City in Chaos – Charlottesville’s Kristen Szakos Now Claims General Lee Would Advocate for Removal of Veterans Memorial

The announcement last week by Bob Fenwick that he would change his vote and call for the removal of the magnificent Robert E. Lee monument in Lee Park in Charlottesville, has set the stage for a possible February 6 motion that will send the city of Charlottesville deep into litigation which, when finally resolved, will have cost the city a fortune and result in the monument remaining right where it is, according to state law designed to protect our veterans’ memorials.  Fenwick says he will join Wes Bellamy, the disgraced Vice-Mayor who was forced to resign from his teaching position and from the State Board of Ed, and Kristen Szakos, who has made it her personal crusade to tear down the memorial, in voting to violate state law and attempt to remove it.  Szakos first publicly mentioned her desire to remove the monument in 2011, and having just announced she will not seek re-election, is hell bent on pushing her agenda through quickly before she leaves office, and against the wishes of the majority of the citizens. The backlash of this bigoted, hate-filled anti-Confederate crusade which has deeply divided the community, has been swift and strong, and has come from all walks of life.  In response, Ms. Szakos made a public FaceBook post over the weekend, which has since been removed, presumably due to the overwhelming and sensible comments received in opposition.  Our friend Connie Chastain has penned a response to the post, which we have shared below: Kristin Szakos is a city council member in Charlottesville, Virginia who is from elsewhere, and is married to a community organizer. She's a flaming "progressive" who believes in "feel-good" causes (because she "thinks" with her emotions), but don't imagine for a minute that her lack of cogitation makes her harmless. Szakos is on a mad crusade to remove the monument to Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, and rename Lee Park, where it currently stands. A recent post she made to Facebook gives some instructive insight into the destructive leftist mentality, and what motivates it. She actually says Lee would agree with removing the statue of himself. She bases this on a few lines from an anti-Lee book published in 2015, right smack-dab in the middle of the Politically Correct Revisionism Era. She didn't even have to hold a seance to find out what Lee thought. A writer born in 1983 is her "medium" for her spiritual communication with the great general who died 147 years ago. . Szakos's Facebook post uses the same language we've become so familiar since the left escalated its war on Confederate heritage following the Charleston tragedy. It's the same language a host of other leftist groups and individuals use in the same war. If progressives weren't such mental clones, weren't so tightly bound to each other and equally dedicated to the destruction of what they hate, somebody could sue for plagiarism... That somebody could conceivably be the Southern Poverty Law Center, which has orchestrated a nationwide war on Confederate artifacts, particularly monuments, post-Roof. But, of course, Dees and Co. are happy to share their ammunition, and have others share it, as well, so there will be no plagiarism complaints from that quarter. In any case, I think we can safely assume that's where Szakos got her talking points. You don't have to read Szakos for long to realize that what she really motivated by, and what she's trying to foment in others, is enmity for white Southerners. That's what motivates the SPLC, too, . Yes, the left attempts to inflame hatred of all whites -- in the USA, Europe, Australia and other European derived cultures. But here in the US of A, Southerners are given a special place, a unique status, in the leftist mentality. Because, you know, slavery and racism. Says Szakos, "It is no accident that this statue and others like it were erected long after Mr. Lee's death -- almost 60 years after the War -- at a time when Reconstruction backlash was being expressed in lynchings across the South and in laws like the Racial Purity Act, passed in Virginia that same year. It is not surprising that the Ku Klux Klan celebrated its dedication with a cross burning on Browns Mountain and a march through the city." It's obvious to most normal people that just because two or more things happen at roughly the same time, that doesn't mean they are related. It would likely never occur to Szakos that monuments to Confederate heroes were erected when the people of the impoverished South finally had the funds to do so. Moreover, there is usually a delay before memorials to soldiers, leaders and other civic and national heroes are erected.  The Vietnam War ended April 30, 1975 but the Vietnam Memorial was not completed until 1982. The Lincoln Memorial was not erected and opened until 1922, and the Jefferson Memorial dates to 1943, 120 years after the great man's death. But to social justice warriors, racism is the only thing that concerns contemporary Southerners, just a slavery was the only thing that concerned antebellum Southerners. Family? Nah. Community? Nope. Church? No way. Only slavery and racism ... or rather (since the term "racism" has been so ridiculously over used and misused) white supremacy.  And for progressives, that bizarre and untrue caricature is all the justification they need for hating Southerners, and fomenting the same antipathy for them among as many others as possible. To Szakos, the only possible reason the people of Charlottesville could have had for erecting the memorial to Lee was to pay homage to white supremacy, as in her leftist mind, slavery was the only reason for the Confederacy to exist and to fight. She either doesn't know, or pretends to not know, that white supremacy was as prevalent in the north, that the northern army was not sent South to free slaves but to kill Southerners because they wished to leave the union, and that when push came to shove, the Confederates showed in various ways that they preferred political independence to keeping slavery. Szakos's pathetic attempts at justifying the soviet-style cleansing of Southern heritage do not pass logical muster. They are totally emotion based, and the emotion is at best contempt and at worst, antipathy. Her attempts to remove the memorial of a man whose character dwarfs those possessed by most social justice warriors must be not only resisted, but defeated. ~Connie Chastain Connie Chastain is a ninth-generation Southerner. Born in Georgia, she grew up a preacher's kid in Alabama, attended Alabama Christian College (now Faulkner University) and married a Louisiana boy. She currently resides with hdf husband of 30+ years in L.A., that is, Lower Alabama, aka the Florida Panhandle, which basks in the semi-tropical sun at the very top of the Gulf of Mexico -- America's Mediterranean. She is a former staff writer for The Florida Sun, (renamed the Independent News), which was published in Pensacola, Florida starting in 1999 by former Congressman Joe Scarborough (now the star of "Morning Joe" on MS- NBC). Her articles ran the gamut from travel to current events and chemtrails to Bigfoot in Dixie. With four novels and two short stories published, she is also an Indie-publisher, editor, graphic artist, and video producer. Don't look in the pages of her books for insulting stereotypical portrayals of Southerners. One reason she writes is to honor the good people of her region. Visit her at www.conniechastain.com

