but even if he had not waged a war on our history, his behavior should shock all decent Virginians, especially those with school aged children, as Mr. Bellamy is a teacher in Albermarle County, and was appointed by Governor McAuliffe to serve on the State Board of Education.

Anti-Trump Vandals Strike In The Last Capital Of The Confederacy..And Get A BIG Surprise!

A business owner in Danville wanted to make a statement with his new sign and our own Judy Smith helped design one that would be a daily reminder of Danville City Council's decision to bow to pressure from local agitators and desecrate the Confederate Memorial on the grounds of the Last Capitol of the Confederacy by stripping the Third National flag from the monument.  

He also happened to be a Trump supporter, and when the new sign was installed, he had workers place the Trump campaign sign shown in the photo below (temporarily) over the new sign:

Last night, vandals in Danville decided that they couldn't take seeing the Trump signs any longer, and apparently climbed a ladder to tear down the sign, as well as several others in town.

Imagine for a moment the look on their faces after they ripped down the Trump campaign sign and realized what their criminal act had revealed...

(You can still see the remains of the campaign sign on the corners.)  

You just can't make this stuff up!  

We hope you enjoyed this as much as we did!  Special thanks to Tommy Goddard and his crew at Sky High Poles in Danville for sharing the photos and information.

#winning
#NeverForget

Dixie Rising - FOUR New Roadside Confederate Battle Flag Memorials Raised!

 

Lane-Armistead SCV Camp #1772, Mathews, VA

On the heels of a blog post by one of the pseudo-historian, Confederate hating bloggers, declaring that the "Retreat of the Confederate Flag Continues", we received word today of THREE new Roadside Memorial Battle Flags that were installed today...one in Virginia, and two in North Carolina...this on top of one installed in the Old North State last week!

Someone really should tell Mr. Levin to stop making stuff up.  It just makes him look SILLY! 

ROXBORO, NC - Hwy 158 East (Oxford Highway) 2 miles east of town The Roxboro Grays, SCV Camp 1932 have finished installation of a 40' pole for a Roadside Battle Flag Memorial.  A flag raising/dedication service will be held on Saturday, December 10th at 10:30 a.m. The memorial will be dedicated to Brigadier General Matt Ransom. Ransom was field general of the 35th N.C. Many Person Co. soldiers were under his command.   HIGHWAY 321 NORTH JUST ABOVE THE NC/SC STATE LINE Maj. Charles Q. Petty’s Mechanized Cavalry SCVMCNC installed a new flag and pole at their SCV camp sign!  Welcome to NORTH CAROLINA!   HIGHWAY 49 SOUTH, ALAMANCE COUNTY, NC Late Saturday afternoon ActBac NC finished installation of their first roadside battle flag project.  The 40' pole will fly an 8x12 battle flag and will be dedicated to the memory of 1st  Lt Jeremiah Holt 63rd NCST Co F , KIA Winchester VA 1864. Information on the pending flag raising/dedication ceremony will be released soon.   RT 3, NEAR SALUDA, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, VA The Lane-Armistead SCV Camp #1772, raised a 40' Roadside Memorial and Battle Flag on Saturday afternoon! The flag dedication ceremony is set for 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 3rd.  https://www.facebook.com/events/633669463506799/   That's THREE new massive battle flags raised in the Old North State this month... and the 27th raised in the Commonwealth since the fall of 2013, and from all indications, there are many, many more to come. Retreat: an act of moving back or withdrawing Perhaps Mr. Levin doesn't quite understand the meaning of the word,  but keep in mind that this is the same man who once boldly predicted "that there will be no Confederate flag on I-95 near Richmond" (bless his heart!). The Va Flaggers offer our most sincere congratulations to all of the dedicated men and women who worked so hard to make these latest Memorial Battle Flags a reality.  There is no more beautiful reminder of the honor and valor of our Confederate veterans, and the Cause for which they fought and died.

Va Flaggers Withdraw Request for Parade on Martin Luther King Day - Vow To March on Lee-Jackson Day

Mayor Elrod, City Manager Simon, City Council,

Please consider this a formal request for a change in our parade permit.  Our sole purpose in requesting a parade permit for Monday, January 16th was to expose the true intentions of the C.A.R.E. Rockbridge group. By refusing our offer to switch the dates and allow our parades to be held on the corresponding holidays, they have confirmed that their parade was never intended to honor Martin Luther King, but was instead a stunt designed solely to disrupt the peaceful memorial observances of Lee-Jackson Day that have taken place in Lexington for decades.

