Monumental Confederate Court Victories in Virginia and Alabama Today!

We are THRILLED to report the news of TWO major victories today in the fight to save our heritage. In Virginia, a Louisa County judge denied a motion in a murder case to remove a portrait of Robert E. Lee from the Louisa County Circuit Courthouse. Attorneys for Darcel Murphy, who faces the possibility of the death penalty if he is convicted for the murder of Kevin Robinson in March 2016, had argued that the portrait of the Confederate general in the courtroom could influence jurors during Murphy’s trial. Murphy is African American, as was Robinson. The display of Confederate symbols “violate the defendant’s right to equal protection under the law,” lead attorney Douglas Ramseur wrote in his 2018 motion to remove the portrait. “There is no greater offense to the Equal Protection Clause [of the Constitution] than government favoritism of one race over another.” Sanner agreed that the Lee portrait is much larger than any other portrait in the courtroom. But he described the image of Lee in his uniform, standing in front of a tree, as “benign.” “The concern of the Defendant in this case is really not what this portrait depicts, but who it depicts,” he wrote. “Setting aside its subject, the portrait does not compromise the fair administration of justice.” The judge said, referring to slavery, that “those who played an active role in defending the indefensible face substantial difficulty in escaping the harsh judgment of history.”  But he also noted that many people admire “the real or perceived qualities of General Lee.” He noted that Lee is one of the few individuals to have a state holiday observed in their honor.  “It is difficult for the Court to accept that nothing other than the implied original and continuing racism of the Virginia General Assembly supports that distinction,” Sanner wrote.

Meanwhile, a HUGE win in Alabama, where the Alabama Supreme court REVERSED a lower court ruling on the Confederate monument in Linn Park in Birmingham, and UPHELD Alabama's historic monument protection law!

The Alabama Supreme Court today ruled that the city of Birmingham violated Alabama’s monument protection law when it placed a plywood screen around a Confederate monument in Linn Park in August 2017.

In a 9-0 decision, the justices reversed a lower court ruling in favor of the city. The Supreme Court sent the case back to circuit court with instructions to enter an order that the city broke the law and must pay a $25,000 fine.

The Legislature passed the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act in 2017 in response to removals and calls for removal of Confederate monuments on public property.

The law prohibits local governments from moving, altering, renaming, or otherwise disturbing monuments that have been in place 40 years or more.

The stone base of the Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument has been in Linn Park since 1894. The marble shaft was added in 1905, when the Pelham Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy dedicated the monument.

Former Birmingham Mayor William Bell ordered the covering of the monument. Bell took that step after a city councilman asked that the monument be removed.

Attorney General Steve Marshall filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare the covering of the monument violated the Memorial Preservation Act.

In January, Jefferson County Circuit Judge Michael Graffeo ruled that the law violated the city’s rights to free speech and due process.

“Just as the state could not force any particular citizen to post a pro-Confederacy sign in his or her front lawn, so too can the state not commandeer the city’s property for the state’s preferred message,” Graffeo wrote.

In a 44-page opinion today, Justice Tommy Bryan cited legal precedents and concluded that the circuit court erred in ruling that the city had constitutional rights to free speech and due process.

The ruling also addressed the amount of the fine. The law calls for a $25,000 for each violation of the act. Bryan concluded that the city was subject to a single $25,000 fine, rather than a fine for each day the monument was covered.

While we realize the fight is only beginning, let's take a moment to pause and thank God for these victories.  Every win helps our momentum, encourages our supporters, and reminds those who would have every trace of our history and heritage removed that there are still plenty of us with PLENTY of fight left.

God bless all those who continue to fight the good fight, and God save the South!

