Thursday, June 22, 2017

Despite Growing Opposition, Richmond Mayor Pushes to Add PC "Context" to Confederate Monuments

June 22. 2017
Richmond, Virginia

Earlier today, the city of Richmond announced the formation of a “Monument Avenue Commission” to “help the city redefine the false narrative of the Confederate statues that line Richmond’s grandest Boulevard”.  The Virginia Flaggers are extremely disappointed that Richmond’s newly elected Mayor, Levar Stoney, has chosen to make war against the Confederate monuments that line Monument Avenue in Richmond and against the thousands of descendants of Confederate Veterans that they represent and honor, diverting precious resources and taxpayer money away from the real and pressing matters facing the Capital of the Confederacy, and creating division and disharmony in our community.

Thankfully, the Commonwealth has a law that protects ALL war memorials, and also prevents them from being altered.  Following the lead of disgraced New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Mayor Stoney has chosen to tow the PC line of the NAACP and SPLC, who have promoted the false narrative that our monuments and memorials are somehow tied to “racism, slavery, Jim Crow, and white supremacy.”  This false narrative has gained traction with the left, who has successfully used it to convince politicians to take up their cause of attempting to remove every trace of the Confederacy from public view.  Mr. Stoney appears to have caved to their pressure.

Poll after poll shows that an overwhelming majority of citizens of the Commonwealth oppose any removal or altering of War Memorials, and across Virginia, politicians who have supported such nonsense have consistently been voted out of office or lost their bid for election. 

Our monuments and memorials need no new “narrative” or “context” added to them, especially one based on the PC false narrative of the NAACP and SPLC.  Their meaning is carved in stone and has absolutely nothing to do with “racism, slavery, Jim Crow, or white supremacy”, and everything to do with honoring men who answered the call of the Commonwealth to defend hearth and home from invasion.

The Virginia Flaggers stand ready to vigorously defend these monuments, and the men they represent, from any and all destruction, removal, and/or alteration, and support for our Cause gains momentum with every petty attempt like this one where a politician looks to make a name for himself and gain political points with a very small percentage of their electorate.  Mayor Stoney would do well to look to Charlottesville, where City Council voted to destroy the Robert E. Lee monument, in violation of state law, and in the process plunged the city into chaos and racial division that locals say is unlike any they have seen in decades. Of the three councilmen who voted to remove the monument, disgraced Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy has lost his teaching position with Albermarle County and his position on the State Board of Education, Kristen Szakos has announced she will not run for re-election, and Bob Fenwick, who cast the deciding vote, recently lost his bid for his party's nomination for his council seat.

True diversity and inclusiveness is not achieved by destroying the history of one group of people, in order to appease the demands of another.

CALL TO ACTION!

The city has set up a website to receive public comments, www.monumentavenuecommission.org. Please visit the website and leave a comment asking them to leave the monuments alone.

CONTACT MAYOR LEVAR STONEY:
Mayor's Office
City of Richmond
900 E. Broad St., Suite 201
Richmond, VA
23219 USA
Phone: (804)646-7970
Fax: (804)646-7987
Email: 
RVAMayor@richmondgov.com or levarstoney@gmail.com

Look for more updates about scheduled public meetings of the commission, and more ways to support our efforts here on the ground.

Monday, June 12, 2017

Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors To Decide Lexington 60 West Confederate Flag Appeal

In January, our organization installed a memorial flag on leased, private property along 60 West in Rockbridge County.  The flag was raised as part of the Lee-Jackson Day commemorations in Lexington.

Before we even raised the flag, local leftists and outside agitators sought to prevent the installation.  Pressure from these folks led to attempts to stop the construction and installation.  Even though we had previously installed poles of the same height in other sections of Rockbridge County and were told that NO BUILDING PERMIT WAS NEEDED, we were advised that if we proceeded with the installation, we would face fines and even imprisonment.  At the time we received the initial warning letter, the dedication was less than 24 hours away, and the only thing left to do was place the pole.  After VDOT visited the site and assured us the location was not in the right of way, we decided to proceed with the installation and file for the permit and address any issues relating to it at a later date.

We filed for the necessary permit and agreed to move the pole the few feet back from the road as requested.  We have been advised that the installation now meets all federal, state, and Rockbridge County laws and regulations.

Because this property is located in the Tourism Corridor Overlay, the submitted building permit had to have final approval from the TCO Board.  At its April 5th meeting, the board voted to DENY our application for installation, even though we had met every applicable zoning law and request.  In their denial, the Board claimed that the “proportionality of proposed structure and size of the proposed flag is not harmonious and is inconsistent with other commercial development in the area within the TCO District and that the said proportionality is neither consistent nor compatible with the purpose and intent of the Design and Construction Guidelines for the TCO, especially considering the location and distance from the corridor road”.

Throughout this process, Rockbridge County officials have gone out of their way to make the point that their attempts to deny the erection of this memorial at every turn has nothing to do with the fact that it is a Confederate memorial and flag, when, in fact, it is apparent that this is exactly why the installation received the full attention of  county officials.

Our legal team researched the referenced TCO District Design and Construction guidelines and found no discernible, objective guidelines for structures in the corridor.  Board members are free to decide issues using their own objective opinions, which is exactly what happened on April 5th.  There are no hard facts in the document that would define any size or height ration between any structure and another.  It is a totally subjective process that was tainted with political correctness and cowardice in the face of political pressure.

To subjectively claim that a memorial to honor Lee, Jackson, and all Confederate Veterans that is erected in keeping with every applicable zoning law is “not harmonious” with the guidelines of the TCO, with no specific guidelines to reference, is nothing more than back alley politics and a clear violation of the property owner’s first amendment rights of expression.

We have filed an appeal with the Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors and have asked them to reverse the decision of the TCO Board and approve our application as submitted.  We cannot think of anything more "appropriate" than a memorial to Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson flying in Lexington, Virginia.

The Board of Supervisors meets tonight (Monday, June 12th)  and will consider our appeal.  Please take a moment to contact them today and ask them to approve our application.

Contact info:
John M Higgins  (540) 460-7079 buffalosupervisor@yahoo.com
Russell S. Ford (540) 460-6750 rford@rockbridge.net
David W. Hinty, Jr. (540) 784-0709 david.hinty@yahoo.com
Ronnie R. Campbell (540) 377-6148 southriversupervisor@co.rockbridge.va.us
Albert W. Lewis, Jr. (540) 570-5094  buster@mountainviewfarm.biz

If you are in the Rockbridge County area, please attend the 5:30 meeting and let your voice be heard!
Board of Supervisors Meeting Room, 1st Floor
150 South Main Street
Lexington, Virginia 24450

We will keep you updated on the decision tonight, and the progress on the installation of several dozen new flags which have been inspired by the county's actions regarding the 60 West Memorial Battle Flag.