Unlike that organization, we have no desire or intent to disrupt the memorial and remembrance services by hosting a parade to honor anyone other than those for whom the day is set aside. A Saturday afternoon parade would allow us to honor Lee & Jackson on the day traditionally set aside for such remembrances, and prevent any disruptions on the MLK holiday on the following Monday.

With our mission accomplished and the C.A.R.E. group’s true purpose exposed to the public, we would like to request to reschedule our parade for Saturday, January 14th at 3:00 p.m. The route, and all other details will remain the same, although we expect the numbers participating to grow, based on the communications we have received.

This spiteful action by C.A.R.E. Rockbridge received national attention, and has elicited an immediate and overwhelming response from the heritage community. We have been contacted by numerous groups who are planning on traveling to Lexington for the weekend, many for the first time, and we expect attendance to surpass that of previous years. In addition, local citizens have contacted us to offer support and help with planning events, and we are thrilled to have received new offers of land in Lexington for additional roadside Memorial Battle Flags, all in direct response to C.A.R.E.'s antics.

We look forward to working with city officials to ensure the safety of the Lee-Jackson Day participants, considering the explosive atmosphere that has been created by C.A.R.E. Rockbridge’s deliberate attempts to disrupt our otherwise peaceful commemorations.

Lexington has not seen two finer men since Lee and Jackson. They deserve the respect of those given the privilege of caring for their remains. The immortal and honorable legacy of Lee & Jackson will remain long after those trying to destroy the history and heritage of Lexington leave this earth.

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

"What is life without honor? Degradation is worse than death." - Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, CSA

More Here

Veteran Calls On Charlottesville City Council to Let Monuments Speak for Themselves

Dear City of Charlottesville officials:

As a retired US veteran, a member of Civil War Trust, and an amateur historian, I urge your commission to maintain Charlottesville's historic statues as they are without added comment which demeans or maligns the individuals who proposed and facilitated them.

These statues were raised to remember our military veterans--notable veterans who served the state of Virginia without question--when the state summoned them according to their conscience and familial obligations. Like all military personnel and myself, these men served their homeland regardless of whether they agree or disagree with all its governmental policies.

Moreover, the individuals whom these statues represent lived in the 19th Century and should not be judged according to 21st century values and societal norms. The society in which they lived held differing values than ours and they should not be falsely judged according to our modern day standards. To do so is known as presentism and is indicative of cultural bias.

I urge the commission to avoid any appearance of "political correctness" and presentism and do that which is right and honorable--preserving these statues and monuments to our veterans for future generations.

Thank you for your time!

Sincerely,
Dr. Arnold M. Huskins
Major, USAF, Retired

Decorated WWII Veteran and Real Grandson of a Confederate Veteran Remembered in Virginia

The Dismal Swamp Rangers and members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans provided the Color Guard and Honor Guard at the funeral for 93 year old World War II veteran Ward Astrop Goodrich. 

Born March 29, 1923 in Bacons Castle, Surry County, Virginia; Lived one year at Chippokes Plantation before moving to South Norfolk, Virginia; Graduated South Norfolk High School.  Civil Service began at Naval Ammunition Depot, St. Julian’s Creek, VA on May 1, 1941.

Embarked from Ft. Dix, NJ on November 13, 1944; Disembarked in Cardiff, Wales on November 27, 1944; Truck convoy to Liverpool, England for Christmas.

Arrived in Le Harve, France on January 1, 1945; Participated in Liberation of France and supported General Patton’s 3^rd Army in the Battle of the Bulge.

Assisted in the Liberation of Dachau Concentration Camp, Germany

Captured the Germany 19^th Army in Landeck, Austria.

Honorably Discharged on April 16, 1946 at the rank of Staff Sergeant (SSGT).

Returned to Civil Service at Naval Ammunition Depot, St. Julian’s Creek and Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown, VA retiring on January 3, 1986.

WWII Service Decorations include: American Theater Ribbon, European-African-Middle Eastern Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Victory Medal, Medaille de la France Liberee Medal and Belgium Commemorative Medal.

Joined Stonewall (Jackson) Camp #380, SCV via ancestor Pvt. William Henry McCoy, Co. I, 3^rd VA INF, Kemper’s Brigade, Pickett’s Division, Longstreet’s Corp, Army of Northern Virginia.

