Va Flaggers Update: Charlottesville Braces for a Confederate Flag/Smoke & Mirrors Continues at W&L

"News" report on proposed Memorial Battle Flag in Charlottesville

http://www.c-ville.com/red-flag-group-plans-hoist-confederate-flag/#.VR0_1uHYo4O

"City Councilor Kristin Szakos, who has suggested it might be time to get rid of statues of Lee and Jackson in downtown parks, said she finds it "petty" that the Flaggers want to put up a flagpole here "because they're not from Charlottesville. Why they care, I don't know."

Because WE (the Va Flaggers) are not "from Charlottesville"????...says the woman who is FROM....Long Island, NEW YORK.

Meanwhile, back in Lexington, we wanted to share this photo of the new I-81 flag majestic in splendor in our Shenandoah Valley with the Blue Ridge as a backdrop!

...and this video of the flag on the day of the raising, with photography from Judy Smith Photography and Tredegar DroneWorks.  Absolutely breathtaking...! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfToh0yB3mU&feature=youtu.be

...and a few photos from the ceremony, with special thanks to the Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Herman White, who came from North Carolina to join us and speak to those gathered. 

 

When we arrived, skies were gray, temperatures were in the 30's and, snow actually began to fall just as we started the dedication.  However, just a few minutes after the flag was raised, the snow stopped, the clouds moved out, and bright sunshine filled the sky, allowing us the opportunity to take the wonderful photographs we have shared with you.

 

Thanks to all who gathered to attend the ceremony, and to each of the hundreds of supporters who made it possible.

Never passing up an opportunity to forward the colors in Lexington, the Va Flaggers headed to Washington & Lee University after raising the I-81 Battle Flag.

Although the weather was cold and blustery, foot traffic was brisk, and we had many opportunities to talk with students, alumni, and parents.

A perfect ending to a GLORIOUS and very Confederate day in Lexington.

More smoke and mirrors out of Washington & Lee University: 

http://www.roanoke.com/news/virginia/lee-chapel-to-reopen-next-week-at-w-l/article_0327e865-df3d-5581-a996-0d18bb510b9f.html

In the article,

"The flag display is in keeping with actions taken by W&L last year after a group of law students complained that such tributes to the Confederacy were offensive to minority students. At the time, university President Kenneth Ruscio said replica flags in the building were being removed because they were not presented in an educational matter.

But Ruscio's announcement left room for displays of genuinely historic flags such as the one to be included in the "Lee in the Field" exhibit. For years, that flag was one of the originals that hung near the "Recumbent Lee" statue in the chapel.

Other battle flags, particularly those with historic connections to W&L and the Lexington area, are planned for future exhibits."

Once again, W&L would have the public, students, and alumni believe that the decision to forcibly remove the replica ANV Battle Flags from the LEE Chapel mausoleum was somehow related to the project to restore and display the original battle flags and that President Ruscio was involved in that project.  This is blatantly FALSE.

The restoration project was part of an agreement between the UDC, The Museum formerly known as the Museum of the Confederacy, and the University. We have been able to secure a copy of this agreement, and while it does call for the removal of the original battle flags for restoration, and for the flags to be properly displayed in glass cases in the museum in the basement of the Chapel, it in NO WAY dictates that the reproduction flags, provided by the SCV as a replacement for the originals, must be removed from the Chapel.

The referenced agreement was made in 1997, long before Mr. Ruscio became President of the University, and yet they expect us to believe that it just so happens that they decided to take the reproduction flags out of the Chapel in July of 2014, as part of a new agreement with the Museum formerly known as the Museum of the Confederacy, not to appease "The Committee".  Do not be fooled by this nonsense.  The authentic flags were removed for restoration and proper display, as they should have been, and special replica flags were made to be displayed in their place. 

The replica flags were removed in July of 2014 for ONE REASON...to appease the demands of SIX agitators from the W&L Law School.