Massive Roadside Confederate Battle Flag Raised on Chesapeake Expressway

The Virginia Flaggers are pleased to announce the dedication of the Chesapeake Expressway Jackson Greys Memorial Battle Flag.  On Saturday morning, the 8'x 8'  Army of Northern Virginia Battle Flag was raised adjacent to Rt. 168, the heavily traveled expressway used to travel to the Outer Banks.  The site is located close to the toll booth, and one of our landowners mentioned that he gets a kick out knowing folks were going to have to pay $8 to get to see the flag!   The flag is located just a few miles from the Jackson Greys monument, and was named in  honor of the men of the 61st Virginia Infantry, Co. A,   During the ceremony, Mrs. Jean Spencer, President of the Norfolk County Grays, Niemeyer-Shaw Chapter of the UDC shared a history of the unit. Veterans of 61st Virginia Infantry Regiment, Company A  gather at the Jackson Greys monument in 1905.   Flag of the 61st Virginia Infantry "This flag was in the Seven Days, this flag flapped at Chancelorsville;  this flag was on the ridge at Gettysburg, this flag went through all the experiences, and all the blood and slaughter at the Wilderness and at Spotsylvania Courthouse; this flag was at Reams Station;  this flag - my father saw it - came up the hill when the Crater was recovered at the end of July in 1864;  and this flag, with the tears of the men who bore it, was laid down on that red clay..."   ~ Douglas Southall Freeman A crowd of over 100 was on hand to witness the historic event, the first roadside memorial battle flag raised in Southeastern Virginia.   Passers-by began blowing their horns in support almost as soon as the flag was unfurled. The crowd enjoyed music performed by Virginia Dare.  Commander John Sharrett of the Stonewall Camp #380, SCV,  presided over the service which included a blessing of the flag and prayers by Stonewall Camp Chaplain Bob Quisenberry.  A color guard from the Stonewall Camp, SCV presented the colors, and an honor guard from the Dismall Swamp Rangers fired a salute after the flag was raised.   The Virginia Flaggers would like to thank all of those whose generous support makes these memorial flag projects possible.  The Jackson Greys Memorial Battle Flag is the 26th flag raised in the Commonwealth since the fall of 2013, and the first flag site in Southeastern Virginia.  We wish to offer our sincere thanks to Commander John Sharrett and the men of the Stonewall Camp #380,  and the Norfolk County Grays Camp #1549, Sons of Confederate Veterans...along with members of the Dismal Swamp Rangers and Norfolk Light Infantry, North South Skirmish Association, for their help and assistance in completing this project, and as always, appreciate the dedication and commitment of the landowners who lease us the property for the memorials.

