http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389 THE 10 CAUSES OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Historians have long debated the causes of the war and the Southern perspective differs greatly from the Northern perspective. Based upon the study of original documents of theWar Between The States (Civil War) era and facts and information published by Confederate Veterans, Confederate Chaplains, Southern writers and Southern Historians before, during, and after the war, I present the facts, opinions, and conclusions stated in the following article. &nbsp;&nbsp; Technically the 10 causes listed are reasons for Southern secession. The only cause of the war was that the South was invaded and responded to Northern aggression. &nbsp;&nbsp; I respectfully disagree with those who claim that the War Between the States was fought over slavery or that the abolition of slavery in the Revolutionary Era or early Federal period would have prevented war. It is my opinion that war was inevitable between the North and South due to complex political and cultural differences. The famous Englishman Winston Churchill stated that the war between the North and South was one of the most unpreventable wars in history. The Cause that the Confederate States of America fought for (1861-1865) was Southern Independence from the United States of America. Many parallels exist between the War for American Independence ( 1775-1783 ) and the War for Southern Independence. &nbsp;&nbsp; There were 10 political causes of the war (causes of Southern Secession)&nbsp;---one of which was slavery--&nbsp; which was a scapegoat for all the differences that existed between the North and South. The Northern industrialists had wanted a war since about 1830 to get the South's resources ( land-cotton-coal-timber-minerals ) for pennies on the dollar. All wars are economic and are always between centralists and decentralists.The North would have found an excuse to invade the South even if slavery had never existed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A war almost occurred during 1828-1832 over the tariff when South Carolina passed nullification laws. The U.S. congress had increased the tariff rate on imported products to 40% ( known as the tariff of abominations in Southern States ). This crisis had nothing to do with slavery. If slavery had never existed --period--or had been eliminated at the time the Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 or anytime prior to 1860 it is my opinion that there would still have been a war sooner or later. &nbsp;&nbsp; On a human level there were 4 causes of the war--New England Greed--New England Fanatics--New England Zealots--and New England Hypocrites. During &quot;So Called Reconstruction&quot; ( 1865-1877 ) the New England Industrialists got what they had really wanted for 40 years--THE SOUTH'S RESOURCES FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR. It was a political coalition between the New England economic interests and the New England fanatics and zealots that caused Southern secession to be necessary for economic survival and safety of the population. 1. TARIFF--Prior to the war about 75% of the money to operate the Federal Government was derived from the Southern States via an unfair sectional tariff on imported goods and 50% of the total 75% was from just 4 Southern states--Virginia-North Carolina--South Carolina and Georgia. Only 10%--20% of this tax money was being returned to the South. The Southern states were being treated as an agricultural colony of the North and bled dry. John Randolph of Virginia's remarks in opposition to the tariff of 1820 demonstrates that fact. The North claimed that they fought the war to preserve the Union but the New England Industrialists who were in control of the North were actually supporting preservation of the Union to maintain and increase revenue from the tariff. The industrialists wanted the South to pay for the industrialization of America at no expense to themselves. Revenue bills introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives prior to the War Between the States were biased, unfair and inflammatory to the South. Abraham Lincoln had promised the Northern industrialists that he would increase the tariff rate if he was elected president of the United States. Lincoln increased the rate to a level that exceeded even the &quot;Tariff of Abominations&quot; 40% rate that had so infuriated the South during the 1828-1832 era ( between 50 and 51% on iron goods). The election of a president that was Anti-Southern on all issues and politically associated with the New England industrialists, fanatics, and zealots brought about the Southern secession movement. 2. CENTRALIZATION VERSUS STATES RIGHTS---The United States of America was founded as a Constitutional Federal Republic in 1789 composed of a Limited Federal Government and Sovereign States. The North wanted to and did alter the form of Government this nation was founded upon. The Confederate States of America fought to preserve Constitutional Limited Federal Government as established by America&rsquo;s founding fathers who were primarily Southern Gentlemen from Virginia. Thus Confederate soldiers were fighting for rights that had been paid for in blood by their forefathers upon the battlefields of the American Revolution. Abraham Lincoln had a blatant disregard for The Constitution of the United States of America. His War of aggression Against the South changed America from a Constitutional Federal Republic to a Democracy ( with Socialist leanings ) and broke the original Constitution. The infamous Socialist Karl Marx sent Lincoln a letter of congratulations after his reelection in 1864. A considerable number of European Socialists came to America and fought for the Union (North). 3.&nbsp; CHRISTIANITY VERSUS SECULAR HUMANISM--The South believed in basic Christianity as presented in the Holy Bible.The North had many Secular Humanists ( atheists, transcendentalists and non-Christians ). Southerners were afraid of what kind of country America might become if the North had its way. Secular Humanism is the belief that there is no God and that man,science and government can solve all problems. This philosophy advocates human rather than religious values. Reference : Frank Conner&rsquo;s book &quot;The South Under Siege 1830-2000.&quot; 4. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES--Southerners and Northerners were of different Genetic Lineages. Southerners were primarily of Western English (original Britons),Scottish,and Irish linage (Celtic) whereas Northerners tended to be of Anglo-Saxon and Danish (Viking) extraction. The two&nbsp; cultures had been at war and at odds for over 1000 years before they arrived in America. Our ancient ancestors in Western England under King Arthur humbled the Saxon princes at the battle of Baden Hill ( circa 497 AD --516 AD ). The cultural differences that contributed to the War Between the States (1861-1865 ) had existed for 1500 years or more. 5.&nbsp; CONTROL OF WESTERN TERRITORIES--The North wanted to control Western States and Territories such as Kansas and Nebraska. New England formed Immigrant Aid Societies and sent settlers to these areas that were politically attached to the North. They passed&nbsp; laws against slavery that Southerners considered punitive. These political actions told Southerners they were not welcome in the new states and territories. It was all about control--slavery was a scapegoat. 6. NORTHERN INDUSTRIALISTS WANTED THE SOUTH'S RESOURCES.&nbsp; The Northern Industrialists wanted a war to use as an excuse to get the South's resources for pennies on the dollar. They began a campaign about 1830 that would influence the common people of the North and create enmity that would allow them to go to war against the South. These Northern Industrialists brought up a morality claim against the South alleging the evils of slavery. The Northern Hypocrites conveniently neglected to publicize the fact that 5 New England States ( Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York ) were primarily responsible for the importation of most of the slaves from Africa to America. These states had both private and state owned fleets of ships. 7. SLANDER OF THE SOUTH BY NORTHERN NEWSPAPERS.&nbsp; This political cause ties in to the above listed efforts by New England Industrialists. Beginning about 1830 the Northern Newspapers began to slander the South. The Industrialists used this tool to indoctrinate the common people of the North. They used slavery as a scapegoat and brought the morality claim up to a feverish pitch. Southerners became tired of reading in the Northern Newspapers about what bad and evil people they were just because their neighbor down the road had a few slaves. This propaganda campaign created hostility between the ordinary citizens of the two regions and created the animosity necessary for war. The Northern Industrialists worked poor whites in the factories of the North under terrible conditions for 18 hours a day ( including children ). When the workers became old and infirm they were fired. It is a historical fact that during this era there were thousands of old people living homeless on the streets in the cities of the North. In the South a slave was cared for from birth to death. Also the diet and living conditions of Southern slaves was superior to that of most white Northern factory workers. Southerners deeply resented this New England hypocrisy and slander. 8.&nbsp; NEW ENGLANDERS ATTEMPTED TO INSTIGATE MASSIVE SLAVE REBELLIONS IN THE SOUTH.&nbsp; Abolitionists were a small but vocal and militant group in New England who demanded instant abolition of slavery in the South. These fanatics and zealots were calling for massive slave uprisings that would result in the murder of Southern men, women and children. Southerners were aware that such an uprising had occurred in Santa Domingo in the 1790 era and that the French (white) population had been massacred. The abolitionists published a terrorist manifesto and tried to smuggle 100,000 copies into the South showing slaves how to murder their masters at night. Then when John Brown raided Harpers Ferry,Virginia in 1859 the political situation became inflammatory. Prior to this event there had been&nbsp;more abolition societies in the South&nbsp;than in the North. Lincoln and most of the Republican Party ( 64 members of congress ) had adopted a political platform in support of terrorist acts against the South. Some (allegedly including Lincoln) had contributed monetarily as supporters of John Browns terrorist activities.. Again slavery was used as a scapegoat for all differences that existed between the North and South. &nbsp;9.. SLAVERY.&nbsp; Indirectly slavery was a cause of the war. Most Southerners did not own slaves and would not have fought for the protection of slavery. However they believed that the North had no Constitutional right to free slaves held by citizens of Sovereign Southern States. Prior to the war there were five times as many abolition societies in the South as in the North. Virtually all educated Southerners were in favor of gradual emancipation of slaves. Gradual emancipation would have allowed the economy and labor system of the South to gradually adjust to a free paid labor system without economic collapse. Furthermore, since the New England States were responsible for the development of slavery in America, Southerners saw the morality claims by the North as blatant hypocrisy. The first state to legalize slavery had been Massachusetts in 1641 and this law was directed primarily at Indians. In colonial times the economic infrastructure of the port cities of the North was dependent upon the slave trade. The first slave ship in America, &quot;THE DESIRE&quot;, was fitted out in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Further proof that Southerners were not fighting to preserve slavery is found in the diary of an officer in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. He stated that &quot;he had never met a man in the Army of Northern Virginia that claimed he was fighting to preserve slavery&quot;. If the war had been over slavery, the composition of the politicians, officers, enlisted men, and even African Americans would have been different. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had freed his slaves (Custis estate) prior to 1863 whereas Union General Grant's wife Julia did not free her slaves until after the war when forced to do so by the 13th amendment to the constitution. Grant even stated that if the abolitionists claimed he was fighting to free slaves that he would offer his services to the South. Mildred Lewis Rutherford ( 1852-1928 ) was for many years the historian for the United Daughters Of The Confederacy (UDC). In her book Truths Of History she stated that there were more slaveholders in the Union Army ( 315,000 ) than the Confederate Army ( 200,000 ). Statistics and estimates also show that about 300,000 blacks supported the Confederacy versus about 200,000 for the Union. Clearly the war would have been fought along different lines if it had been fought over slavery. The famous English author Charles Dickens stated &quot; the Northern onslaught upon Southern slavery is a specious piece of humbug designed to mask their desire for the economic control of the Southern states.