Virginia Governor VETOES Bill to Cancel Robert E Lee Plates

 

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced this evening that he vetoed 48 bills today.  Among them are two, passed by Virginia democrats almost entirely along party lines, that would have prohibited the sale of General Robert E Lee and Sons of Confederate Veterans Specialty License plates, and removed the tax exempt status of several of Virginia's oldest historical societies, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy.   

His vetoes mean the license plates will still be available and the United Daughters of the Confederacy will NOT lose their tax exempt status.

The vetoes come on the heels of last weeks' decision by the Shenandoah County School Board to restore the Confederate names to two schools which had previously been changed, and as part of a growing push back against the left's ongoing WOKE attempts to erase the Commonwealth's history and heritage.  

In a foreshadowing of his decision, Youngkin offered this response when asked for his thoughts on the Shenandoah School Board vote:

In poll after poll, and vote after vote, the overwhelming majority of citizens of the Commonwealth have expressed the desire to end the cultural cleansing and destruction that former Governor Northam oversaw in his tenure, and sent a clear message in electing Youngkin that they wanted to see it reversed.  It appears that Youngkin chose to consider the will of the people over appeasing a radical few, joining his fellow Virginia Republicans in standing against the left's cancel culture war.

 

Virginia School Board Votes to Restore Confederate School Names

 

 

Meeting attendees bow for prayer before the Shenandoah County, VA  School Board meeting, May 9, 2024. 

Shortly after 12:30 am this morning, May 10, 2024, on the 161st Anniversary of the death of Stonewall Jackson, the Shenandoah County Public Schools Board voted to restore the names of the Southern Campus Schools to Ashby-Lee Elementary and Stonewall Jackson High School.

 

The motion passed via 5-1 vote with Kyle Gutshall casting the only NO vote.

 

The exact language of the motion that was approved was: “I move that the names of Stonewall Jackson High School and Ashby Lee Elementary School be restored to the schools now named Mountain View High School and Honey Run Elementary School respectively. The funds required to implement the restoration must be provided by private donations exclusively and not be borne by the school system or government tax funds, though the SCPS will oversee disbursements relating to restoration costs.”

In 2020, the school board renamed the schools, both in Quicksburg, in a move that saw board members cave to outside leftist extremists, ignored the will of local citizens, and was done without public input or notice. Since that decision, two election cycles have brought in six new school board members.

In the wake of the 2020 decision, public anger and outrage was channeled into action.  A group called the Coalition for Better Schools asked the board to restore the old names, citing the need to remember the area’s War Between The States history and a belief that the 2020 school board made the renaming decision in haste. In explaining the reasoning for their “yes” vote, most school board members said they believed the 2020 board had acted inappropriately in changing the names within a matter of days without enough community input.  

Across the Commonwealth, EVERY locality which has ever been allowed to vote, has voted in overwhelming majority to keep their Confederate monuments, school names, and references. Only those in cities and counties which did not allow the people to vote have been removed, yet the media and corrupt politicians will report that this is what the people want, despite all the polling data and referendums showing otherwise. 

The good people of Shenandoah County have had their voices heard, and the wrong has been righted.  Supporters vow that this is the first of many, many more such decisions to come.    

Democrats in Virginia Vote to Scrap Robert E. Lee License Plate

 

Legislation that would end Virginia’s issuance of two license plates that properly and rightfully honor Robert E. Lee as “The Virginia Gentleman” and spotlight the Sons of Confederate Veterans is headed to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk. 

The bill is the second attempt by Del. Candi Mundon King, D-Prince William, to get rid of the Robert E. Lee plate, which was originally approved virtually unanimously by both parties in the General Assembly in 2007 but has now suddenly become the target of vicious attacks by democrats, who regurgitated the left's most popular FALSE narrative talking points in their comments during debate.

 “This bill is needed to help us end the false narrative of the Lost Cause and help us embrace the fact that General Lee was anything but a gentleman,” Mundon King said on the House floor earlier this month. “He was a traitor to this country, a brutal enslaver and not worthy of being celebrated on our license plate.” 