Grayson Jennings
Va Flaggers

Charlottesville City Council Strikes 127 Year Tradition in Latest Assault on Confederate History

Since the January announcement that Charlottesville City Councilman Kristen Szacos had proposed an ordinance change that would eliminate the Lee-Jackson City Holiday in Charlottesville, we have shared information about the rich Confederate history of the city.  One of my favorite topics is the presentation of a battle flag to the men of Stuart's Horse Artillery, hand sewn by the ladies of Charlottesville by the Mayor and City Council of Charlottesville, after they managed to turn back the Yankee army, against 5 to 1 odds, and save the city from destruction during the Battle of Rio Hill on February 29, 1864.  There is a good summary here:
  
http://m.dailyprogress.com/lifestyles/yesteryears_column/yesteryears-grateful-charlottesville-residents-presented-a-special-flag-after-rio/article_93d2b27e-a614-11e3-922c-0017a43b2370.html?mode=jqm#.Ux0t7hj1fsA.twitter

When our friend Blaine Hypes, of the Flat Top Copperheads in WV, saw one of the posts about the flag, he contacted me and told me he had a replica and wanted us to have it to use in our fight in Charlottesville.  I was thrilled, but even more so when I received it and it turned out to be a custom-made beauty!  Last night, we took the flag with us, and before the meeting, visited the Confederate monument, just a few blocks away from council chambers.  A citizen passing by offered to take a photo of us holding the flag.

When we arrived at council chambers, 45 minutes early, there was already a line to sign up for one of 12 available slots for public speaking.  We were disappointed when we made our way to the sign-up sheet, and realized that we were numbers 13, 14, and 15 in line, respectively, and none of us would have the opportunity to speak.  With a full half hour left before the meeting was to begin, we saw the Charlottesville citizen who had been shouted down at the last meeting when he spoke in favor of the Lee-Jackson holiday, and I took the flag over to show him and chat with him a bit.  I went back to my seat, admittedly frustrated that we wouldn't have the opportunity to speak.  Moments later, someone tapped my shoulder, and when I looked up, it was the same gentleman, who had come to offer us his slot to speak.  He said that he speaks at every meeting, and he wanted us to have the opportunity to do so since we had come so far.  Overwhelmed by his generous offer, we accepted and quickly decided to combine the contents of the presentations we had prepared and that I would deliver the address.

I included the history of the flag, and Patrick and Barry held it up as I spoke.  Video of my remarks can be viewed here, with special thanks to Terry L. Hulsey of Fort Worth, TX, for granting me permission to use a quote from his correspondence to City Council... and David Tatum for posting the video:

http://atrueconfederate.blogspot.com/2015/03/not-so-silent-ii.html

Transcript of remarks:

Honorable Mayor, Councilors, Citizens of the Charlottesville and the Commonwealth,

Since I last spoke in these chambers, much has been made about the fact that I, and a few others who spoke against the proposed amendment to remove the Lee-Jackson holiday, are not Charlottesville residents, as if that somehow makes what we have to say irrelevant.  After witnessing the way speakers in this chamber were treated who dared to have an opinion different than those of the vocal citizens in attendance, I can completely understand why the hundreds of citizens of Charlottesville who have contacted us do not feel comfortable attending these meetings or speaking up in this atmosphere.

Charlottesville has a rich Confederate history. On March 7, 1864, the ladies of Charlottesville presented a hand sewn flag to the men of Stuart's Horse Artillery after the unit, facing 5 to 1 odds, stopped the Yankee army from burning and destroying Charlottesville.  The battle flag was carried by the unit until it surrendered in April of 1865, and is now on display in the Jefferson County Museum in Charles Town, WV.  The flag shows the patina of age, along with the rents of battle, but it continues to serve as a reminder of what might have been the worst day in Charlottesville history, if not for the courage of its brave defenders.

Some friends in West Virginia had a replica made and we brought it today to the show the assembly.

I would like to again point out the real and present danger of the precedence you are setting, should you decide to eliminate this holiday tonight.  If you take it upon yourselves to strike down a holiday that was established by the duly elected representatives of this city, you are opening the door to having the same thing happen to Thomas Jefferson Day, for instance, should a future council decide he is not "worthy" of honoring.  I, and many of those present here, witnessed one of your own citizens call for the removal of every trace of Thomas Jefferson from the very city that he helped build, and receive APPLAUSE and CHEERS in this chamber, following his remarks.  Certainly, you MUST see that once you open this door, there will be no end to the PC cleansing of our history and heritage.

In the background of this proposed amendment, Charlottesville's commitment to be a "Community of Mutual Respect" is cited, apparently as one of the reasons for this change, which reads:

In all endeavors, the City of Charlottesville is committed to racial and cultural diversity, inclusion, racial reconciliation, economic justice, and equity. As a result, every citizen is respected. Interactions among city leaders, city employees and the public are respectful, unbiased, and without prejudice.