&quot; 10,&nbsp; NORTHERN AGGRESSION AGAINST SOUTHERN STATES,&nbsp; Proof that Abraham Lincoln wanted war may be found in the manner he handled the Fort Sumter incident. Original correspondence between Lincoln and Naval Captain G.V.Fox shows proof that Lincoln acted with deceit and willfully provoked South Carolina into firing on the fort ( A TARIFF COLLECTION FACILITY ). It was politically important that the South be provoked into firing the first shot so that Lincoln could claim the Confederacy started the war. Additional proof that Lincoln wanted war is the fact that Lincoln refused to meet with a Confederate peace delegation. They remained in Washington for 30 days and returned to Richmond only after it became apparent that Lincoln wanted war and refused to meet and discuss a peace agreement. After setting up the Fort Sumter incident for the purpose of starting a war, Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to put down what he called a rebellion. He intended to march Union troops across Virginia and North Carolina to attack South Carolina. Virginia and North Carolina were not going to allow such an unconstitutional and criminal act of aggression against a sovereign sister Southern State. Lincoln's act of aggression caused the secession of the upper Southern States. On April 17th 1861, Governor Letcher of Virginia sent this message to Washington DC: &quot; I have only to say that the militia of Virginia will not be furnished to the powers of Washington for any such use or purpose as they have in view. Your object is to subjugate the Southern states and the requisition made upon me for such a object-an object in my judgement not within the purview of the constitution or the act of 1795, will not be complied with. You have chosen to inaugurate civil war; having done so we will meet you in a spirit as determined as the administration has exhibited toward the South.&quot; &nbsp;The WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 1861-1865 occurred due to many complex causes and factors as enumerated above. Those who make claims that &quot;the war was over slavery&quot; or that if slavery had been abolished in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed or in 1789 when The Constitution of the United States of America was signed, that war would not have occurred between North and South are being very simplistic in their views and opinions. &nbsp; The following conversation between English ship Captain Hillyar and Capt. Raphael Semmes-Confederate Ships CSS Sumter &amp; Alabama&nbsp;occurred during the war on&nbsp;August 5th, 1861.&nbsp; It is a summary from a well-educated Southerner who is stating his reasons for fighting. Captain Hillyar expressed surprised at Captain Semme's contention that the people of the South were &quot;defending ourselves against robbers with knives at our throats&quot;, and asked for further clarification as to how this was so, the exchange below occurred. I especially was impressed with Semmes' assessment of yankee motives - the creation of &quot;Empire&quot;! Semmes: &quot;Simply that the machinery of the Federal Government, under which we have lived, and which was designed for the common benefit, has been made the means of despoiling the South, to enrich the North&quot;, and I explained to him the workings of the iniquitous tariffs, under the operation of which the South had, in effect, been reduced to a dependent colonial condition, almost as abject as that of the Roman provinces, under their proconsuls; the only difference being, that smooth-faced hypocrisy had been added to robbery, inasmuch as we had been plundered under the forms of law&quot; Captain Hillyar: &quot;All this is new to me&quot;, replied the captain. &quot;I thought that your war had arisen out of the slavery question&quot;. Semmes: &quot;That is the common mistake of foreigners. The enemy has taken pains to impress foreign nations with this false view of the case. With the exception of a few honest zealots, the canting hypocritical Yankee cares as little for our slaves as he does for our draught animals. The war which he has been making upon slavery for the last 40 years is only an interlude, or by-play, to help on the main action of the drama, which is Empire; and it is a curious coincidence that it was commenced about the time the North began to rob the South by means of its tariffs. When a burglar designs to enter a dwelling for the purpose of robbery, he provides himself with the necessary implements. The slavery question was one of the implements employed to help on the robbery of the South. It strengthened the Northern party, and enabled them to get their tariffs through Congress; and when at length, the South, driven to the wall, turned, as even the crushed worm will turn, it was cunningly perceived by the Northern men that 'No slavery' would be a popular war-cry, and hence, they used it. It is true that we are defending our slave property, but we are defending it no more than any other species of our property - it is all endangered, under a general system of robbery. We are in fact, fighting for independence. &nbsp;The Union victory in 1865 destroyed the right of secession in America,which had been so cherished by America's founding fathers as the principle of their revolution. British historian and political philosopher Lord Acton, one of the most intellectual figures in Victorian England, understood the deeper meaning of Southern defeat. In a letter to former Confederate General Robert E. Lee dated November 4,1866, Lord Acton wrote &quot; I saw in States Rights the only available check upon the absolutism of the sovereign will, and secession filled me with hope, not as the destruction but as the redemption of Democracy. I deemed you were fighting the battles of our liberty, our progress, and our civilization and I mourn for that which was lost at Richmond more deeply than I rejoice over that which was saved at Waterloo (defeat of Napoleon). As Illinois Governor Richard Yates stated in a message to his state assembly on January 2,1865, the war had &quot; tended, more than any other event in the history of the country, to militate against the Jeffersonian Ideal ( Thomas Jefferson ) that the best government is that which governs least. Years after the war former Confederate president Jefferson Davis stated &quot; I Am saddened to Hear Southerners Apologize For Fighting To Preserve Our Inheritance&quot;. Some years later former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt stated &quot; Those Who Will Not Fight For The Graves Of Their Ancestors Are Beyond Redemption&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; James W. King &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Commander Camp 141 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lt. Col. Thomas M. Nelson Sons of Confederate Veterans PO Box 70577 Albany, Georgia 31708 229-436-0397 jkingantiquearms@bellsouth.net THE 10 CAUSES OF THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Historians have long debated the causes of the war and the Southern perspective differs greatly from the Northern perspective. Based upon the study of original documents of theWar Between The States (Civil War) era and facts and information published by Confederate Veterans, Confederate Chaplains, Southern writers and Southern Historians before, during, and after the war, I present the facts, opinions, and conclusions stated in the following article. &nbsp;&nbsp; Technically the 10 causes listed are reasons for Southern secession. The only cause of the war was that the South was invaded and responded to Northern aggression. &nbsp;&nbsp; I respectfully disagree with those who claim that the War Between the States was fought over slavery or that the abolition of slavery in the Revolutionary Era or early Federal period would have prevented war. It is my opinion that war was inevitable between the North and South due to complex political and cultural differences. The famous Englishman Winston Churchill stated that the war between the North and South was one of the most unpreventable wars in history. The Cause that the Confederate States of America fought for (1861-1865) was Southern Independence from the United States of America. Many parallels exist between the War for American Independence ( 1775-1783 ) and the War for Southern Independence. &nbsp;&nbsp; There were 10 political causes of the war (causes of Southern Secession)&nbsp;---one of which was slavery--&nbsp; which was a scapegoat for all the differences that existed between the North and South. The Northern industrialists had wanted a war since about 1830 to get the South's resources ( land-cotton-coal-timber-minerals ) for pennies on the dollar. All wars are economic and are always between centralists and decentralists.The North would have found an excuse to invade the South even if slavery had never existed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A war almost occurred during 1828-1832 over the tariff when South Carolina passed nullification laws. The U.S. congress had increased the tariff rate on imported products to 40% ( known as the tariff of abominations in Southern States ). This crisis had nothing to do with slavery. If slavery had never existed --period--or had been eliminated at the time the Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 or anytime prior to 1860 it is my opinion that there would still have been a war sooner or later. &nbsp;&nbsp; On a human level there were 4 causes of the war--New England Greed--New England Fanatics--New England Zealots--and New England Hypocrites. During &quot;So Called Reconstruction&quot; ( 1865-1877 ) the New England Industrialists got what they had really wanted for 40 years--THE SOUTH'S RESOURCES FOR PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR. It was a political coalition between the New England economic interests and the New England fanatics and zealots that caused Southern secession to be necessary for economic survival and safety of the population. 1. TARIFF--Prior to the war about 75% of the money to operate the Federal Government was derived from the Southern States via an unfair sectional tariff on imported goods and 50% of the total 75% was from just 4 Southern states--Virginia-North Carolina--South Carolina and Georgia. Only 10%--20% of this tax money was being returned to the South. The Southern states were being treated as an agricultural colony of the North and bled dry. John Randolph of Virginia's remarks in opposition to the tariff of 1820 demonstrates that fact. The North claimed that they fought the war to preserve the Union but the New England Industrialists who were in control of the North were actually supporting preservation of the Union to maintain and increase revenue from the tariff. The industrialists wanted the South to pay for the industrialization of America at no expense to themselves. Revenue bills introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives prior to the War Between the States were biased, unfair and inflammatory to the South. Abraham Lincoln had promised the Northern industrialists that he would increase the tariff rate if he was elected president of the United States. Lincoln increased the rate to a level that exceeded even the &quot;Tariff of Abominations&quot; 40% rate that had so infuriated the South during the 1828-1832 era ( between 50 and 51% on iron goods). The election of a president that was Anti-Southern on all issues and politically associated with the New England industrialists, fanatics, and zealots brought about the Southern secession movement. 2. CENTRALIZATION VERSUS STATES RIGHTS---The United States of America was founded as a Constitutional Federal Republic in 1789 composed of a Limited Federal Government and Sovereign States. The North wanted to and did alter the form of Government this nation was founded upon. The Confederate States of America fought to preserve Constitutional Limited Federal Government as established by America&rsquo;s founding fathers who were primarily Southern Gentlemen from Virginia. Thus Confederate soldiers were fighting for rights that had been paid for in blood by their forefathers upon the battlefields of the American Revolution. Abraham Lincoln had a blatant disregard for The Constitution of the United States of America. His War of aggression Against the South changed America from a Constitutional Federal Republic to a Democracy ( with Socialist leanings ) and broke the original Constitution. The infamous Socialist Karl Marx sent Lincoln a letter of congratulations after his reelection in 1864. A considerable number of European Socialists came to America and fought for the Union (North). 3.&nbsp; CHRISTIANITY VERSUS SECULAR HUMANISM--The South believed in basic Christianity as presented in the Holy Bible.The North had many Secular Humanists ( atheists, transcendentalists and non-Christians ). Southerners were afraid of what kind of country America might become if the North had its way. Secular Humanism is the belief that there is no God and that man,science and government can solve all problems. This philosophy advocates human rather than religious values. Reference : Frank Conner&rsquo;s book &quot;The South Under Siege 1830-2000.&quot; 4. CULTURAL DIFFERENCES--Southerners and Northerners were of different Genetic Lineages. Southerners were primarily of Western English (original Britons),Scottish,and Irish linage (Celtic) whereas Northerners tended to be of Anglo-Saxon and Danish (Viking) extraction. The two&nbsp; cultures had been at war and at odds for over 1000 years before they arrived in America. Our ancient ancestors in Western England under King Arthur humbled the Saxon princes at the battle of Baden Hill ( circa 497 AD --516 AD ). The cultural differences that contributed to the War Between the States (1861-1865 ) had existed for 1500 years or more. 5.