The only false narrative that needs to end is the one the left is pushing in their hate-fueled quest to smear our history, heritage, and the men who honorably served the Commonwealth.

Last year, Mundon King’s legislation failed in the Republican-controlled House of Delegates. But since then, Democrats have won narrow control over both legislative chambers, and on Tuesday, the Senate voted 21-17 to forward the proposal to Youngkin. 

The Republican governor will now have to decide whether to stand with history, tradition, those who elected him, and his own party, or side with radical democrats and sign the mean-spirited, despicable bill into legislation 

It won’t be the only bill dealing with Virginia’s Confederate history that the governor will have to make a decision on: On Monday, the Virginia House took a final vote on legislation that would strip the United Daughters of the Confederacy of a unique tax exemption written into state code that has allowed the organization to pay no property taxes on its Richmond headquarters for decades.

Republicans have largely opposed both measures, although a few Turncoats in the House joined with radical democrats to back the license plate bill, including Dels. Amanda Batten, R-James City; Rob Bloxom, R-Accomack; Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield; and A.C. Cordoza, R-Hampton.

On Tuesday, Sen. John McGuire, R-Goochland, said getting rid of the license plates would violate constitutional free speech protections because the license plate program overseen by the state Department of Motor Vehicles “is a modern-day courthouse square” where people can share their views. 

“If we pass this bill, a citizen will sue Virginia, and they will use this debate to show the intent of this bill is to kill speech because some in this body did not like the message,” he said. 

Del. Tim Griffin, R-Bedford, similarly argued in a House committee debate that the legislation constituted “viewpoint discrimination.” 

“The reason that we have First Amendment protections of speech in general is so that we protect speech that not everybody likes,” he said. “There’s an abortion plate on there that I find disgusting personally, but I’m not going to move to remove it just because I don’t agree with it.”

HB812 will recall the Robert E Lee and SCV specialty license plates. SB517 will unfairly yank the tax exempt status from several of Virginia’s honorable historical societies, including the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Contact Governor Youngkin TODAY and ask him to reject both of these vicious, partisan attacks by democrats on our history, heritage, and first amendment rights.

CONTACT:

Use this online form: https://www.governor.virginia.gov/communicating-with-the.../

Phone: 804-786-2211

Email: glenn.youngkin@governor.virginia.gov

Mailing Address:

Office of the Governor

P.O. Box 1475

Richmond, VA 23218

Seven Years Later: Chesapeake's Mega Flag Still Honors Local Soldiers

 

Seven years ago this past weekend, The Virginia Flaggers dedicated their 26th Roadside Memorial Battle Flag.  

The “Jackson Greys” Memorial Battle Flag was raised in a ceremony in Chesapeake, Virginia. 

The 8' x 8' Army of Northern Virginia flag still flies proudly, adjacent to the Chesapeake expressway, Route 168, a heavily traveled route to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

The flag honors the Jackson Greys, Company A, of the 61st Virginia Infantry Regiment from the War for Southern Independence. The Jackson Greys were a company recruited from the Chesapeake Virginia area and named in honor of James W. Jackson, a Southern Martyr and hotel owner in Alexandria, Virginia who was killed by a group of Federal soldiers in his hotel while defending his property.

The Virginia Flaggers is a grass-roots organization dedicated to defending the honor of Virginia's Confederate Veterans, and pushing back against the left's vicious assaults on the Commonwealth's history and heritage, and desecration of our memorials and monuments.   

 

Danville Councilman Who Voted to Remove Flag Loses Bid for State Senate

 

In August of 2015, Danville, Virginia City Councilman Lee Vogler voted with Democrats to force the removal of a Third National Flag from the historical Confederate Memorial on the grounds of the Last Capitol of the Confederacy, a reversal from previous promises to stand firm for the city's history and heritage.  

 

Heritage supporters vowed to make sure Vogler would not have a future in Virginia politics, and made good on that promise last night.