Confederate Flag and Portraits to Return to York County, South Carolina Courthouse

A Confederate flag  will once again be displayed in a county courtroom in South Carolina after the local official who removed it earlier this year acknowledged he did so in violation of state law. York County, S.C. clerk of court David Hamilton removed the banner – and pictures of Confederate generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson – when the local county courthouse was reopened this year after a six-year, $10 million renovation. Now he’s thought better of this decision, citing its failure to conform with a state law governing the handling of both Civil War and Civil Rights monuments and markers. “Upon a more formal review and inquiry regarding the Heritage Act, a stricter interpretation does limit the relocation,” he wrote in a statement to media outlets. “Therefore, the items should be returned to the courtroom,” Hamilton’s letter added. This decision came after a group had announced plans to flag the courthouse this weekend and a number of citizens had contacted the court to complain about the removal, and on the heels of continued outrage by South Carolina residents following the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag from the Confederate Monument on the Statehouse grounds in Columbia by former governor Nikki Haley.

Fenwick Will Ignore State Law and Vote To Tear Down Robert E. Lee Monument In Charlottesville

Vows to join disgraced Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy & extreme leftist Kristen Szakos in their crusade to destroy history and further divide the community.

In a press conference this morning, Charlottesville City Councilman Bob Fenwick continued to play political games at the expense of Charlottesville taxpayers by announcing that a motion would be made at the upcoming February 6th council meeting to tear down the Robert E. Lee monument and that this time, he would vote to remove it. Read more here You will recall that earlier this month, several motions to remove the monument failed when Fenwick abstained from the votes.  Taking his cue from Bellamy, Fenwick has since made it clear that his vote was an attempt to hold council hostage and negotiate for funding for his pet projects, and made it official this morning that he planned to ignore state law and the advice of the City attorney as well as the Attorney General, and pursue the removal of the monument. Mayor Signer and Councilman Galvin are the only voices of reason in what now has literally become  a three ring circus in Charlotttesville.  Earlier today, Galvin's op-ed piece was published in the local paper, where she expressed her concern that this entire process has caused division in the community and spoke about the necessity of leaving the monument in place so that future generations may offer their own interpretations. Read more here As was the case earlier this month, we will be prepared for the possibility of a vote for removal on February 6, and attorneys will be ready to file the necessary injunctions and civil and criminal law suits to prevent removal.  State law is clear and, in the end, we are confident that the monument will remain. Bellamy and Szakos have nothing to lose.  Their careers are effectively OVER and they can pursue their agenda of hate, and vote to toss away taxpayer money and waste city resources without fear of any kind of accountability. We can only assume that with this announcement, Fenwick has decided his political career is over, as well. Here is Bob Fenwick's contact information.  Earlier this week, he implied he hadn't from many people wanting to keep the monument.  Let's make sure that's not the case... Contact Bob Fenwick Email:  bfenwick@charlottesville.org Mailing Address: P.O. Box 911, City Hall, Charlottesville, VA, 22902 Phone:  (434) 249-3406 Stay tuned for more updates.  PETA may have put Ringling Bros. out of business, but the circus in Charlottesville is apparently about to pull out all the stops...