&nbsp; CONTROL OF WESTERN TERRITORIES--The North wanted to control Western States and Territories such as Kansas and Nebraska. New England formed Immigrant Aid Societies and sent settlers to these areas that were politically attached to the North. They passed&nbsp; laws against slavery that Southerners considered punitive. These political actions told Southerners they were not welcome in the new states and territories. It was all about control--slavery was a scapegoat. 6. NORTHERN INDUSTRIALISTS WANTED THE SOUTH'S RESOURCES.&nbsp; The Northern Industrialists wanted a war to use as an excuse to get the South's resources for pennies on the dollar. They began a campaign about 1830 that would influence the common people of the North and create enmity that would allow them to go to war against the South. These Northern Industrialists brought up a morality claim against the South alleging the evils of slavery. The Northern Hypocrites conveniently neglected to publicize the fact that 5 New England States ( Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York ) were primarily responsible for the importation of most of the slaves from Africa to America. These states had both private and state owned fleets of ships. 7. SLANDER OF THE SOUTH BY NORTHERN NEWSPAPERS.&nbsp; This political cause ties in to the above listed efforts by New England Industrialists. Beginning about 1830 the Northern Newspapers began to slander the South. The Industrialists used this tool to indoctrinate the common people of the North. They used slavery as a scapegoat and brought the morality claim up to a feverish pitch. Southerners became tired of reading in the Northern Newspapers about what bad and evil people they were just because their neighbor down the road had a few slaves. This propaganda campaign created hostility between the ordinary citizens of the two regions and created the animosity necessary for war. The Northern Industrialists worked poor whites in the factories of the North under terrible conditions for 18 hours a day ( including children ). When the workers became old and infirm they were fired. It is a historical fact that during this era there were thousands of old people living homeless on the streets in the cities of the North. In the South a slave was cared for from birth to death. Also the diet and living conditions of Southern slaves was superior to that of most white Northern factory workers. Southerners deeply resented this New England hypocrisy and slander. 8.&nbsp; NEW ENGLANDERS ATTEMPTED TO INSTIGATE MASSIVE SLAVE REBELLIONS IN THE SOUTH.&nbsp; Abolitionists were a small but vocal and militant group in New England who demanded instant abolition of slavery in the South. These fanatics and zealots were calling for massive slave uprisings that would result in the murder of Southern men, women and children. Southerners were aware that such an uprising had occurred in Santa Domingo in the 1790 era and that the French (white) population had been massacred. The abolitionists published a terrorist manifesto and tried to smuggle 100,000 copies into the South showing slaves how to murder their masters at night. Then when John Brown raided Harpers Ferry,Virginia in 1859 the political situation became inflammatory. Prior to this event there had been&nbsp;more abolition societies in the South&nbsp;than in the North. Lincoln and most of the Republican Party ( 64 members of congress ) had adopted a political platform in support of terrorist acts against the South. Some (allegedly including Lincoln) had contributed monetarily as supporters of John Browns terrorist activities.. Again slavery was used as a scapegoat for all differences that existed between the North and South. &nbsp;9.. SLAVERY.&nbsp; Indirectly slavery was a cause of the war. Most Southerners did not own slaves and would not have fought for the protection of slavery. However they believed that the North had no Constitutional right to free slaves held by citizens of Sovereign Southern States. Prior to the war there were five times as many abolition societies in the South as in the North. Virtually all educated Southerners were in favor of gradual emancipation of slaves. Gradual emancipation would have allowed the economy and labor system of the South to gradually adjust to a free paid labor system without economic collapse. Furthermore, since the New England States were responsible for the development of slavery in America, Southerners saw the morality claims by the North as blatant hypocrisy. The first state to legalize slavery had been Massachusetts in 1641 and this law was directed primarily at Indians. In colonial times the economic infrastructure of the port cities of the North was dependent upon the slave trade. The first slave ship in America, &quot;THE DESIRE&quot;, was fitted out in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Further proof that Southerners were not fighting to preserve slavery is found in the diary of an officer in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. He stated that &quot;he had never met a man in the Army of Northern Virginia that claimed he was fighting to preserve slavery&quot;. If the war had been over slavery, the composition of the politicians, officers, enlisted men, and even African Americans would have been different. Confederate General Robert E. Lee had freed his slaves (Custis estate) prior to 1863 whereas Union General Grant's wife Julia did not free her slaves until after the war when forced to do so by the 13th amendment to the constitution. Grant even stated that if the abolitionists claimed he was fighting to free slaves that he would offer his services to the South. Mildred Lewis Rutherford ( 1852-1928 ) was for many years the historian for the United Daughters Of The Confederacy (UDC). In her book Truths Of History she stated that there were more slaveholders in the Union Army ( 315,000 ) than the Confederate Army ( 200,000 ). Statistics and estimates also show that about 300,000 blacks supported the Confederacy versus about 200,000 for the Union. Clearly the war would have been fought along different lines if it had been fought over slavery. The famous English author Charles Dickens stated &quot; the Northern onslaught upon Southern slavery is a specious piece of humbug designed to mask their desire for the economic control of the Southern states.&quot; 10,&nbsp; NORTHERN AGGRESSION AGAINST SOUTHERN STATES,&nbsp; Proof that Abraham Lincoln wanted war may be found in the manner he handled the Fort Sumter incident. Original correspondence between Lincoln and Naval Captain G.V.Fox shows proof that Lincoln acted with deceit and willfully provoked South Carolina into firing on the fort ( A TARIFF COLLECTION FACILITY ). It was politically important that the South be provoked into firing the first shot so that Lincoln could claim the Confederacy started the war. Additional proof that Lincoln wanted war is the fact that Lincoln refused to meet with a Confederate peace delegation. They remained in Washington for 30 days and returned to Richmond only after it became apparent that Lincoln wanted war and refused to meet and discuss a peace agreement. After setting up the Fort Sumter incident for the purpose of starting a war, Lincoln called for 75,000 troops to put down what he called a rebellion. He intended to march Union troops across Virginia and North Carolina to attack South Carolina. Virginia and North Carolina were not going to allow such an unconstitutional and criminal act of aggression against a sovereign sister Southern State. Lincoln's act of aggression caused the secession of the upper Southern States. On April 17th 1861, Governor Letcher of Virginia sent this message to Washington DC: &quot; I have only to say that the militia of Virginia will not be furnished to the powers of Washington for any such use or purpose as they have in view. Your object is to subjugate the Southern states and the requisition made upon me for such a object-an object in my judgement not within the purview of the constitution or the act of 1795, will not be complied with. You have chosen to inaugurate civil war; having done so we will meet you in a spirit as determined as the administration has exhibited toward the South.&quot; &nbsp;The WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 1861-1865 occurred due to many complex causes and factors as enumerated above. Those who make claims that &quot;the war was over slavery&quot; or that if slavery had been abolished in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed or in 1789 when The Constitution of the United States of America was signed, that war would not have occurred between North and South are being very simplistic in their views and opinions. &nbsp; The following conversation between English ship Captain Hillyar and Capt. Raphael Semmes-Confederate Ships CSS Sumter &amp; Alabama&nbsp;occurred during the war on&nbsp;August 5th, 1861.&nbsp; It is a summary from a well-educated Southerner who is stating his reasons for fighting. Captain Hillyar expressed surprised at Captain Semme's contention that the people of the South were &quot;defending ourselves against robbers with knives at our throats&quot;, and asked for further clarification as to how this was so, the exchange below occurred. I especially was impressed with Semmes' assessment of yankee motives - the creation of &quot;Empire&quot;! Semmes: &quot;Simply that the machinery of the Federal Government, under which we have lived, and which was designed for the common benefit, has been made the means of despoiling the South, to enrich the North&quot;, and I explained to him the workings of the iniquitous tariffs, under the operation of which the South had, in effect, been reduced to a dependent colonial condition, almost as abject as that of the Roman provinces, under their proconsuls; the only difference being, that smooth-faced hypocrisy had been added to robbery, inasmuch as we had been plundered under the forms of law&quot; Captain Hillyar: &quot;All this is new to me&quot;, replied the captain. &quot;I thought that your war had arisen out of the slavery question&quot;. Semmes: &quot;That is the common mistake of foreigners. The enemy has taken pains to impress foreign nations with this false view of the case. With the exception of a few honest zealots, the canting hypocritical Yankee cares as little for our slaves as he does for our draught animals. The war which he has been making upon slavery for the last 40 years is only an interlude, or by-play, to help on the main action of the drama, which is Empire; and it is a curious coincidence that it was commenced about the time the North began to rob the South by means of its tariffs. When a burglar designs to enter a dwelling for the purpose of robbery, he provides himself with the necessary implements. The slavery question was one of the implements employed to help on the robbery of the South. It strengthened the Northern party, and enabled them to get their tariffs through Congress; and when at length, the South, driven to the wall, turned, as even the crushed worm will turn, it was cunningly perceived by the Northern men that 'No slavery' would be a popular war-cry, and hence, they used it. It is true that we are defending our slave property, but we are defending it no more than any other species of our property - it is all endangered, under a general system of robbery. We are in fact, fighting for independence. &nbsp;The Union victory in 1865 destroyed the right of secession in America,which had been so cherished by America's founding fathers as the principle of their revolution. British historian and political philosopher Lord Acton, one of the most intellectual figures in Victorian England, understood the deeper meaning of Southern defeat. In a letter to former Confederate General Robert E. Lee dated November 4,1866, Lord Acton wrote &quot; I saw in States Rights the only available check upon the absolutism of the sovereign will, and secession filled me with hope, not as the destruction but as the redemption of Democracy. I deemed you were fighting the battles of our liberty, our progress, and our civilization and I mourn for that which was lost at Richmond more deeply than I rejoice over that which was saved at Waterloo (defeat of Napoleon). As Illinois Governor Richard Yates stated in a message to his state assembly on January 2,1865, the war had &quot; tended, more than any other event in the history of the country, to militate against the Jeffersonian Ideal ( Thomas Jefferson ) that the best government is that which governs least. Years after the war former Confederate president Jefferson Davis stated &quot; I Am saddened to Hear Southerners Apologize For Fighting To Preserve Our Inheritance&quot;. Some years later former U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt stated &quot; Those Who Will Not Fight For The Graves Of Their Ancestors Are Beyond Redemption&quot;. