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Confederate Shame
Jody Commander
Member Posts: 855 ✭✭✭✭
This past Sunday a ceremony was held in Franklin Co. Va. It was grave dedication for a wagon driver, he was NOT a soldier but a paid employee. At this dedication there were uniformed members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, A honor guard, the local Roanoke Post Commander, the State of Va. Post Commander, representatives of state and local Govt. and cannon fire to mark the solemnity of the ceremony,members of the media were there to film and interview the gathered notables of Va. and the smiling and smug leaders of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. There were handshakes, hugs and a flag was presented to the descendants of this humble wagon driver.Why, you might ask was so lavish a dedication required? the answer is The wagon driver was black.
Now I have no way of knowing what kind of a man he was, he may well have been as virtuos and noble a specimen as God ever placed on this earth, but he was NOT a Confederate Soldier! He never faced the blue garbed enemy that had invaded his homeland with shot and steel. He never risked his life and property for the cause of Southern liberty.
The usual grave marker ceremony for a Confederate soldier consists of a few musket toters wearing the same uniforms as worn by the man they are there to honor, no media, no big shots from Richmond, no state Commander, just a few words, a blast from the muskets and a half hearted flag presentation,that is what the Confederate Soldier gets, but black wagon drivers conscripted or paid to drive a team get the above detailed honors for being black, not brave, not wounded,not a P.O.W. not a soldier, not a hero, just black. I read of this and heard a first hand report from one of the participants,I pulled My Sons of Confederate Veterans membership card from My wallet and cut it in halves, handed it to the participating member with the instructions to return it to the Post Commander, I am no longer willing or proud to be a member of an organization that places political correctness above their Southern heritage and dishonors Confederate soldiers and their descendants.
Now I have no way of knowing what kind of a man he was, he may well have been as virtuos and noble a specimen as God ever placed on this earth, but he was NOT a Confederate Soldier! He never faced the blue garbed enemy that had invaded his homeland with shot and steel. He never risked his life and property for the cause of Southern liberty.
The usual grave marker ceremony for a Confederate soldier consists of a few musket toters wearing the same uniforms as worn by the man they are there to honor, no media, no big shots from Richmond, no state Commander, just a few words, a blast from the muskets and a half hearted flag presentation,that is what the Confederate Soldier gets, but black wagon drivers conscripted or paid to drive a team get the above detailed honors for being black, not brave, not wounded,not a P.O.W. not a soldier, not a hero, just black. I read of this and heard a first hand report from one of the participants,I pulled My Sons of Confederate Veterans membership card from My wallet and cut it in halves, handed it to the participating member with the instructions to return it to the Post Commander, I am no longer willing or proud to be a member of an organization that places political correctness above their Southern heritage and dishonors Confederate soldiers and their descendants.
Comments
Harleeman1030@aol.com
NRA MEMBER
...I am no longer willing or proud to be a member of an organization that places political correctness above their Southern heritage and dishonors Confederate soldiers and their descendants.
...or maybe you're just a racist?
Will the black man bury a white Confederate Soldier driver next to MLK..Malcom X (sp) ?
Harleeman1030@aol.com
NRA MEMBER
Edited by - harleeman1030 on 09/10/2002 21:44:46
You kinda stumped me on that one Blade.
Not many people bring up the fact about blacks fighting for the southren states.I say of course bury and honor anyone who fought on your side.Remember whole familes were torn apart from this war.You and I hope you and I never have to side against each other like they did then.Standing up for what you believe in can sometimes cost you dearly no matter what color you are.
Again let them (black PC seeking people) bury a white soldier next to someone they hold high..It will not ever happen.