Adjutant for First Brigade, Virginia Division, ANV, SCV 1993 – 1996.

Recipient of UDC and SCV Cross of Military Service for service during World War II.

Member of Capt. Cary F. Grimes Chapter and Charter Member of Col. Walter H. Taylor Chapter, MOS&B

Charter Member of Point Lookout POW Organization via Pvt. William W. Goodrich, Co. G, 13^th VA CAV and Pvt. Wilson Jones, Co. I, 3^rd VA INF.

Past First Brigade Adjutant Ward A. Goodrich went to be with his Lord and Savior on November 9, 2016.  

I consider it an honor to have had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Goodrich on several occasions. He was the real grandson of a Confederate Veteran and remembered his grandfather, who died when he was 5. ~ Susan

Veterans Monuments Vandalized in Richmond During "Peaceful Protests" of Election Results

"Live asses will kick at dead lions" ~ Admiral Raphael Semmes CSN



Overnight in Richmond, several of our monuments were vandalized by "peaceful protestors" when hundreds of VCU students marched through Richmond, blocking traffic on city streets and interstates, shouting obscenities, and protesting the election results.

Some time during the night, the Matthew Fontaine Maury and Jefferson Davis monuments were vandalized.  "YOUR VOTE WAS A HATE CRIME" was spray painted in red on both monuments.

http://wtvr.com/2016/11/10/monument-avenue-vandalism-trump-protests/

We have inspected the monuments this morning and contacted Richmond Police and Richmond Parks & Rec, which overseas the monuments.  The police reported that an investigation is underway and the city has reportedly issued work orders for the removal of the graffiti.  We encourage you to keep the pressure on by calling (804) 646-1087 to inquire about the clean up. Let them know that these monuments are important and that you want them cleaned up ASAP. 

It was reported that the Robert E Lee monument was also desecrated.  (This monument is owned and maintained by the Commonwealth).  Calls to the State Capitol Police this morning were quickly returned and they reported that a work order had already been issued for clean up and that they intended to step up their evening patrols.   When we inspected the monument this morning, it appeared that clean up was already underway.

We let law enforcement know that we would be stepping up our Monument Guards as well over the next few days.  If you are in the Richmond area and would like to assist with these patrols, please contact us at info@vaflaggers.com for more information.



Virginia Voters Decidedly Reject Monument Hating Mayoral Candidates

Anti-monument Mayoral candidates defeated in Richmond and Portsmouth.

 

In the midst of all the election excitement last night, two small, but very important races were decided in Virginia, and in both cases, voters rejected candidates who were outspoken in their desire to remove Confederate monuments.

 

VICTORY IN RICHMOND! Mayoral candidate and former front runner LOSES his bid for election after calling for removal of Jefferson Davis monument.

We reported earlier that Joe Morrissey had announced at a press conference in September that he would make removing the Jefferson Davis monument his first priority when elected, only to back track a few days later. 

http://vaflaggers.blogspot.com/2016/10/joe-morrissey-i-was-wrong-backpedals-on.html

Before election night, he would once again voice a desire to remove the monument, and was billed as the front runner going into last night's election.
We are pleased to report that Morrissey LOST his bid for election last night!

http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_7e0c5ff2-3e62-5ac5-b09d-31cf74d8d8b0.html 

 

 

 

  

VICTORY IN PORTSMOUTH! 

Monument hating incumbent Mayor loses re-election!

In Portsmouth, incumbent Mayor Kenny Wright had been one of the major forces driving City Council's (so far) failed attempts to remove Portsmouth's  Confederate monument. 

“You got people that want it to go and I`m one of those people,” says Mayor Wright. “It truly is a symbol of hate, racism, division, slavery and all of those horrible things that happened during that period." -

After a heated race, Mayor Wright was DEFEATED last night by challenger John Rowe.

http://pilotonline.com/news/government/politics/local/john-rowe-defeats-mayor-kenny-wright-in-portsmouth/article_a7b7b854-5af6-5b08-addb-d8e609d69056.html

These are VERY positive, VERY good developments in the Old Dominion, and more evidence of a citizenry that is sick and tired of the PC madness that has swept across our nation.  Even so, we cannot become complacent.  Now more than ever we must remain vigilant and continue to push forward in protecting our memorials, and push back even harder against those who would destroy them and dishonor our Confederate ancestors.