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; James W. King &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Commander Camp 141 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lt. Col. Thomas M. Nelson Sons of Confederate Veterans PO Box 70577 Albany, Georgia 31708 229-436-0397 jkingantiquearms@bellsouth.net en-us <p>Sparks,&nbsp; No I did not do a blog search and use your citys blog site for my own agenda. I am a member of a group named Southern Heritage News And Views. We monitor every newspaper in America and members respond to ignorant comments and/or attacks upon Confederate-Southern symbols, heritage, or culture. I responded to an ignorant comment about a citizen of Tehachapi flying a Confederate flag. The ignorant comment was printed in your newspaper as a letter to the editor. The writer even stated that they went to the police and reported the Confederate flag. Evidently&nbsp;your policeman has common sense and advised the individual that they were being simplistic in their view.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; For far too long us Southerners have &quot;turned the other cheek&quot; and let people slap us twice but not any more. We have been the nations whipping boy since we lost the war in 1865 and we are the only group that Hollywood feels free to libel and slander and make the butt of jokes. We have learned from the Jewish anti-defamation league how to fight back. Recently when movie star Mel Gibson and the other Seinfeld movie star made anti-semitic comments they were taken to task for their actions. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Anytime an anti-Confederate or anti-Southern remark is made in any newspaper in America we intend to respond. &quot;Official&quot; American history is written by Northern liberal Marxist Socialist historians and professors so it is understandable that many Americans have been indoctrinated and do not know the truth. These liberal Marxist Socialists own Hollywood and the mass media and the only tools proud Southerners like myself have to use to educate Americans are letters to the editor and blog sites. Since many of these liberal Marxist Socialists are Jewish and own the news media they have a way to respond that I cannot afford. No I am not anti-Semitic or against any race or culture. We Southerners just want and demand the same respect given to every other group. We as members of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans Organization have Jewish, Black, Hispanic members who are descendants of Confederate veterans and proud of it.</p> <p>James W. King---Albany, Georgia</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11370 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11370 <p>Sparks,&nbsp; No I did not do a blog search and use your citys blog site for my own agenda. I am a member of a group named Southern Heritage News And Views. We monitor every newspaper in America and members respond to ignorant comments and/or attacks upon Confederate-Southern symbols, heritage, or culture. I responded to an ignorant comment about a citizen of Tehachapi flying a Confederate flag. The ignorant comment was printed in your newspaper as a letter to the editor. The writer even stated that they went to the police and reported the Confederate flag. Evidently&nbsp;your policeman has common sense and advised the individual that they were being simplistic in their view.</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; For far too long us Southerners have &quot;turned the other cheek&quot; and let people slap us twice but not any more. We have been the nations whipping boy since we lost the war in 1865 and we are the only group that Hollywood feels free to libel and slander and make the butt of jokes. We have learned from the Jewish anti-defamation league how to fight back. Recently when movie star Mel Gibson and the other Seinfeld movie star made anti-semitic comments they were taken to task for their actions. </p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; Anytime an anti-Confederate or anti-Southern remark is made in any newspaper in America we intend to respond. &quot;Official&quot; American history is written by Northern liberal Marxist Socialist historians and professors so it is understandable that many Americans have been indoctrinated and do not know the truth. These liberal Marxist Socialists own Hollywood and the mass media and the only tools proud Southerners like myself have to use to educate Americans are letters to the editor and blog sites. Since many of these liberal Marxist Socialists are Jewish and own the news media they have a way to respond that I cannot afford. No I am not anti-Semitic or against any race or culture. We Southerners just want and demand the same respect given to every other group. We as members of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans Organization have Jewish, Black, Hispanic members who are descendants of Confederate veterans and proud of it.</p> <p>James W. King---Albany, Georgia</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp; </p> <p>Compatriot King, </p> <p>Thanks for the excellent posts and thanks for your hard work monitoring these papers. </p> <p>I just got into this as I just arrived back in town from a Christmas vacation with my family in North Carolina.&nbsp;&nbsp;Overall, this is a really Southern friendly town. This newcomer &quot;lady&quot; is the first complaint I've know about in the 10 years I've lived here and I have always flown my Confederate battle flag 24/7 with a spotlight on it at night. </p> <p>I replied to her letter as soon as I read it and put out a few facts of my own. </p> <p>Thanks again and keep up the good work.....</p> <p>Kenny Ramsey, Commander</p> <p>General Albert Sidney Johnston, Camp 2048</p> <p>Tehachapi, Ca.</p> <p><strong><font face="Arial Narrow" size="3"></font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial Narrow" size="2">Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision.&nbsp; (General Patrick Cleburne&nbsp; CSA- 1864)</font></p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11378 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11378 <p>Compatriot King, </p> <p>Thanks for the excellent posts and thanks for your hard work monitoring these papers. </p> <p>I just got into this as I just arrived back in town from a Christmas vacation with my family in North Carolina.&nbsp;&nbsp;Overall, this is a really Southern friendly town. This newcomer &quot;lady&quot; is the first complaint I've know about in the 10 years I've lived here and I have always flown my Confederate battle flag 24/7 with a spotlight on it at night. </p> <p>I replied to her letter as soon as I read it and put out a few facts of my own. </p> <p>Thanks again and keep up the good work.....</p> <p>Kenny Ramsey, Commander</p> <p>General Albert Sidney Johnston, Camp 2048</p> <p>Tehachapi, Ca.</p> <p><strong><font face="Arial Narrow" size="3"></font></strong></p> <p align="left"><font face="Arial Narrow" size="2">Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and education to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision.&nbsp; (General Patrick Cleburne&nbsp; CSA- 1864)</font></p> <p>By the way, &quot;Sparks&quot;.....</p> <p>I am from Tehachapi and I fully concur with every word of Mr. King's post. Can you <font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" color="#0000ff">&quot;give his blogs some thought&quot;</font> now?</p> <p>If you actually read them he didn't say that&nbsp;&nbsp;the <font color="#0000ff">&quot;Yankees started the civil war because of their desire for religious freedom instead of&nbsp;freeing the slaves&quot;</font> . The yankee leaders started the war over <font color="#ff6600">money and power</font>. </p> <p>I could get longwinded on the subject but he has articulated the point so well that I will not add anything for now....</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11380 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11380 <p>By the way, &quot;Sparks&quot;.....</p> <p>I am from Tehachapi and I fully concur with every word of Mr. King's post. Can you <font style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff" color="#0000ff">&quot;give his blogs some thought&quot;</font> now?</p> <p>If you actually read them he didn't say that&nbsp;&nbsp;the <font color="#0000ff">&quot;Yankees started the civil war because of their desire for religious freedom instead of&nbsp;freeing the slaves&quot;</font> . The yankee leaders started the war over <font color="#ff6600">money and power</font>. </p> <p>I could get longwinded on the subject but he has articulated the point so well that I will not add anything for now....</p> <p><a href="http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/User/Sparks"><strong><font color="#005826">Sparks</font></strong></a>, I still contend that you haven't actually read the posts of Mr. King.&nbsp; The statement that really says you don't understand the issue is &quot;<em>America will never be about white male supremacy again anyway</em>&quot;. That has nothing to do with the South or the Confederacy. America was <em>about white male supremacy </em>from the first time a European set foot on her soil until well into the 20th century.&nbsp; The Confederacy only existed from 1861 to 1865. Everything before or after those dates was&nbsp; legal and accepted under the United States constitution. If anything the Southern regions of the country leaned toward a matriarcal society.</p> <p>The statement &quot;<em>I don't have to hide my niece in shame because she is a half breed</em> &quot; is just wrong. I consider the term &quot;<em>half breed</em> &quot; to be derogatory and would never use it. Traditionally, the South has been the most racially tolerant region of the country. I'm sure there are many more mixed race people in any one of the old Southern states than in all the northern states together.&nbsp; There are many multi-racial people in my own family, including my only grandson. </p> <p>&nbsp;Why would you say I <em>&quot;promote war and hate if you like</em>&quot;? Is that because I stated I'm in the&nbsp;military and have seen combat in Iraq????? or is it because in my profile I said I am patriotic enough to believe in our elected officials and actually back what my president does??? maybe its because my profile says I believe in deporting illegal aliens???? <strong><em>Please explain that one!!!</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em></em></strong></p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11392 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11392 <p><a href="http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/User/Sparks"><strong><font color="#005826">Sparks</font></strong></a>, I still contend that you haven't actually read the posts of Mr. King.&nbsp; The statement that really says you don't understand the issue is &quot;<em>America will never be about white male supremacy again anyway</em>&quot;. That has nothing to do with the South or the Confederacy. America was <em>about white male supremacy </em>from the first time a European set foot on her soil until well into the 20th century.&nbsp; The Confederacy only existed from 1861 to 1865. Everything before or after those dates was&nbsp; legal and accepted under the United States constitution. If anything the Southern regions of the country leaned toward a matriarcal society.</p> <p>The statement &quot;<em>I don't have to hide my niece in shame because she is a half breed</em> &quot; is just wrong. I consider the term &quot;<em>half breed</em> &quot; to be derogatory and would never use it. Traditionally, the South has been the most racially tolerant region of the country. I'm sure there are many more mixed race people in any one of the old Southern states than in all the northern states together.&nbsp; There are many multi-racial people in my own family, including my only grandson. </p> <p>&nbsp;Why would you say I <em>&quot;promote war and hate if you like</em>&quot;? Is that because I stated I'm in the&nbsp;military and have seen combat in Iraq????? or is it because in my profile I said I am patriotic enough to believe in our elected officials and actually back what my president does??? maybe its because my profile says I believe in deporting illegal aliens???? <strong><em>Please explain that one!!!</em></strong></p> <p><strong><em></em></strong></p> <p>Do you believe everyone has a right to their own religious beliefs?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yes, as long as they don't infringe on mine.</p> <p>Do you support the Iraq war and feel we should send more of our troops to Iraq?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I support it 100% and have said all along we should double our troops there, limit the media presence&nbsp;and fight the war as a war not an exercise in political correctness.</p> <p>Do you believe that people of a different color other than white should have equal rights in America? Yes I believe that and in fact they do by law. </p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11398 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11398 <p>Do you believe everyone has a right to their own religious beliefs?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Yes, as long as they don't infringe on mine.</p> <p>Do you support the Iraq war and feel we should send more of our troops to Iraq?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I support it 100% and have said all along we should double our troops there, limit the media presence&nbsp;and fight the war as a war not an exercise in political correctness.