After Frank Ruff, the newly re-elected State Senator from Virginia's 9th District announced his retirement for health reasons, Vogler announced his candidacy and asked his supporters to travel to Drakes Branch for a Mass Meeting.  Over 830 citizens registered to vote and they made a clear statement when Vogler was quickly eliminated in the FIRST round, and sent packing.  

The eventual nominee, who was chosen in the fourth round, well after midnight, Tammy Mulchi of Clarksville is an advocate for protecting the Commonwealth's history and heritage.

The strong presence of monument supporters and quick elimination of those who choose to support the WOKE agenda of memorial destruction is reflective of the push-back being seen across the Commonwealth, as fed-up citizens look to do their part to end the left's march of destruction, and call out state Republicans on their silence and inaction in the wake of the continued cultural cleansing. 

More about Mrs. Mulchi and her candidacy  Here

Confederate Heritage Groups Join Forces to Raise New Mega Flag, Dedicate New Park near Lexington, Virginia

An estimated crowd of 350 gathered just outside of Lexington, Virginia on Saturday to raise a huge Confederate Battle Flag and dedicate a new Confederate Memorial Park.  While the WOKE mob, parroting false narratives and misinformation circulated by the left, continues its desecration and destruction, their efforts have done very little to stop the descendants of Confederate veterans from continuing to remember and honor their Confederate dead on Memorial Day, and all year long.  

In fact, those gathered on this beautiful spring day, pledge to do much more than that.  

 

The ceremony, which included a Confederate Color Guard, Rifle and Artillery Salutes, Bagpipes and special guests including the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Commander-in-Chief Jason Boshers, SCV Chief of Heritage Defense Ron Kennedy, and Virginia Division SCV Commander Tony Griffin, included a dedication of a brand new park, a project of the Stonewall Brigade SCV Camp #1296, which will initially include the mega flag site, a monument park for relocated and new monuments, and much more.  

Just miles from the town in which Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson rest, Lee-Jackson Memorial Park was dedicated with the raising of the first 5 Auxiliary flags, which will line the edge of the park.  Stonewall Brigade Commander Brandon Dorsey, and Lt. Commander Andy Schindler thanked all those who had contributed funds and man hours to make it possible. 

The ceremony culminated with the raising and dedication of the Virginia Flaggers' I-81 Lee-Jackson Park Memorial Battle Flag, a giant 20' x 20' ANV Battle flag, on an 80' pole.  The crowd cheered  and artillery smoke filled the air as the wind gave her flight, high above Interstate 81.  The flag has high visibility on I-81 and will be seen by thousands of motorists daily.  

This is the 36th Roadside Memorial Battle Flag that the Virginia Flaggers have raised on roadsides across the Commonwealth, each one dedicated to the Glory of God and in memory of the Confederate Dead.  

Following the ceremony, the crowd enjoyed a meal and spent time visiting vendors and learning more about future plans for the Park.  One of the highlights was getting a glimpse of the model for the "Lee Rides Again" project.  Sculptor Tom Gallo was on hand with the model, which is a replica of the magnificent Robert E Lee monument that was the centerpiece of  Monument Avenue n Richmond, for over 130 years until rioters and local and state democrats destroyed it in 2021.  The Gordonsville Grays, SCV Camp #2301 has started a campaign to build an exact replica of that monument and it was recently announced that upon completion, it will have a home a Lee-Jackson Park.  

 

The numerous heritage groups involved and those in attendance share a common goal:  their commitment to not only protect existing monuments and memorials, but to rebuild and replace any that fall victim to the left's campaign of hate and destruction. 

Faith was the cornerstone of the Confederate Cause, and it was foremost in the hearts of the participants on Saturday, as evidenced by the numerous prayers,  scripture references, and messages. 