The South: Convenient Scapegoat For A Nation's Sins

Editor Richmond Times-Dispatch 300 East Franklin Street Richmond, Virginia 23219 Dear Sir: Voltaire said "History is the propaganda of the victorious," and the Bible says that to bear false witness against one's neighbor is a Cardinal Sin. Whether by calculated design or by ignorance of the Truth - willful or otherwise - the South and the Confederacy have been made into the convenient scapegoats for all the slavery and all of the racial ills of the United States. Slavery is as old as history - Egypt and the Book of Genesis, at least. The Code of Hammurabi had a slave code, as did the ancient Hebrews (see Leviticus, Chapter 25) . It was an unfortunate legacy of the European colonial system in the "New World" - which was land rich and labor poor. But during the "Age of Discovery" the Europeans pushing their way down the coast of Africa found that there were slave markets already in operation, which would come to answer the labor needs of the European colonial mercantile systems in their colonies. In 1776, when the thirteen slaveholding colonies seceded from the British Empire, the time was ripe to get rid of slavery, but the subsequent horrific slave insurrection in the French colony of St. Domingo lent fears to the consequences of sudden abolition. Thomas Jefferson said that "Justice is in one scale, and self-preservation is in the other." Slavery was uneconomical in the North, so the Northerners sold their slaves South into the cotton and tobacco fields, then abolished slavery in their respective States, and in some cases, like Illinois, prohibited Blacks - bond or free - from setting foot within their borders. However, the North had no moral qualms with continuing their engagement in the African Slave-trade to Cuba and Brazil, or in reaping enormous profits from the manufacture of slave-picked cotton right up until the North's War to Prevent Southern Independence. But slavery was practiced in some form worldwide until the coming of the Industrial Revolution, when steam power replaced muscle power as the prime mover of industrialized societies, and it is still practiced today in Africa, the Middle East, and some parts of Asia. However, if, as the Bible tells us, the borrower is the servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7) we still practice it today in the United States. Slavery was not abolished in 1865, but merely transformed into something a lot more discreet and a lot more profitable, and we have sold our own children into involuntary servitude to China with our twenty trillion dollar national debt. As for racism, I don't think the South holds a monopoly on that, either. The United States Army did not integrate until the Truman Administration, after World War Two. And during the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s, it is curious that while Northern Freedom Riders were down South giving tutorials on proper race relations to the benighted Southerners, Blacks up North were burning their cities down. And even today, the papers are full of "Black Lives Matter" protests and riots in Northern cities with nary a Confederate Flag in sight. Perhaps we as a nation can find a better way to heal our differences than by self-righteous political scapegoating. H. V. Traywick, Jr. PO Box 9086 Richmond, Virginia 23225 www.hvtraywickjr.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR A native of Lynchburg, Virginia, the author graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1967 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a Regular Commission in the US Army. His service included qualification as an Airborne Ranger, and command of an Engineer company in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star. After his return, he resigned his Commission and ended by making a career as a tugboat captain. During this time he was able to earn a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond, with an international focus on war and cultural revolution. He is a member of the Jamestowne Society, the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Virginia, the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Society of Independent Southern Historians. He currently lives in Richmond, where he writes, studies history, literature and cultural revolution, and occasionally commutes to Norfolk to serve as a tugboat pilot.

Rockbridge County Wants Confederate Flag Memorial on Private Property Removed

Actions by county officials spur additional flag sites and rally supporters of Confederate history and heritage. 

We have received several inquiries regarding the reports out of Rockbridge County of alleged code violations regarding the 60 West Lexington Roadside Memorial Battle Flag that was raised on Lee-Jackson Day, Saturday, January 14th.

Apparently, someone notified the county on Wednesday afternoon, January 11th, that a Confederate flag was scheduled to be raised on Lee-Jackson Day weekend. By Thursday morning, a letter had been drafted by the Rockbridge County Office of Community Development, warning of several alleged violations and threatening fines and other action if the pole was installed. Three different VDOT crews came out Thursday and verified that two of the alleged violations were false, and the Director of Community Development, came out to the flag site and made it clear to the shop owner that he did not approve of the fact that he was raising a Confederate Flag. By the end of the day, and after reviewing the information given, we concluded that county officials were simply trying to intimidate us and prevent the pole from being installed. It was installed late Thursday, January 13th, according to the same state and local building codes followed at the two previous installations in Rockbridge County.

The 20’ x 30’ Confederate Battle Flag was raised in a ceremony the morning of Lee-Jackson Day. Hundreds showed up in the cold rain to see her dedicated to the Glory of God, and in memory and honor of Generals Lee & Jackson, and all of our Confederate heroes. On Tuesday, January 17th, The Va Flaggers, the landowner, and the shop owner, all received notices from the Office of Community Development with (new) alleged code and/or zoning violations. Our attorney is reviewing the letter and state and local codes, and at this time we do not believe we are in violation. We have scheduled a meeting with county officials next week to further discuss the matter.