</p> <p>Do you believe that people of a different color other than white should have equal rights in America? Yes I believe that and in fact they do by law. </p> Sparks did you not start the &quot;Camp Quest blog&quot; ? Did it not have post from &quot;outsiders&quot; the very next day? Did you tell them to go away? http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11403 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11403 Sparks did you not start the &quot;Camp Quest blog&quot; ? Did it not have post from &quot;outsiders&quot; the very next day? Did you tell them to go away? I didn't say I supported the war.( I didn't say anything about the war)&nbsp;I do support our troops and our president. I don't want out of towners pushing their out of town crap on us either.&nbsp;It just seamed kinda odd that you made a post about camp quest then we had lost of pro camp quest and pro atheist post the very next day. It seamed like a pro-atheist set up. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11424 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11424 I didn't say I supported the war.( I didn't say anything about the war)&nbsp;I do support our troops and our president. I don't want out of towners pushing their out of town crap on us either.&nbsp;It just seamed kinda odd that you made a post about camp quest then we had lost of pro camp quest and pro atheist post the very next day. It seamed like a pro-atheist set up. <p><span class="articlehead">OK...for me to even read this blog is totally ridiculous..Like I am going to take anything from reading nonsense that has come from a group&nbsp;the has become linked to various white supremacist and neo-confederate groups. It just makes me sick to know people still fly the confederate flag., but then again it just tells me to stay away from their house because hate may reside there.</span></p> <p><span class="articlehead">Hate in the Ranks</span><br /> <span class="articlesubtitle">A list of hate group members in the Sons of Confederate Veterans</span>The following is a list of current SCV officials at the national, regional (or Army), and state levels who also are (or have been recently) members or representatives of groups listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups. </p> <p>Membership in these hate groups &mdash; the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), the League of the South (LOS), and Free Mississippi (FM) &mdash; is determined from the hate groups' publications, their Web sites and media reports. </p> <p>In the list below, each person&rsquo;s name is followed by his position in the SCV and, in parentheses, his hate group affiliation. </p> <p>Not listed are a large number of SCV officials who have spoken at meetings of hate groups or worked alongside their members. </p> <p>SCV executive council member Kirk Lyons, a well-known white supremacist who is currently running for an even higher SCV office, is not listed because he has publicly denied being a current member of any hate group. </p> <p><br /> <strong>National Leadership</strong> </p> <p><em>Executive Council</em><br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM)<br /> John Weaver, Chaplain-in-Chief (CCC) </p> <p><em>General Staff</em><br /> Charles Kelly Barrow, Historian-in-Chief (LOS) <br /> John Killian, Aide-de-Camp (national director, CCC)<br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM) <br /> John Weaver, Chaplain in Chief (CCC) </p> <p><em>National Committeemen</em><br /> Charles Kelly Barrow, Historical, Bonnie Blue Society (LOS) <br /> Edward Cailleteau, Time and Place (secretary of Louisiana state chapter, CCC) <br /> Ron Casteel, Organ Transplant, Promotional Affairs, Public Affairs (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS)<br /> Dave Holcombe, Monuments (FM)<br /> Charles McMichael, International Headquarters (FM)<br /> Charles Rand, Recruiting/Retention (LOS, FM)<br /> William Shofner, Constitutional Review (LOS) <br /> John Weaver, National Relief (CCC) </p> <p><strong>Army Leadership</strong> </p> <p><em>Army of Northern Virginia</em><br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM) </p> <p><em>Army of Tennessee</em><br /> Carl Ford, Inspector (attorney general of Mississippi state chapter, LOS)<br /> John Killian, Chief of Staff (national director, CCC)<br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM) <br /> Leonard Wilson, Parliamentarian (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Army of the Trans-Mississippi</em><br /> Ed Cailleteau, Executive Councilman (CCC) <br /> Ron Casteel, Public Relations (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS)<br /> Dave Holcombe, Chief of Heritage Defense (FM)<br /> Eugene Hough, Judge Advocate (CCC)<br /> Charles McMichael, Color Sergeant (FM)<br /> Charles Rand, Division Commander (LOS, FM) </p> <p><strong>State Leadership</strong> </p> <p><em>Alabama</em><br /> David Allen, 1st Lt. Commander (chairman of Tuscaloosa chapter, LOS)<br /> Cecil Godwin, Special Projects Officer (LOS)<br /> Leonard Wilson, Northwest Central Brigade Commander (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Florida</em><br /> Jeffrey Allen Hardy, 8th Brigade Commander (chairman of Central Florida regional chapter, LOS) <br /> Jack B. Harris, 1st Brigade Commander (chairman of Florida Panhandle regional chapter, LOS) </p> <p><em>Louisiana</em><br /> Roger Busbice, Heritage Defense Chief/Aide de Camp (board member of Louisiana state chapter, CCC; 2000 heritage defense coordinator for Louisiana state chapter, LOS)<br /> Ed Cailleteau, Editor/Parliamentarian (CCC)<br /> Dave Holcombe, 2nd Lt. Commander (FM) <br /> Charles McMichael, 1st Lt. Commander (FM)<br /> Charles Rand, Commander (LOS, FM) </p> <p><em>Mississippi</em><br /> Bill Hinson, Historian (chairman of Greater Jackson chapter, CCC)<br /> Greg Stewart, Parliamentarian (coordinator for Coahuma, Tunica and Quitman counties, FM) </p> <p><em>Missouri</em><br /> Ron Casteel, Commander (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS) </p> <p><em>South Carolina</em><br /> Bobby Eubanks, Division Chaplain (contact for South Carolina Low Country regional chapter, LOS) </p> <p><em>Virginia</em><br /> Michael Masters, Commander 5th Brigade/Web Editor (chair of Virginia state chapter, CCC) </p> <p><strong>Military Order of the Stars and Bars</strong> </p> <p><em>National</em><br /> John Killian, Chaplain General (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Alabama</em><br /> John Killian, Chaplain (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Georgia</em><br /> Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander (LOS) </p> <p><em>Virginia</em><br /> Timothy Manning, Chaplain (LOS) </p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11435 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11435 <p><span class="articlehead">OK...for me to even read this blog is totally ridiculous..Like I am going to take anything from reading nonsense that has come from a group&nbsp;the has become linked to various white supremacist and neo-confederate groups. It just makes me sick to know people still fly the confederate flag., but then again it just tells me to stay away from their house because hate may reside there.</span></p> <p><span class="articlehead">Hate in the Ranks</span><br /> <span class="articlesubtitle">A list of hate group members in the Sons of Confederate Veterans</span>The following is a list of current SCV officials at the national, regional (or Army), and state levels who also are (or have been recently) members or representatives of groups listed by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups. </p> <p>Membership in these hate groups &mdash; the Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC), the League of the South (LOS), and Free Mississippi (FM) &mdash; is determined from the hate groups' publications, their Web sites and media reports. </p> <p>In the list below, each person&rsquo;s name is followed by his position in the SCV and, in parentheses, his hate group affiliation. </p> <p>Not listed are a large number of SCV officials who have spoken at meetings of hate groups or worked alongside their members. </p> <p>SCV executive council member Kirk Lyons, a well-known white supremacist who is currently running for an even higher SCV office, is not listed because he has publicly denied being a current member of any hate group. </p> <p><br /> <strong>National Leadership</strong> </p> <p><em>Executive Council</em><br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM)<br /> John Weaver, Chaplain-in-Chief (CCC) </p> <p><em>General Staff</em><br /> Charles Kelly Barrow, Historian-in-Chief (LOS) <br /> John Killian, Aide-de-Camp (national director, CCC)<br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM) <br /> John Weaver, Chaplain in Chief (CCC) </p> <p><em>National Committeemen</em><br /> Charles Kelly Barrow, Historical, Bonnie Blue Society (LOS) <br /> Edward Cailleteau, Time and Place (secretary of Louisiana state chapter, CCC) <br /> Ron Casteel, Organ Transplant, Promotional Affairs, Public Affairs (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS)<br /> Dave Holcombe, Monuments (FM)<br /> Charles McMichael, International Headquarters (FM)<br /> Charles Rand, Recruiting/Retention (LOS, FM)<br /> William Shofner, Constitutional Review (LOS) <br /> John Weaver, National Relief (CCC) </p> <p><strong>Army Leadership</strong> </p> <p><em>Army of Northern Virginia</em><br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM) </p> <p><em>Army of Tennessee</em><br /> Carl Ford, Inspector (attorney general of Mississippi state chapter, LOS)<br /> John Killian, Chief of Staff (national director, CCC)<br /> Charles McMichael, Chief of Staff (FM) <br /> Leonard Wilson, Parliamentarian (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Army of the Trans-Mississippi</em><br /> Ed Cailleteau, Executive Councilman (CCC) <br /> Ron Casteel, Public Relations (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS)<br /> Dave Holcombe, Chief of Heritage Defense (FM)<br /> Eugene Hough, Judge Advocate (CCC)<br /> Charles McMichael, Color Sergeant (FM)<br /> Charles Rand, Division Commander (LOS, FM) </p> <p><strong>State Leadership</strong> </p> <p><em>Alabama</em><br /> David Allen, 1st Lt. Commander (chairman of Tuscaloosa chapter, LOS)<br /> Cecil Godwin, Special Projects Officer (LOS)<br /> Leonard Wilson, Northwest Central Brigade Commander (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Florida</em><br /> Jeffrey Allen Hardy, 8th Brigade Commander (chairman of Central Florida regional chapter, LOS) <br /> Jack B. Harris, 1st Brigade Commander (chairman of Florida Panhandle regional chapter, LOS) </p> <p><em>Louisiana</em><br /> Roger Busbice, Heritage Defense Chief/Aide de Camp (board member of Louisiana state chapter, CCC; 2000 heritage defense coordinator for Louisiana state chapter, LOS)<br /> Ed Cailleteau, Editor/Parliamentarian (CCC)<br /> Dave Holcombe, 2nd Lt. Commander (FM) <br /> Charles McMichael, 1st Lt. Commander (FM)<br /> Charles Rand, Commander (LOS, FM) </p> <p><em>Mississippi</em><br /> Bill Hinson, Historian (chairman of Greater Jackson chapter, CCC)<br /> Greg Stewart, Parliamentarian (coordinator for Coahuma, Tunica and Quitman counties, FM) </p> <p><em>Missouri</em><br /> Ron Casteel, Commander (chairman of Missouri state chapter, LOS) </p> <p><em>South Carolina</em><br /> Bobby Eubanks, Division Chaplain (contact for South Carolina Low Country regional chapter, LOS) </p> <p><em>Virginia</em><br /> Michael Masters, Commander 5th Brigade/Web Editor (chair of Virginia state chapter, CCC) </p> <p><strong>Military Order of the Stars and Bars</strong> </p> <p><em>National</em><br /> John Killian, Chaplain General (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Alabama</em><br /> John Killian, Chaplain (national director, CCC) </p> <p><em>Georgia</em><br /> Charles Kelly Barrow, Commander (LOS) </p> <p><em>Virginia</em><br /> Timothy Manning, Chaplain (LOS) </p> <p>ZU, The Southern Poverty Law Center and it's founder Morris Dees is the real Hate Organization not Sons of Confederate Veterans.&nbsp; Most of the men on the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) list in your above&nbsp;post are known to me and some are close friends. There is not a racist or bigot in the group. One of the men you list Charles Kelly Barrow has written a book documenting the Confederate military service of black Southerners. All these men are American patriots and Christian gentlemen.&nbsp; Kirk Lyons has a black associate H.K. Edgerton who used to be a NAACP official in Ashville North Carolina. He learned the truth and spends his time trying to educate other blacks. This black SCV member made a 1400 mile march by foot &nbsp;from Ashville NC to Austin Texas. He wore a Confederate uniform and carried a Confederate flag every step of the way.&nbsp; Everywhere he goes in the South he is greeted by black and white well wishers. Yes occasionally there is a confused&nbsp; and misinformed person but reports show that almost everyone black and white cheers him on. Another black SCV member Nelson Winbush is a retired Florida teacher who is very active in SCV. His grandfather was a black Confederate soldier from Mississippi who went to Confederate reunions for many years with his white former comrades in arms. You have a complete misconception and misunderstanding of SCV.&nbsp;&nbsp; Morris Dees and SPLC has indoctrinated you. Morris Dees of SPLC is a degenerate and con man. He even has incest charges related to a step daughter and his son's wife. In SCV we got tired of his trash and exposed him in Southern Mercury magazine. An entire issue exposed&nbsp;Dees for what he is---a Socialist Degenerate Conman. &nbsp;ZU, I understand that you believe what you posted above but you are wrong---completely wrong.