Harleeman1030@aol.com
NRA MEMBER
Edited by - harleeman1030 on 09/10/2002 23:12:27
I wonder about U.S.Merchant Marine sailors and officers serving during WWII....after all the were just union whores making the big bucks while sailors, soldiers, airmen and Marines took all the chances....or did they? Murmansk Run must have been kind of tough for them. Now this black Confederate teamster who did nothing more than deliver the goods in his wagon to fighting men had nothing to worry about other than the occasional shell and bullet flying over his head. Maybe he had that born again wild man, G.A. Custer(the guy who beat J.E.B. Stuart) chasing him down some road, shooting at him and trying to take his goodies away from the Confederacy. Does the fact that he was a teamster negate his dedication to his cause...even if he did get paid for it? I'm not sure...you make the call.
You are probably right this guy did get the full blown "dog and pony" show because he was black, but perhaps the Sons of the Confederacy are doing this with malice aforethought to diffuse the constant criticism of the South and the Confederacy by many radical black groups who refuse to accept that more than a few blacks served with honor and distinction for their Confederate cause. By including blacks whereever and whenever they can find them it certainly goes a long way to making the point that the war was about states rights rather than "slavery". It really is a tough one for racist blacks to argue with you when you are honoring a black man who saw his duty to the Confederacy. I'd be just a little less critical and might just stay current in my organization especially feeling as strongly as you do rather than cutting up your membership card. Now lets talk about how good the sainted G.A.C. was at chasing and embarressing that rebel scoundrel J.E.B!!!! Beach
The SOUTH was right, I'm not saying that slavery was
right but we were defending our freedom.
Many black confeds,
there was also one of the biggest revivals for the black/
white confederates/slaves.
They were taken from a place worse than
where they were brought to.
given food, taught the Bible, treated as the working man, but paid
for , NOT RIGHT,
but better off than they were before.
The south,
What a beautiful place.
We are all brothers now.
No yanks, or Rebs,
JUST AMERICANS, FOR OUR RIGHTS AND FREEDOM!
JUSTICE WITHOUT MERCY
IS TYRANY, MERCY WITHOUT
JUSTICE IS WEAKNESS
CHRISTIAN,AMERICAN
HETEROSEXUAL,PROGUN
CONSERVATIVE
There were Blacks, Indians, Irish, Germans and even French and British soldiers in service with Confederate forces during the War,and I am proud of all their efforts, but a circus-like ceremony for a teamster far in excess of those of soldiers for no other reason than P.C. is hypocrisy. Compare this to honoring the guy that built the Fire Trucks used during the 11 Sept.disaster with a ceremony much greater than the N.Y.P.D. emergency guys that died just because He is Gay. I am not racist, or homophobic, but it bites My * to see such hypocrisy perpetrated just to curry media attention and pay homage to political correctness. I'm not asking anyone else to quit, or to do anything at all, and to imply that I am a racist just to cause a reaction here is about on the same level as the Jerks at the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
In the words of Gen. Patton: "I don't want you to die for your country. I want you to make some other poor * die for his."
Seems like that's what my father did. Make some other poor * die for his. The honor is not in where you're buried. The honor is in how you served your country.
Mudge the semi-offended
I can't come to work today. The voices said, STAY HOME AND CLEAN THE GUNS!
BUT, the one that stuck out the most, was one that had the father, not yet deceased, the wife, deceased, and the son, deceased, on it.
Thats like telling the VA hospitals to only treat vets with combat wounds. Their mission has a broader statement.
As to the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Jody...you are throwing the baby out with the bath water. You cant rate how deserving a vet is by his MOS. Thats a Bullzeye type statement and if you think the matter through you will agree. Were the passengers on Flight 93 any less heroes because they werent in the military? They laid Tom Burnette in Arlington...was he deserving? You tell me?
If your disagreement is strictly over the size of the ceremony...that you can take up with your post commander. The deserving part...teamster or not...thats where we differ.
swede
WyomingSwede
Sometimes political correctness goes too far. Everyone who contributed deserves to be honored to the same degree. It is very sad when people base their knowledge off of things they learned in school- basic education seems to neglect the facts. The Civil War was NOT totally about slavery. Black men fought on both sides.
History would be interesting if they would only let it.
" God is in His Heaven, All is Right in the World. "