Giving Thanks in the Tradition of Jefferson Davis

The Virginia Flaggers invite all of our friends and supporters to join us as we pause to give thanks to Almighty God for our bountiful blessings and continued shield of protection against our foes. We wish you and yours a blessed and very Happy Thanksgiving and encourage you all to follow the example set by President Jefferson Davis:
 

"...Now, therefore, I, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, do issue this, my proclamation, setting apart Thursday, the 18th day of September inst., as a day of prayer and thanksgiving to Almighty God for the great mercies vouchsafed to our people, and more especially for the triumph of our arms at Richmond and Manassas;

and I do hereby invite the people of the Confederate States to meet on that day at their respective places of public worship, and to unite in rendering thanks and praise to God for these great mercies, and to implore Him to conduct our country safely through the perils which surround us, to the final attainment of the blessings of peace and security. Given under my hand and the seal of the Confederate States, at Richmond, this fourth day of September, A.D. 1862"

Leftist Terrorists Vandalize Memorial Battle Flag Sites in Pittsboro, NC

Patriots were on the scene of one of our 6 flag sites in Pittsboro, NC early Saturday morning where one of our flag poles was vandalized and cut down overnight. Police have been notified and an investigation is underway.  Several of the other sites were vandalized, as well, with (failed) attempts made to cut them down, as well.  Meanwhile, a temporary flag has been raised in its place, and volunteers are working to clean up the site, where the terrorists tossed welded nails in an attempt to further damage personal property and cause bodily harm to any men, women, or children who help maintain the site.

 

Just another example of the very real and stark difference between us and them.

 

The flag will be back up and flying soon, and no doubt once word spreads, we will get even more offers of land for more flag sites. Criminal activity like this is meant to intimidate, but only serves to strengthen our resolve. We survived four years of illegal invasion and 150+ years of reconstruction. This. Ain’t. Nothing.

 

To assist with this and our other Interstate Battle Flags and ongoing Heritage Defense projects, please make checks payable to
“The Virginia Flaggers” and mail to:
P.O. Box 393, Sutherland VA 23885

Or donate here:  
www.vaflaggers.com/i95flagdonate.html.

As Virginia Democrats Vow to Destroy War Memorials, The Va Flaggers Prepare to Fight Back

Despite the fact that poll after poll shows an OVERWHELMING majority of Virginia's citizens want to keep our war memorials standing, and even though the false narratives that attempt to somehow tie our Confederate monuments to "Jim Crow" and "white supremacy" have been thoroughly debunked, Virginia Democrats are chomping at the bit to exact revenge on conservatives, vowing to introduce legislation to allow the destruction of our war memorials now that they control both house of the Va legislature.   We are busy making plans of our own. We will fight to keep every monument and memorial standing, and every flag flying, but in the meantime, we will continue to raise more flags and monuments on PRIVATE property across the Commonwealth, making sure they know that there are still those of us who will NOT go away quietly into the night, and that the memory and honor of our Confederate ancestors will NEVER be erased.

Another flag went up in Virginia over the weekend! Congratulations to the men of the High Bridge Camp #1581 SCV on the dedication of this beauty today on Rt 360 in Amelia County. We are honored to have assisted them with this endeavor and thrilled to see another massive battle flag filling the skies in the Commonwealth! To the Glory of God and in memory of Virginia’s Confederate veterans who sacrificed all in the struggle for independence and the constitutional right to self-governance.

For every flag or monument removed, a thousand more will rise to take its place. 

Call To Arms! Va Flaggers Seek Volunteers to Help With Mega Flag Sites

Over the past few weeks, our Guardians of the Flags have been busy replacing and repairing flags at many of our 29 Memorial Battle Flag sites. Pictured here, volunteers change out the flag at the Prince George, I-95 Wade Hampton Memorial Battle Flag Site. Many, many thanks to our army of volunteers across the Commonwealth, the Guardians of the Flags, who give of their time and talents to maintain our flag sites, and to all of you who help us keep an eye on them and let us know when a flag site has an issue or needs attention.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Would you like to be a part of the behind the scenes group of people who help maintain our Memorial Battle Flag sites across the Commonwealth? All you need is a heart for the Cause and a few hours each month, as needed. Our Guardians of the Flags change out flags as needed, keep an eye on wear and tear, pull down flags ahead of storms, and help us with maintenance as needed. We are currently looking for additional volunteers for the following localities in Virginia: Danville Eastern Henrico Stanford County Dinwiddie County Prince George County Petersburg Chester Lexington If you would like to volunteer, or need more information, please contact us at vaflaggers@gmail.com Many thanks to ALL of our Guardians, and to the continued and generous financial support from so many of you who help make these projects possible. God bless you all, and God save the South!