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You believe exactly what the Marxist Socialists want&nbsp;you to believe. They have worked for over 100 years to drive a wedge between white and black Americans. You and many other well intentioned Americans are being led down the wrong path by the likes of men like Morris Dees of SPLC. Stop, Think, Learn the Truth. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11444 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11444 <p>ZU, The Southern Poverty Law Center and it's founder Morris Dees is the real Hate Organization not Sons of Confederate Veterans.&nbsp; Most of the men on the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) list in your above&nbsp;post are known to me and some are close friends. There is not a racist or bigot in the group. One of the men you list Charles Kelly Barrow has written a book documenting the Confederate military service of black Southerners. All these men are American patriots and Christian gentlemen.&nbsp; Kirk Lyons has a black associate H.K. Edgerton who used to be a NAACP official in Ashville North Carolina. He learned the truth and spends his time trying to educate other blacks. This black SCV member made a 1400 mile march by foot &nbsp;from Ashville NC to Austin Texas. He wore a Confederate uniform and carried a Confederate flag every step of the way.&nbsp; Everywhere he goes in the South he is greeted by black and white well wishers. Yes occasionally there is a confused&nbsp; and misinformed person but reports show that almost everyone black and white cheers him on. Another black SCV member Nelson Winbush is a retired Florida teacher who is very active in SCV. His grandfather was a black Confederate soldier from Mississippi who went to Confederate reunions for many years with his white former comrades in arms. You have a complete misconception and misunderstanding of SCV.&nbsp;&nbsp; Morris Dees and SPLC has indoctrinated you. Morris Dees of SPLC is a degenerate and con man. He even has incest charges related to a step daughter and his son's wife. In SCV we got tired of his trash and exposed him in Southern Mercury magazine. An entire issue exposed&nbsp;Dees for what he is---a Socialist Degenerate Conman. &nbsp;ZU, I understand that you believe what you posted above but you are wrong---completely wrong.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;You believe exactly what the Marxist Socialists want&nbsp;you to believe. They have worked for over 100 years to drive a wedge between white and black Americans. You and many other well intentioned Americans are being led down the wrong path by the likes of men like Morris Dees of SPLC. Stop, Think, Learn the Truth. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> League of the South (LOS), Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) and Free Mississippi&nbsp;&nbsp;(FM) are not hate groups.&nbsp; Morris Dees and SPLC classifies every group that is not left wing socialist as a hate group.&nbsp; He classified LOS as a hate group because the organization believes in the right established by Americas founding fathers of secession.&nbsp; According to Morris Dees and the SPLC definition all of America's founding fathers would have been Hate Group members--Patrick Henry--Samuel Adams--John Hancock--George Washington-- James Madison--George Mason--Thomas Jefferson and the list goes on and on.&nbsp; Yes, that's right --all these men would have been Hate Group members according to the standards&nbsp;adhered to by Dees and SPLC. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11449 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11449 League of the South (LOS), Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC) and Free Mississippi&nbsp;&nbsp;(FM) are not hate groups.&nbsp; Morris Dees and SPLC classifies every group that is not left wing socialist as a hate group.&nbsp; He classified LOS as a hate group because the organization believes in the right established by Americas founding fathers of secession.&nbsp; According to Morris Dees and the SPLC definition all of America's founding fathers would have been Hate Group members--Patrick Henry--Samuel Adams--John Hancock--George Washington-- James Madison--George Mason--Thomas Jefferson and the list goes on and on.&nbsp; Yes, that's right --all these men would have been Hate Group members according to the standards&nbsp;adhered to by Dees and SPLC. <p>The above post by Zu is a totally misguided malignment of several organizations. The only real &quot;Hate Group&quot; on her list is the &quot;Southern Poverty Law Center&quot; , a for profit law firm which has made it's founder Morris Dees a multi-millionaire by race baiting and pushing the hate agenda.</p> <p>She took all her false info directly from the SPLC website. </p> <p>As anyone who surf the net knows, you can find a website to prove almost anything, no matter how absurd. Using websites,I can even prove that the earth was created by beings from another dimension as a science experiment.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11495 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11495 <p>The above post by Zu is a totally misguided malignment of several organizations. The only real &quot;Hate Group&quot; on her list is the &quot;Southern Poverty Law Center&quot; , a for profit law firm which has made it's founder Morris Dees a multi-millionaire by race baiting and pushing the hate agenda.</p> <p>She took all her false info directly from the SPLC website. </p> <p>As anyone who surf the net knows, you can find a website to prove almost anything, no matter how absurd. Using websites,I can even prove that the earth was created by beings from another dimension as a science experiment.</p> The South got what they deserved.&nbsp; You state that the north wanted to unfairly tax them, Well when your becoming rich on the back of slaves you should be taxed to the hilt.&nbsp; The Southerners built nothing they only existed on the backs of free labor.&nbsp; They lost the war because they were weak, fat, and lazy, due to using Slaves.&nbsp; They got what they deserved and the southern flag will never be seen as anything other than a symbol of hatred and racism no matter what justification is given.&nbsp;&nbsp; Thats what happens when your the looser.&nbsp; May that flag burn in hell after i spit on it.&nbsp; http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11568 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11568 The South got what they deserved.&nbsp; You state that the north wanted to unfairly tax them, Well when your becoming rich on the back of slaves you should be taxed to the hilt.&nbsp; The Southerners built nothing they only existed on the backs of free labor.&nbsp; They lost the war because they were weak, fat, and lazy, due to using Slaves.&nbsp; They got what they deserved and the southern flag will never be seen as anything other than a symbol of hatred and racism no matter what justification is given.&nbsp;&nbsp; Thats what happens when your the looser.&nbsp; May that flag burn in hell after i spit on it.&nbsp; <p>The Confederate Flag and the United States Flag are judged by different standards and criteria, and are not held to the same levels of accountability. In analytical science and weights and measures, comparisons are made against known standards. However, in politics comparisons are never made in a fair and impartial manner.</p> <p>In order to understand the hypocrisy, ignorance, and bias that have been directed against the Confederate Flag, it is necessary to use the U.S. Flag (Stars and Stripes) as a standard of comparison. The purpose of this comparison is not to berate or disparage the U.S. Flag, but rather to prove that the Confederate Flag has received unfair and unequal treatment. </p> <p>The genocide and racial cleansing of the American Indians took place under the U.S. Flag. The U.S. Flag flew over an unconstitutional and criminal war conducted against The Confederate States of America. Abraham Lincoln conducted this war for the benefit of wealthy Northern industrialists. Slaves were imported from Africa to America primarily by five Northern States: NY.,MA.CT.,NH.,and RI. The Confederate Flag was not involved. Finally, the U.S. Flag flies over a nation that has murdered an estimated 50 million babies by abortion. </p> <p>Political Correctness has been used to attempt bans of The Confederate Flag from schools, parades, public and private property, and even historical monuments and sites. </p> <p>The Confederate flag represents Constitutional Limited Federal Government, States Rights, Resistance to Government Tyranny, and Christian Values and Principles. To say that it represents racism and bigotry is a negative and shallow interpretation comparable to saying the U.S. flag represents the genocide of the American Indians and abortion.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11576 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11576 <p>The Confederate Flag and the United States Flag are judged by different standards and criteria, and are not held to the same levels of accountability. In analytical science and weights and measures, comparisons are made against known standards. However, in politics comparisons are never made in a fair and impartial manner.</p> <p>In order to understand the hypocrisy, ignorance, and bias that have been directed against the Confederate Flag, it is necessary to use the U.S. Flag (Stars and Stripes) as a standard of comparison. The purpose of this comparison is not to berate or disparage the U.S. Flag, but rather to prove that the Confederate Flag has received unfair and unequal treatment. </p> <p>The genocide and racial cleansing of the American Indians took place under the U.S. Flag. The U.S. Flag flew over an unconstitutional and criminal war conducted against The Confederate States of America. Abraham Lincoln conducted this war for the benefit of wealthy Northern industrialists. Slaves were imported from Africa to America primarily by five Northern States: NY.,MA.CT.,NH.,and RI. The Confederate Flag was not involved. Finally, the U.S. Flag flies over a nation that has murdered an estimated 50 million babies by abortion. </p> <p>Political Correctness has been used to attempt bans of The Confederate Flag from schools, parades, public and private property, and even historical monuments and sites. </p> <p>The Confederate flag represents Constitutional Limited Federal Government, States Rights, Resistance to Government Tyranny, and Christian Values and Principles. To say that it represents racism and bigotry is a negative and shallow interpretation comparable to saying the U.S. flag represents the genocide of the American Indians and abortion.</p> <div class="blogcommentbody"> <p>To <a href="http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/User/sol2ride" target="_blank"><font color="#005826"><strong>sol2ride</strong></font></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Your comment &nbsp;<em>May that flag burn in hell after i spit on it.</em>&nbsp;is hate speech, plain and simple. I love the Confederate flag with all my heart. I'm no racist and i have many black friends who love it as much as I do. I'm no traitor, as I have many combat decorations from the US military. </p> <p>Like most people who make like statements,&nbsp;&nbsp;you speak in generalities and will never even consider the solid easily proven facts to the contrary when presented.&nbsp; I've stated my background in several others posts so I wont repeat it here. </p> <p>Mr. King makes many good points in his posts with facts you can easily prove correct with a simple google search. </p> <p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">I'll add two more...