After that meeting, and upon further review, we will decide whether to file an appeal and/or work with the county to bring the site into compliance IF any of the alleged violations are determined to be legitimate. In the meantime, the publicity brought by this remarkably swift and forceful action by Rockbridge County has stirred up many county residents who don’t like the appearance that the county is coming down hard on one of their citizens for flying a Confederate flag on private property. Since the news broke, we have received offers from no less than 4 landowners for additional flags sites in Lexington, and expect more to follow. We are confident that this matter will be resolved within the 45 days allotted, and that the 90’ pole (or perhaps one even higher) WILL be flying a Confederate Flag on 60 West for years to come.

Photo Courtesy Tredegar Droneworks

Robert E. Lee Monument Will Stay in Charlottesville - City Council Votes to Leave it In Place

VICTORY IN CHARLOTTESVILLE!  WES BELLAMY'S MOTION TO MOVE THE ROBERT E. LEE STATUE FAILS...

...AND KRISTEN SZAKOS, THE WOMAN WHO FIRST CALLED FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE MONUMENT, ANNOUNCES SHE WILL NOT RUN FOR RE-ELECTION!

The motion failed on a 2-2 vote, at their regularly scheduled session last night, with Bellamy and Szakos voting to move the monument, Galvin and Mayor Signer voting to keep it in place, and Fenwick abstaining.  Later, Bellamy and Szakos put forth multiple motions with different wording but with the same call to remove the monument, all of which resulted in the same 2-2 vote, ending in defeat each time.

This decision will save the citizens of Charlottesville millions in wasted legal fees. Lawyers were standing by with injunctions and law suits ready to file had Bellamy's motion passed. City Councillors knew this and opinions from their own City Attorney and the Commonwealth's Attorney General confirmed that moving the monuments would have violated state law.

Disgraced Vice-Mayor Wes Bellamy had called for his supporters to show up in force and apparently they did.  

After the initial vote, chaos erupted in council chambers and police and council members had to step in to intervene.  With the official closing of the Blue Ribbon Commission, the Va Flaggers call for the immediate resignation of Wes Bellamy and an end to the whole fiasco. It is obvious that he does not have the support of his peers or his constituents. He is clearly out of touch with the citizens of Charlottesville, unfit for office, and if allowed to remain on City Council, will continue to be a distraction and impediment to the success of the city.  

The victory in Charlottesville follows on the heels of a similar decision in Alexandria, where state representatives refused City Council's request to seek permission from the State legislature to remove the Confederate monument there, and the defeat of Mayoral candidates in Portsmouth and Richmond who had called for the removal of Confederate Monument.

It is fitting that just a few days after the Lee-Jackson Day holiday in Virginia, and on the eve of the celebration of his birth, we learn that the Robert E. Lee monument in Charlottesville will remain and those who wanted to tear it down have been denied.

God bless the eternal memory of Robert E Lee...and God Save the South!