 How can you possibly claim cultural diversity when you choose to dishonor Confederate Veterans, whose descendants make up a large segment of your population?  How can you suggest that this amendment will promote racial reconciliation, when it serves to divide instead of bring people together?  How can you claim that this decision is unbiased, and without prejudice when it singles out an entire group of people and dishonors their heritage?

I understand that at least one member of this very Council has suggested that the Confederate Memorials here in Charlottesville, yes, even, the magnificent equestrian sculpture of Robert E. Lee, copied in many localities across the U.S., should be removed, and by your actions tonight, you will show the Commonwealth and the nation whether or not you are heading down that very dangerous path.

But, even if you choose to move forward with this desecration, and should your backwater tyranny temporarily succeed, you will, ultimately, fail. History will remain unchanged, and the sterling character of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson will remain, long after your names are forgotten. 

I urge you to set aside the prejudice and bias which led to this proposed amendment, and leave the Lee-Jackson Holiday as is. 

When the public speaking period ended, Councilmen responded to the public comments and not one of them addressed the Lee-Jackson Day issue.  Not only that, but instead of calling for a vote and having each councilman publicly record their vote for or against the ordinance, they approved it unanimously as part of a "consent agenda", bundled with a number of other resolutions and appropriations.  This was obviously intentional and a predetermined method of avoiding making any type of individual public statement... a cowardly move, and stunning even for those who were well versed on the background and history of this council.

Returning home after midnight, I received a message from someone suggesting that going to Charlottesville had been a waste of time.  I strongly disagree.  Even though there were a few moments Monday afternoon when, thinking of other things that demanded my attention, I considered bowing out, those of us who attended were overwhelmingly grateful that we had taken the time to do so.  We had the opportunity to once again go on public record against the Council, share a bit of Confederate history with a packed chamber (including a large number of local high school students in attendance), and made sure that Council knew there were at least a handful of citizens who will not go quietly into the night. On top of all that, we got to flag City Council!  ;)

That alone would have been enough to make the trip worthwhile, but as we were leaving we had conservations with no less than TWO local residents about putting Battle Flag Memorials on their property in Charlottesville.  It appears that City Council has alienated a large segment of its population, and we can only pray that the unwarranted assault on the Lee-Jackson holiday will serve as a wake-up in Charlottesville, and across the Commonwealth.  In addition, a local resident who is involved with public access television offered to have us develop a regular segment, highlighting Confederate history and heritage defense issues!

We left Charlottesville disgusted by the manner in which the Charlottesville City Council took it upon themselves to strike down a holiday which had been rightfully observed in the city since 1888¦ but with the satisfaction of knowing that taking a stand for what is right is ALWAYS the right thing to do, no matter what the odds.

Many thanks to all those who took the time to write letters and emails and make phone calls to members of City Council.  Your support is greatly appreciated and was not in vain.  They may have won this battle, but we have no intention of giving up the fight.  Stay tuned...

Sincerely,

Susan Hathaway

Virginia Flaggers
P.O. Box 547
Sandston VA 23150
info@vaflaggers.com
 
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Va Flaggers: Charlottesville Lee-Jackson Public Hearing Report

Before attending last night's City Council meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia, where a public hearing was to be held regarding Council Member Kristen Szakos' proposal to remove the Lee-Jackson City holiday from the city calendar, we called to make sure that public comments were welcome, and to ascertain what the requirements were to speak.  We were told that all citizens of the Commonwealth were welcome, given the guidelines and told to arrive at 6:30 to sign up to speak.

Just over a dozen of us, from several different parts of the state, arrived early, signed up to speak and took our seats.  What we witnessed in council chambers, almost as soon as the meeting opened was, in all honesty, shocking, and if I had not been there, would have had a hard time believing took place. Mayor Huja opened by asking for attendees to respect all speakers and not interrupt them. He may as well have been talking to the brick walls. The first 12 speakers were allowed to speak on any topic  The majority who spoke were Charlottesville residents, and a circus like atmosphere quickly ensued, with members of the audience constantly shouting and talking over speakers, council members, and the Mayor, who occasionally attempted to restore order, to no avail.  The speakers themselves accused council members and the city of everything from criminal activity to overt racism and oppression at every level of government and public service.  To give you an idea of the speakers' subject matter, we offer, word for word, a resolution that was presented for consideration by a city resident during his remarks:

"WHEREAS the City of Charlottesville was founded by Thomas Jefferson, a scoundrel of the most unsavory variety, indeed, a slave rapist, and INSOMUCH AS the evils of racism, began during his time, continue unabated to afflict the City of Charlottesville to this day,  BE IT SO RESOLVED that from this day henceforth, no longer shall the City of Charlottesville celebrate racist Confederate war criminals, but shall instead honor the memories of Nat Turner and John Brown, in hopes that one day, we shall be rid of the foul legacy of Thomas Jefferson."