</span></p> <p><span>If the South fought the war to preserve Slavery then ......why didn't they ratify the &quot;Corwin amendment&quot; (Google it yourself)&nbsp; In a nutshell The Corwin Amendment is a proposed <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/constitutional-amendment" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">amendment</span></a> to the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-constitution" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">United States Constitution</span></a>. <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/ohio" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">Ohio</span></a> <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/republican-party" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">Republican</span></a> Congressman <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/thomas-corwin" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">Thomas Corwin</span></a> proposed the amendment during the closing days of the 2nd Session of the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/36th-united-states-congress" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">36th Congress</span></a> in the form of House (Joint) Resolution No. 80. The proposed amendment would forbid any attempt to subsequently amend the Constitution to empower the Federal government to &quot;abolish or interfere&quot; with the &quot;domestic institutions&quot; of the states (a delicate way, in the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/1800s" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">1800s</span></a>, of referring to <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/slavery" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">slavery</span></a>). In particular, the Corwin Amendment was intended to prohibit Congress from banning the practice of slavery in those states whose laws permitted that practice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span>Corwin's resolution emerged as the House of Representatives' version of an earlier, identical proposal in the Senate offered by <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/william-seward" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">William Seward</span></a> of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span>The Corwin Amendment appears officially in Volume 12 of the Statutes at Large at page 251. Its text is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><em><span>No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State<o:p></o:p></span></em></p> <p><span>On <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/february-28" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">February 28</span></a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/1861" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">1861</span></a>, the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/house-of-representatives" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">United States House of Representatives</span></a> approved the resolution by a vote of 133&ndash;65 On <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/march-2-1" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">March 2</span></a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/1861" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">1861</span></a>, it was adopted by the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-senate" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">United States Senate</span></a> with a vote of 24&ndash;12&nbsp; Seven Confederate states had already declared their secession and did not vote. The resolution was endorsed by President <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/james-buchanan" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">James Buchanan</span></a><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.</span></span></p> <span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">The final step to become the 13th amendment to the Constitution was ratification by the states. Numerous northern state legislatures quickly ratified it. &nbsp;No Southern state did and after <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Sumter</st1:placename></st1:place> the matter was dropped.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Even Abraham&nbsp;<a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/lincoln-s-first-inaugural" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><strong>Lincoln made reference to the Corwin Amendment, in his first inaugural address</strong></span></a>, he&nbsp; declared: &quot;Holding such a provision to now be implied constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable.&quot; <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><em><strong>HAD THE SOUTHS ONLY INTEREST BEEN PROTECTING SLAVERY THEY COULD HAVE SIMPLY RATIFIED THE CORWIN AMENDMENT AND SLAVERY WAS PROTECTED IN PERPETUITY.</strong></em></span></p> </span></span></div> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11587 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11587 <div class="blogcommentbody"> <p>To <a href="http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/User/sol2ride" target="_blank"><font color="#005826"><strong>sol2ride</strong></font></a>&nbsp;&nbsp;Your comment &nbsp;<em>May that flag burn in hell after i spit on it.</em>&nbsp;is hate speech, plain and simple. I love the Confederate flag with all my heart. I'm no racist and i have many black friends who love it as much as I do. I'm no traitor, as I have many combat decorations from the US military. </p> <p>Like most people who make like statements,&nbsp;&nbsp;you speak in generalities and will never even consider the solid easily proven facts to the contrary when presented.&nbsp; I've stated my background in several others posts so I wont repeat it here. </p> <p>Mr. King makes many good points in his posts with facts you can easily prove correct with a simple google search. </p> <p><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">I'll add two more...</span></p> <p><span>If the South fought the war to preserve Slavery then ......why didn't they ratify the &quot;Corwin amendment&quot; (Google it yourself)&nbsp; In a nutshell The Corwin Amendment is a proposed <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/constitutional-amendment" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">amendment</span></a> to the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-constitution" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">United States Constitution</span></a>. <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/ohio" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">Ohio</span></a> <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/republican-party" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">Republican</span></a> Congressman <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/thomas-corwin" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">Thomas Corwin</span></a> proposed the amendment during the closing days of the 2nd Session of the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/36th-united-states-congress" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">36th Congress</span></a> in the form of House (Joint) Resolution No. 80. The proposed amendment would forbid any attempt to subsequently amend the Constitution to empower the Federal government to &quot;abolish or interfere&quot; with the &quot;domestic institutions&quot; of the states (a delicate way, in the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/1800s" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">1800s</span></a>, of referring to <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/slavery" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">slavery</span></a>). In particular, the Corwin Amendment was intended to prohibit Congress from banning the practice of slavery in those states whose laws permitted that practice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span>Corwin's resolution emerged as the House of Representatives' version of an earlier, identical proposal in the Senate offered by <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/william-seward" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">William Seward</span></a> of <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:state>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span>The Corwin Amendment appears officially in Volume 12 of the Statutes at Large at page 251. Its text is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><em><span>No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State<o:p></o:p></span></em></p> <p><span>On <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/february-28" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">February 28</span></a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/1861" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">1861</span></a>, the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/house-of-representatives" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">United States House of Representatives</span></a> approved the resolution by a vote of 133&ndash;65 On <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/march-2-1" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">March 2</span></a>, <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/1861" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">1861</span></a>, it was adopted by the <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/united-states-senate" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">United States Senate</span></a> with a vote of 24&ndash;12&nbsp; Seven Confederate states had already declared their secession and did not vote. The resolution was endorsed by President <a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/james-buchanan" target="_blank"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: normal; COLOR: windowtext; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; TEXT-DECORATION: none; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-underline: none">James Buchanan</span></a><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">.</span></span></p> <span><span style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">The final step to become the 13th amendment to the Constitution was ratification by the states. Numerous northern state legislatures quickly ratified it. &nbsp;No Southern state did and after <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Fort</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Sumter</st1:placename></st1:place> the matter was dropped.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold">Even Abraham&nbsp;<a href="http://www.answers.com/topic/lincoln-s-first-inaugural" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: windowtext; TEXT-DECORATION: none; text-underline: none"><strong>Lincoln made reference to the Corwin Amendment, in his first inaugural address</strong></span></a>, he&nbsp; declared: &quot;Holding such a provision to now be implied constitutional law, I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable.&quot; <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p><span style="FONT-SIZE: 9pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold"><em><strong>HAD THE SOUTHS ONLY INTEREST BEEN PROTECTING SLAVERY THEY COULD HAVE SIMPLY RATIFIED THE CORWIN AMENDMENT AND SLAVERY WAS PROTECTED IN PERPETUITY.</strong></em></span></p> </span></span></div> <p>Sparks, you just made more ignorant comments in your post above.&nbsp; the fact is that 99% of Americans do not view the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate, racism, and bigotry.&nbsp; We monitor newspapers all over America and each time a poll is taken by a newspaper the results show that a minimum of 70% view the Confederate flag in a positive perspective and this is in liberal socialist areas. In conservative areas of America the Confederate flag wins by as much as 97%.&nbsp; Recent polls were held in Jacksonville and Tallahassee Florida, Kentucky and Texas.&nbsp; I suspect that if the Tehachapi newspaper published a poll the Confederate flag would win.&nbsp; Liberal socialist newspaper editors or journalists sometimes word the polls in a baited confusing manner and we still win.</p> <p>&nbsp; It is not a disgrace to be ignorant.&nbsp; What is a disgrace is to have a closed mind and refuse to be educated. You have obviously been indoctrinated by the New England perspective of history taught in American schools and by the liberal socialist news media&nbsp;and Hollywood who portray everything Southern and Confederate in a negative biased manner.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp; It takes time to think and absorb new information, facts, and data that are contrary to one's established beliefs. Perhaps you will open your closed mind and after some time accept that there is another side to the story---a positive side.</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11594 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11594 <p>Sparks, you just made more ignorant comments in your post above.&nbsp; the fact is that 99% of Americans do not view the Confederate flag as a symbol of hate, racism, and bigotry.&nbsp; We monitor newspapers all over America and each time a poll is taken by a newspaper the results show that a minimum of 70% view the Confederate flag in a positive perspective and this is in liberal socialist areas. In conservative areas of America the Confederate flag wins by as much as 97%.&nbsp; Recent polls were held in Jacksonville and Tallahassee Florida, Kentucky and Texas.&nbsp; I suspect that if the Tehachapi newspaper published a poll the Confederate flag would win.&nbsp; Liberal socialist newspaper editors or journalists sometimes word the polls in a baited confusing manner and we still win.</p> <p>&nbsp; It is not a disgrace to be ignorant.&nbsp; What is a disgrace is to have a closed mind and refuse to be educated. You have obviously been indoctrinated by the New England perspective of history taught in American schools and by the liberal socialist news media&nbsp;and Hollywood who portray everything Southern and Confederate in a negative biased manner.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp; It takes time to think and absorb new information, facts, and data that are contrary to one's established beliefs. Perhaps you will open your closed mind and after some time accept that there is another side to the story---a positive side.</p> Im with you Sparks. Stop wasting your time and words on someone like JamesKing. He isnt worth it. Its too bad people like him exist in our world. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11595 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11595 Im with you Sparks. Stop wasting your time and words on someone like JamesKing. He isnt worth it. Its too bad people like him exist in our world. <p class="MsoNormal">So where's the tolerance?&nbsp; I would assume there are some people in this US of A that fly the confederate flag to proclaim their hate, racism, etc.