For more information on Lee-Jackson Memorial Park CLICK HERE

To contribute to the Va Flaggers Roadside Memorial Battle Flag Projects, CLICK HERE 

For more information on the Lee Rides again campaign, CLICK HERE

 

Amherst County Va NAACP Demands Monument Removal

 

AMHERST NAACP WANTS CONFEDERATE MONUMENT IN AMHERST REMOVED Details below. After a request full of lies and woke nonsense, the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors of Amherst County, one of the most conservative counties in the Commonwealth (80%+ voted for Trump in 2020)  asked county staff to schedule a time for board discussion on the request at an upcoming meeting.

Amherst NAACP asks board to address Confederate monument's place on county property The Amherst NAACP chapter recently wrote the county board of supervisors a letter asking that it address a Confederate monument on the Amherst courthouse grounds. Brook Vandervelde, representing the local NAACP chapter, read from the letter during the public comments portion of the board’s May 16 meeting. She described the plaque’s language honoring the “noble cause” ideology of the South during the Civil War as a “throwback to an era of an institutionalized racism” that is painful for a large portion of county residents. “This county must not even seem to be contributing to its survival in our time,” Vandervelde said. The plaque states the Ladies of the Dr. John Thompson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy erected the monument in 1922. The wording on the plaque states: “To the memory of The Sons of Amherst County, who from 1861 to 1865 upheld in arms the cause of Virginia and the South, who fell in battle or died from wounds, and survivors of the war who as long as they lived were ever proud that they had done their part in the noble cause.” Vandervelde said the sentiment from the plaque is one not all county residents share and is “clearly offensive to many.” “Its continued presence on public land at the courthouse complex can easily be construed as an endorsement of its sentiments by our currently elected authorities and citizenry,” she said. “Our courthouse complex should unequivocally promote equal justice for all.” In 1922, a private organization was allowed to occupy “a privileged place on public property that honored only a subset of our community,” Vandervelde said. “Times have changed,” she said. “Amherst can ill afford to continue to propagate a divisive message — 100 years is enough. Reflecting not only selective memories but also severe inequalities, this unbalanced presentation positioned in front of the United States flag does not foster unity.” The Amherst monument’s plaque is an “anomaly,” “out of sync with our times” and its presence on public property is problematic, Vandervelde told supervisors on behalf of the Amherst NAACP. “It is an artifact of another era and it should be removed,” Vandervelde said. “We applaud previous action by the board of supervisors to remove the Confederate battle flag graphic from the county seal. We propose that the same reasonable approach be taken to remove the ‘noble cause’ ideology that after a century still survives.” Vandervelde added the ‘noble cause’ ideology is controversial, divisive and a liability. “The only kinds of publicity that Amherst County needs are those that project positive and welcoming attitudes for all residents, visitors and commercial enterprises — a perfect slice of Virginia,” Vandervelde told supervisors. “Our goal is a solution that is amenable to our community. We stand ready to collaborate.”  Tom Martin, the board’s chair, asked county staff to schedule a time for board discussion on the request at an upcoming meeting. Amherst County, Virginia Board Members     Tom Martin Supervisor - District 1 Phone: 434-946-1235 Email: tmartin@countyofamherst.com  Term ends December 31, 2023 Claudia D. Tucker Supervisor - District 2 Phone: 434-841-3716 Email: cdtucker@countyofamherst.com  Term ends December 31, 2025     L. J. "Jimmy" Ayers Supervisor - District 3 Phone: 434-907-2340 Email: jayers@countyofamherst.com  Term ends December 31, 2023 David Pugh, Jr.  Supervisor - District 4 Phone: 434-509-2038 Email: dwpugh@countyofamherst.com  Term ends December 31, 2023   Drew Wade Supervisor - District 5 Phone: 434-338-9626 Email: mdwade@countyofamherst.com   Despite the fact that Virginia citizens are overwhelmingly against monument removal and destruction, and voted to flip the House of Delegates and Executive Office RED in Virginia after Democrats moved to destroy numerous monuments in the Commonwealth, localities still want to give WOKE monument destroyers a voice.  Please contact each member of the Board of Supervisors listed above and let them know how you feel about the removal of ANY war memorial.