Lexington Based Extremist Group Refuses Offer to Swap Parade Permits for Lee-Jackson/MLK Holiday

 "Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less." Gen. Robert E. Lee, CSA

 

The Virginia Flaggers were disappointed, but certainly not surprised, when a representative of the extremist group “C.A.R.E. Rockbridge” notified us this morning of their intention to refuse our offer to swap parade permits.

http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/confederate-flag-group-seeks-permit-for-parade-on-mlk-day/article_cbce607f-582a-55c8-a4cc-bc18fa9cec53.html

The swap would have allowed the group to hold their event on the MLK holiday, Monday, January 16^th, and would have permitted the traditional Lee-Jackson memorial services and parade to be held on Lee-Jackson Day, Saturday, January 14th.

The group’s refusal to agree to this logical swap proves that their motives in planning this protest had absolutely nothing to do with unity, “diversity”, or honoring the memory of Martin Luther King, as they have claimed.  Their sole intent was and remains to disrupt the historically peaceful Lee-Jackson commemorations and cause division and discord in the community.

The Virginia Flaggers are weighing our options and will be working with other groups to finalize our plans for the Lexington Lee-Jackson holiday in the coming days.  In the meantime, this disrespectful stunt by C.A.R.E. is likely to have quite the opposite effect from what they intended.  We have been contacted by folks from across the country who are making plans to rally to Lexington for the first time, in support of Lee and Jackson and in response to the actions taken by C.A.R.E.  We fully expect this will draw even more heritage supporters to Lexington and are looking forward to our biggest crowds yet.

Perhaps if the folks at C.A.R.E. would take the time to actually learn a bit about the character and valor of Lee & Jackson instead of  promoting hate, division, and false narratives, they would understand why we will not back down or be forced out of Lexington… the “Shrine of the South”… the town which holds the distinct honor of being the site of the final resting places of both great men.

Lexington Group Files Permit to Disrupt Lee-Jackson Memorial Remembrances

“Duty is ours: consequences are God's.” ~ Stonewall Jackson  

In a deliberate attempt to disrupt the peaceful remembrances of Confederate Generals Thomas J “Stonewall” Jackson and Robert E. Lee, the Lexington based group “C.A.R.E. Rockbridge” applied for, and received a permit to hold a parade from 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 14th, 2017 in Lexington, Virginia, which is the exact time that the Stonewall Brigade Camp SCV, has held a parade since 2000 as part of their commemorations to honor Lee & Jackson on the day officially set aside in Lexington as Lee-Jackson Day.

Over the years, thousands of people have made the pilgrimage to Lexington during the Lee-Jackson weekend to pay their respects to these great men and visit their final resting places. We have been attending since 2011and have always received a warm welcome from the community, and never heard of any Confederate Heritage folks disrupting the Martin Luther King events held the same weekend. This peaceful co-existence was shattered when Lexington City Council approved a permit for C.A.R.E. protestors to hold a parade on Lee-Jackson Day, at the exact time that the Stonewall Brigade has set aside each year for their Memorial service at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery and subsequent parade. There is no question that the timing was intentional and their only motivation is to attempt to disrupt the peaceful exercise of memorial services.

C.A.R.E. listed the reported appearance of hate literature in Lexington over a year ago, the tragedy in Charleston in July, 2015, and a vague reference to “racist” symbols in Lexington as reasons for their actions, NONE of which has any connection to Lee, Jackson, or those who sponsor the events held on Lee-Jackson Day.

If C.A.R.E. truly wanted to “celebrate the diversity within our great town” as they claim, they would be respectful of the heritage and culture of ALL her citizens, including those who choose to honor Lee and Jackson.

In response to this willful attempt to deny citizens the right to honor our history and heritage, the Va Flaggers have applied for a permit to hold a parade on Monday, January 16th, the day set aside to honor Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

In requesting the permit for their parade/protest to disrupt Lee-Jackson Day, C.A.R.E. organizers referenced their intent to honor Dr. King. With this in mind, and in the spirit of unity and “celebrating diversity”, we notified Mayor Elrod and Lexington City Council early this morning of our intentions to offer to effectively “swap” our permits, allowing  “C.A.R.E. Rockbridge” to hold their parade on the MLK holiday, and those who wish to honor Lee & Jackson the free exercise to do so on Lee-Jackson Day, as it should be.