&nbsp; But I'd bet there are more who just have a pride of being from the south. Period.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you (in the general sense, not anyone in particular) also believe that people who fly flags from say <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> also have agendas attached to their flags?&nbsp; I personally doubt it, but again that's just what I believe.&nbsp; People give so much lip service to tolerance and understanding, but then their actions speak louder than words.&nbsp; This is <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> where we have a constitution that tells us we have freedom of speech, religious beliefs, etc.&nbsp; I interpret that to mean any of us can say anything we want.&nbsp; We don't have to like what others are saying but we should protect to the death their right to say it.<br /> I think that all these &quot;labels&quot; are just another means to perpetrate hate, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; We live in a hugely diverse country.&nbsp; I think our diversity should make us a great country instead of a war zone of intolerance, hatred, bigotry, racism, sexism, and differences.&nbsp; But I also know that we will never be a country that is free of those hurtful things.&nbsp; We (agian, in the general sense) are all too afraid of what we don't understand and all too swayed by the rhetoric of others.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>I think that most of us are too afraid of the retribution of others to really say what we believe.&nbsp; Be it our neighbors, co-workers, friends or government.&nbsp; I love the dialog we have with one another when we can state our beliefs, ask intelligent questions of one another and not be hateful of one another in our dialogs.&nbsp; I think tolerant communication is a step in the right path to human unity on this planet.<br /> </p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11625 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11625 <p class="MsoNormal">So where's the tolerance?&nbsp; I would assume there are some people in this US of A that fly the confederate flag to proclaim their hate, racism, etc.&nbsp; But I'd bet there are more who just have a pride of being from the south. Period.&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you (in the general sense, not anyone in particular) also believe that people who fly flags from say <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> also have agendas attached to their flags?&nbsp; I personally doubt it, but again that's just what I believe.&nbsp; People give so much lip service to tolerance and understanding, but then their actions speak louder than words.&nbsp; This is <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region> where we have a constitution that tells us we have freedom of speech, religious beliefs, etc.&nbsp; I interpret that to mean any of us can say anything we want.&nbsp; We don't have to like what others are saying but we should protect to the death their right to say it.<br /> I think that all these &quot;labels&quot; are just another means to perpetrate hate, etc.&nbsp;&nbsp; We live in a hugely diverse country.&nbsp; I think our diversity should make us a great country instead of a war zone of intolerance, hatred, bigotry, racism, sexism, and differences.&nbsp; But I also know that we will never be a country that is free of those hurtful things.&nbsp; We (agian, in the general sense) are all too afraid of what we don't understand and all too swayed by the rhetoric of others.<span style="">&nbsp; </span>I think that most of us are too afraid of the retribution of others to really say what we believe.&nbsp; Be it our neighbors, co-workers, friends or government.&nbsp; I love the dialog we have with one another when we can state our beliefs, ask intelligent questions of one another and not be hateful of one another in our dialogs.&nbsp; I think tolerant communication is a step in the right path to human unity on this planet.<br /> </p> <p>Aero you made me LMFAO! Very witty!!</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11647 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11647 <p>Aero you made me LMFAO! Very witty!!</p> <p>Most of my family were born in Austria or Germany.&nbsp; I am proud of these countries even though they have caused much pain to people in that past.&nbsp;&nbsp; You talk of free speech and yet you try to stifle us by saying we are ignorant or intolerant. We have a right to disagree with you as much as you have a right to hang a confederate flag.&nbsp; You know there are many extremists that use the confederate flag as a symbol of hate encluding the KKK.&nbsp; You may&nbsp;see the flag as a symbol of your heritage sure, but&nbsp;you also admitted trying very hard to prevent racists from using the confederate flag. You must know that almost 500 hate groups are still using the confederate flag as a symbol of hate.&nbsp;&nbsp; I won't call you ignorant, but you must know this correct?</p> <p>I have many artifacts around my house that shows my love for Germany and Austria but this is not one of them: <img alt="" src="http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/processed_new_images/nazi_flag.gif" />&nbsp;</p> <p>I have come up with many intelligent ways of showing my pride in Austria and Germany without making people fearful or confused about what may possibly be a hate symbol hanging from a poll in my front yard. No one is saying you must take down your flags, but to call us ignorant simply because we do not agree with your view of the confederate flag shows not only intolerance but a lack of concern and compassion for many Americans. </p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11652 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11652 <p>Most of my family were born in Austria or Germany.&nbsp; I am proud of these countries even though they have caused much pain to people in that past.&nbsp;&nbsp; You talk of free speech and yet you try to stifle us by saying we are ignorant or intolerant. We have a right to disagree with you as much as you have a right to hang a confederate flag.&nbsp; You know there are many extremists that use the confederate flag as a symbol of hate encluding the KKK.&nbsp; You may&nbsp;see the flag as a symbol of your heritage sure, but&nbsp;you also admitted trying very hard to prevent racists from using the confederate flag. You must know that almost 500 hate groups are still using the confederate flag as a symbol of hate.&nbsp;&nbsp; I won't call you ignorant, but you must know this correct?</p> <p>I have many artifacts around my house that shows my love for Germany and Austria but this is not one of them: <img alt="" src="http://www.adl.org/hate_symbols/processed_new_images/nazi_flag.gif" />&nbsp;</p> <p>I have come up with many intelligent ways of showing my pride in Austria and Germany without making people fearful or confused about what may possibly be a hate symbol hanging from a poll in my front yard. No one is saying you must take down your flags, but to call us ignorant simply because we do not agree with your view of the confederate flag shows not only intolerance but a lack of concern and compassion for many Americans. </p> OMG&nbsp; aero&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <p>Capt James T Kirk, Commander,,,,Starship U.S.S Enterprise, Starfleet command</p> tooooooooo funny... you guys are good!!!!&nbsp;&nbsp; I think my sister now has a crush on you&nbsp; lololol http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11653 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11653 OMG&nbsp; aero&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <p>Capt James T Kirk, Commander,,,,Starship U.S.S Enterprise, Starfleet command</p> tooooooooo funny... you guys are good!!!!&nbsp;&nbsp; I think my sister now has a crush on you&nbsp; lololol <p>Sparks that was a great comparison of the two flags. It sounds like you have really considered chpcvis's position and didn't just ignore his view because it differed with yours, but at the end of the day concluded it is what it is and can't be rationalized. Good blog!</p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11655 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11655 <p>Sparks that was a great comparison of the two flags. It sounds like you have really considered chpcvis's position and didn't just ignore his view because it differed with yours, but at the end of the day concluded it is what it is and can't be rationalized. Good blog!</p> <p><font color="#3366ff">Wow what a history lesson from jamesking....I didnt notice on his tittle anywhere that it says he is a history teacher.... sounds more like a one sided opinion to me.</font></p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11657 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11657 <p><font color="#3366ff">Wow what a history lesson from jamesking....I didnt notice on his tittle anywhere that it says he is a history teacher.... sounds more like a one sided opinion to me.</font></p> <p>Is she hot Sparks?</p> <p><strong><font size="4">I'm Kidding!! Gees I could hear you yelling from here! Can't a guy joke around a little bit??</font></strong></p> http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11658 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/JamesKing/1389/#c_11658 <p>Is she hot Sparks?</p> <p><strong><font size="4">I'm Kidding!! Gees I could hear you yelling from here! Can't a guy joke around a little bit??</font></strong></p> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">The Confederate flag represents Limited Constitutional Federal Government, States Rights, Resistance to Tyranny, and Christian Values and Principles. It represents the dignity, honor, courage, and other noble qualities of the great men of the South and The Confederate States of America who fought for Southern Independence. These men include Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jonathan &quot;Stonewall&quot; Jackson and the 600,000 Confederates who fought under this flag against Northern agression and tyranny. </font></font></div> <div><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">This flag belongs to us who are their descendants. The various hate groups who misuse, abuse, and misrepresent this Honorable Flag are imposters. We disdain and resent the negative image that they along with Hollywood, and the socialist news media have given our flag.&nbsp; I solicit your understanding and tolerance. I and thousands of other legitimate descendants of honorable Confederate veterans are working to reestablish the true meaning of our flag in the minds of the American public. Please read the letter posted below from former American President Eisenhower regarding Lee.</font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"></font></font></div> <div><font face="Arial" size="2"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3">Eisenhower letter regarding Robert E. Lee <br /> President Dwight Eisenhower wrote the following letter in response to one he received dated August 1, 1960, from Leon W. Scott, a dentist in New Rochelle, New York. Scott&rsquo;s letter reads:<br /> &ldquo;Dear Mr. President: <br /> &ldquo;At the Republican Convention I heard you mention that you have the pictures of four (4) great Americans in your office, and that included in these is a picture of Robert E. Lee. <br /> &ldquo;I do not understand how any American can include Robert E. Lee as a person to be emulated, and why the President of the United States of America should do so is certainly beyond me. <br /> &ldquo;The most outstanding thing that Robert E. Lee did was to devote his best efforts to the destruction of the United States Government, and I am sure that you do not say that a person who tries to destroy our Government is worthy of being hailed as one of our heroes. <br /> &ldquo;Will you please tell me just why you hold him in such high esteem? <br /> Sincerely yours, <br /> &ldquo;Leon W. Scott&rdquo;<br /> Eisenhower's response, written on White House letterhead on August 9, 1960 reads as follows:<br /> August 9, 1960 <br /> Dear Dr. Scott: <br /> Respecting your August 1 inquiry calling attention to my often expressed admiration for General Robert E. Lee, I would say, first, that we need to understand that at the time of the War Between the States the issue of Secession had remained unresolved for more than 70 years. Men of probity, character, public standing and unquestioned loyalty, both North and South, had disagreed over this issue as a matter of principle from the day our Constitution was adopted. <br /> General Robert E. Lee was, in my estimation, one of the supremely gifted men produced by our Nation. He believed unswervingly in the Constitutional validity of his cause which until 1865 was still an arguable question in America; he was thoughtful yet demanding of his officers and men, forbearing with captured enemies but ingenious, unrelenting and personally courageous in battle, and never disheartened by a reverse or obstacle. Through all his many trials, he remained selfless almost to a fault and unfailing in his belief in God. Taken altogether, he was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history. <br /> From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee&rsquo;s caliber would be unconquerable in spirit and soul. Indeed, to the degree that present-day American youth will strive to emulate his rare qualit