Lee Jackson Day 2017 - Confederates Push Back In Lexington, Va

The morning of Saturday, January 14th , 2017, Lee-Jackson Day in Lexington, Virginia, dawned cold and drizzly.  As we made our way out to a parcel of land just West of Lexington on Rt. 60, at the edge of Washington & Lee University, we wondered if the inclement weather would affect the turnout for the dedication of the 4th Roadside Memorial Confederate Battle Flag in Lexington.  Although there had only been a few days’ notice given, word of efforts by the Rockbridge County Director of Community Development to stop the installation of the flag pole in the days leading up to the service had caused an uproar in the community and when we arrived an hour and a half early, people were already there.  By the time the service started, the rain had let up and an estimated 250 people had gathered. While the CARE parade was taking place a few miles away, we raised and dedicated a 20’ x 30’ Confederate Battle Flag on a 90’ pole. We were pleased to have Sons of Confederate Veterans National Executive Director Michael Landree to bring the dedication remarks, and the crowd thrilled as the flag was hoisted high to the sound of the “Bonnie Blue Flag” on bagpipes. A musket salute followed the flag raising, where the flag was dedicated “To the Glory of God and in honor and memory of Generals Lee & Jackson, and all of our Confederate heroes.” Special thanks to the Edmund Ruffin Fire-Eaters, Camp #3000, SCV from Mechanicsville for supplying the Color Guard. The Lexington 60 West Memorial Confederate Battle Flag is the 25th flag raised in the Commonwealth since the fall of 2013. We would like to extend special thanks to Rhett Ingram of Dixiana Steel Company in Columbia, SC for supplying the pole, and to Bryan and Jodi Rowsey of 60 West Gun Shop for their support. The Rockbridge County Director of Community Development has threatened swift action to try and have the flag pole removed. We will be ready to defend her. Stay tuned for updates. A reporter asked if the scheduling of this flag raising was deliberate in order to avoid confrontation with the CARE protesters.  The answer is YES.  When it looked like they were going to go ahead with their march on Lee-Jackson Day, we decided that we did not want to be anywhere near Main Street while they were holding their event.  Contrary to what the press and the CARE representatives claimed, we never had any intention of having any kind of confrontation with them.  We knew there would be women and children among our participants, and had no desire to expose to them to what we have seen and heard at these kinds of protests.  We would, however, like to thank for this latest flag site.  We were contacted by a Lexington resident shortly after it was announced that the CARE group would hold a MLK march on Lee-Jackson Day, offering their land for the new site....and before we left the flag raising Saturday morning, we had contact information for several more possible sites.  One of these days, people are going to realize that all we ask is to be left alone! By the time we raised the flag and packed up, the CARE group had finished and was leaving downtown Lexington We held a memorial service at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery at 11:00 a.m., where approximately 300 folks gathered to honor Lee & Jackson and remember their duty and sacrifice to God, Commonwealth and Country. Representatives from 7 different Confederate heritage groups brought greetings, and Sons of Confederate Veterans Army of Northern Virginia Commander Ronnie Roach introduced our guest speaker, SCV Army of Northern Virginia Chaplain Rev. Dr. Herman White. Dr. White gave an inspirational and motivational speech, encouraging all those to follow the example of Lee and Jackson...”Love your neighbor...but stand your ground!”. Following a rifle salute from an honor guard organized by Va Division SCV 3rd Brigade Commander Reggie Bennett, General Jackson led the Color Guard in retiring the colors, and those who were able, fell in behind them to head out on a march through town. In an attempt to disrupt the annual Lee-Jackson Day memorial services in Lexington, Virginia, a local anti-Confederate group applied for and received a permit to hold a protest march on the date and time historically set aside for the Lee-Jackson Day parade which typically followed a memorial service at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery. The Virginia Flaggers immediately filed a request for a parade on Monday, which is the actual MLK holiday, and then offered to switch days with the anti-Confederate protesters since they claimed the purpose of their march was to honor Martin Luther King. They refused the offer, proving their true intention was to disrupt our memorial services and force those who wished to honor Lee and Jackson out of Lexington on that day. The City of Lexington refused to issue a parade permit to the Va Flaggers for later in the day on Saturday, January 14th, but we refused to be pushed out. We scheduled a memorial service for 11:00 a.m. and planned a processional immediately following. There was much speculation about what we were planning, and several groups vowed to "SHUT IT DOWN". Little did they know that their attempts to minimize the Lee/Jackson holiday would have the opposite effect. After a memorial service attended by nearly 300 citizens, 200 Confederates stepped out of the cemetery and began a pre-planned march through Lexington, with Stonewall Jackson leading a Confederate Color Guard. Lexington police stopped traffic at every intersection as the line stretched several city blocks. The result was a solemn march which brought salutes and shouts of thanks. The bagpipes played hauntingly as General Jackson led the procession. When we turned the corner at VMI, a bystander captured this video, and allowed us to share it with you.   Watch Video Here By the time we reached Hopkins Green and started filing in, the realization of what had just occurred sank in and many were moved to tears. As we watched the circle fill once, then twice, and still the procession continued, we were overcome with emotion. Yes, we had carefully planned and considered our options. Yes, we went over the route in detail and tried to cover every what-if. What we didn’t expect, although we should know better, is how God would ultimately, once again, take that which was designed for our detriment, and turn it into something spectacular. At the completion of the march, an impromptu rally continued for a few moments, after which participants disbursed to visit Lee Chapel, the VMI Museum and other Confederate attractions in town. After lunch, several dozen of us returned to the streets of Lexington to flag until dusk, once again receiving mostly affirmative responses from local citizens. As we closed out the day at General Jackson’s church, which has become our custom, we thanked God for His blessing on what had turned out to be a better day than we had dared to hope for...and left with the satisfaction that Lee-Jackson Day in Lexington had been decidedly Confederate, despite attempts by others to dishonor them. Local news coverage: Competing Parades March in Lexington Marchers In Lexington Hold AntiRacism Parade Displacing Confederate Event There seems to be a bit of confusion, brought on by gross misrepresentation of the Lee-Jackson Day events by some in the media. Here are the facts: *The Va Flaggers DID NOT march through Lexington with Confederate flags on Martin Luther King Day. *The C.A.R.E. group DID hold a MLK march through Lexington on Lee-Jackson Day. We DID refuse to let them push us out. We DID hold ceremonies while they were marching and march through town shortly after their event was concluded. We honored Lee & Jackson on Lee-Jackson Day. THEY attempted to disrupt our commemorations. Thanks to the dedication and commitment of hundreds of Confederates...they did NOT succeed.

