Pelham Chapel Richmond, VA

As many people know, I have friends and aquaintences who are part of the movement that is flagging the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  And also as many people know, I support what they are doing. The sad thing about what is going on is that this whole thing could have been avoided in the first place if people were not so ignorant of U.S. history and instead listen to an ignorance based reprise of history.  The great Washington spin doctors were in place even in Lincoln's time and the result of their work is seen today and evidenced by the parroting of the myth that the Civil War was started and fought to end slavery.

It is amazing to me the depths of stupidity in this country today.  Even though we have made great strides in education, we still can't fix stupidity.  All these people come up with the old axioms that the Confederate Battle flag is a symbol of racism and hatred.  And before I go and mouth off and sound like my ignorant fellow Americans, I shall attempt to pick this myth apart.

Let's examine the statement that the Confederate Battle Flag stands for racism and hatred.  So, my question is, "Why does it stand for racism and hatred?"  Usually, the answer I get back is, "Because the South stood for slavery and the KKK waved the Rebel Flag." Let's look at the first part of that statement. "...the South stood for slavery..."  Okay, I do not deny that slavery is an abhorent institution and needed to be abolished however, slavery was going on in the North and in just about every other country in the world during that time.  The southern states was an agricultural society and slaves were used to work the fields; whereas in the the North, slaves were domestic help or worked in factories.  They had them nevertheless.  In fact, New York has recently opened up a Northern Slavery Museum above hidden slave burials in that city.  If you don't believe me look it up.

Let's examine the second part of that statement "...and the KKK waved the Rebel Flag."  Okay, to be fair, the KKK also marched under the American flag as well.  So why is the Confederate Battle Flag singled out?  It was singled out as a reason to justify hatred of the South and continues to do so today.  The Rebel Flag was not so hated by people until the last couple of decades because it has been continuously attacked by the NAACP and erroneously blamed for racism.

Here is a picture of a KKK march in Washington DC in 1927.  How many Rebel Flags can you count in this picture?  I think I know the answer.  Why is this flag not looked upon as a symbol of racism and hatred?  Answer: Because it doesn't serve to vilify the south as a scapegoat for the war and for slavery. Patriotic Southerners are the biggest threat to the large institutions seizing America so it pays to continue to vilify the South.  The Confederate Battle Flag was never a sysmbol of the Confederate States of America and was in fact the flag of the military and was designed for use because the official Confederate flag too closely resembled the Federal flag on the battle field.

The First National Flag of the Confederacy.

Now back to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  The VMFA illegally forced the removal of the Confederate Battle Flag from the front of the Confederate War Memorial, Pelham Chapel (pictured below).

Pelham Chapel, the Confederate Widows Home, the Virginia Historical Society, and the VMFA all sit upon land that was left to the state by the Confederate Veterans and was to be designated as a State Park.  These Confederate Veterans wanted their legacy of honor and bravery to live on for their ancestors and the VMFA is not only in violation of state law by obstructing a National Historical Landmark but, they are in effect pissing on the memory of our brave US Veterans by removing their flag.  And yes folks, some of these veterans were black soldiers.  So, now the VMFA is pissing on the memory of the black veterans also.  Why are black people, during this Black History month, not out there flagging the VMFA and asking them to return the flags and restore the honor to the black Confederate veterans along with their southern brothers and sisters?  One brave young black lady veteran has dared to go against the grain and honor her Confederate ancestors by flagging the VMFA.

God Bless all of our Confederate veterans and may they live in glory in heaven and be an inspiration to all of us to do what has to be done when our freedoms are threatened and that threat is with us more now than ever before.