Watch his remarks here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpvM8HKsL3w

As one can imagine, when it came time for the public hearing on the Lee-Jackson question, the crowd was already worked into a frenzy, and it intensified when the first speaker, an elderly Charlottesville resident, rose to speak against removing the holiday.  He was heckled and interrupted over and over.  Although many who watched the proceedings on live video stream told us afterward that they could hear commotion but not make out exactly what was going on, each speaker who spoke in favor of the Lee-Jackson holiday was subject to this ill-mannered and rude behavior, in varying degrees.

By the time I was called to speak, I will admit that my nerves were on edge.  I had never witnessed such a spectacle in a public meeting and honestly many of us began to fear for our safety.  I'm glad I had my remarks prepared and with as steady of a voice and every bit of composure I could muster, I read them as loudly as I could, hoping to drown out and determined to completely ignore the shouting and commotion in the chamber.  My talking points consisted of pointing out the honor and character of Lee & Jackson, the precedent set by a proclamation signed by the Governor, the fact that this proposal was causing division and strife that would not exist otherwise, and making the point that both men were American Veterans who sacrificed all for God and Country and should not be dishonored.  This apparently was enough to make a woman in the row in front of me, who had been one of the more vocal throughout the meeting, determine that she had enough evidence to label me a "racist" and hurl an insult my way as I took my seat. 

More shocking to me than the behavior of the citizens was the lack of any kind of control by the Mayor or council members.  One young woman was removed from the chamber, after she repeatedly hurled insults at Ms. Karen when she was speaking.  Other than that, and a few requests for quiet that were ignored, the behavior, even profanity from speakers, was permitted and therefore sanctioned, as far as we were concerned.  Most of us were incredulously waiting for someone on City Council to have the guts to speak up and speak out against the behavior, and publicly apologize to the others in attendance. It never happened.

Those in attendance to oppose the measure included members of the Va Flaggers, Edmund Ruffin FireEaters Camp #3000 SCV, Robert E. Lee Camp #1589 SCV, Stafford Light Artillery SCV, 19th Va Infantry Camp #1493 SCV, Army of Northern VA/ Mechanized Cavalry, and the Sally Tompkins Chapter #2 Order of the Confederate Rose.  I am more proud than I can express of the way our folks conducted themselves, refusing to join in the disruptive behavior, despite the chaotic and abusive atmosphere.

Photo:  RYAN M. KELLY/THE DAILY PROGRESS

After the public remarks section of the hearing closed, we thought it best to leave, after the blatant bigotry, animosity, and disrespect we experienced in the meeting.  In the hall, we were greeted by ONE council member who made it a point to seek us out, shake our hand, thank us for coming, and apologize for what we had been subject to. I replied that I sincerely appreciated him doing so, as he was the FIRST person in the entire chamber to offer us any kind of welcome or civility.  At that point, a (black) security guard standing beside me reached out his hand, shook mine, smiled, and said, "Well, let me be the second." 

There were a few times during the meeting, when it became painfully obvious that council members had already decided this matter before we stepped inside the chamber, and I questioned if we had done the right thing by attending.  Those thoughts were quickly dispelled when I considered that by being there and standing for Lee & Jackson, at the very least our opposition and the truths we submitted, were made part of the public record and we, by our conduct and deportment, showed the stark and very clear contrast that exists between those of us who wish to honor our Confederate ancestors, and those who look for every opportunity to attack those with whom they disagree, taking great pleasure in causing division and strife where none exists.

What we witnessed last night was a good exhibit of the danger of democracy devolving into mob rule.  John Randolph of Roanoke said "anarchy is the chrysalis-state of despotism."  I see no greater example than the striking of a holiday to honor two men who faithfully and honorably served God and Country, in a futile attempt to appease and propitiate a handful of vocal agitators.

Respectfully,
Susan Hathaway
Va Flaggers