Va Flaggers Receive Warm Welcome in Lexington for Lee-JacksonDay 2017

We kicked off the Lee-Jackson Day Weekend in Lexington on Friday with a 10:00 a.m. meeting at Stonewall Jackson Cemetery.  After receiving instructions, schedules, and fliers to distribute, about 50 Flaggers, many joining us for the first time,  hit the streets of Lexington!  There were folks from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Mississippi, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Missouri, and Montana, among others... Those who stood vigil on Main Street and at Washington & Lee University reported overwhelmingly positive responses.  Citizens and university students often stopped to shake our hands and thank us for being out there.  We did not see ONE anti-Confederate protester all day on Friday.  One woman stopped at our corner and rolled down her window and told us that she had just left her office on Main Street for lunch, but that she had left her door unlocked in case any of our folks needed to get some water or use the bathroom. Many shop owners waved, saluted, or gave thumbs ups from their stores or offices, and several came out to speak with us.   After lunch, we met at the Jackson Farm flag site to change out the flag there, giving everyone a chance to see the flag sites and see the flags raised, while we could inspect the sites and replace the flags.   From there, we headed out to the I-81 site and replaced the 20' x 30' flag there... ...and finished up by putting up a new 8'x8' ANV Battle Flag at the Visitor's Center site downtown! From the Visitor's Center, we grabbed our flags and headed a few blocks over to pay our respects to General Jackson on the parade grounds at VMI.  By this time, more people had arrived, and we made something of a procession heading across town.  What happened over the next hour or so turned out to be the highlight of the day for most of us... As we approached Letcher Avenue and started up the sidewalk, we noticed a Washington & Lee Security vehicle parked half way up the walk. Apprehensive, we decided to go ahead and continue our trek. As we neared, the officer approached, and as we walked by, he simply greeted us and wished us well.  We were able to walk freely up to the parade grounds at VMI to pay our respects. We paused for a photo and sang Dixie. This video does not do it justice, but gives you an idea of the spirit of the moment: https://youtu.be/NU_2zKey9Uo This in itself was enough to thrill most of us, especially after what we dealt with last year. But then...a gentleman came out to lower the U.S. and state flags as dusk was approaching, and when several of our folks stopped to chat with him, he introduced himself as a VMI official and INVITED US INSIDE FOR A TOUR. We stepped in and he spoke for a bit about Jackson, showed us where his office was, told us a little of the Confederate history and the history of VMI, and went on to say that he very much appreciated us coming by and that we were welcome any time. He wanted to be sure we knew that VMI was proud of its heritage...which he said was the heritage of America AND of the South. One glance around the group that had gathered and I could see that I was not the only one standing inside that archway with goose bumps and watery eyes.  It was an absolutely phenomenal end to the first day in Lexington, and we thanked him repeatedly for his hospitality. Most of us walked away in awe and wonder in what appears to be a complete shift in policy from BOTH universities. Washington & Lee who tried to prevent us from even having access to Letcher Avenue last year, yet smiled and waved as we walked by this year....and VMI who quietly tolerated us in the past, and went out of their way to welcome us on Friday. Supper Friday night was a great time of fun, fellowship, and last minute instructions for the planned events on Saturday.  We had asked the restaurant to reserve seating for about 50, and ended up with closer to 100 in attendance.   News Reports from Friday: Lexington To Hold First MLK Parade Despite Controversy Controversy Over Lee-Jackson-MLK Celebrations Continue in Lexington This Weekend Up next:  Reports and photos from Saturday's mega flag raising, memorial service, and march through town!