SUVCW display of the Confederate Battle Flag
07/03/2015
The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War have reaffirmed their General Order in support of the Display of the Confederate Flag.
Current Affairs
Alabama Flag & Banner
06/29/2015
Ryan Phillips
Birmingham Business Journal
When a manufacturer of Confederate flags opted to quit production, Huntsville-based Alabama Flag and Banner began making their own.
The store owners and employees began making the Confederate flags in-store using their own equipment and materials, according to a report from AL.com
The orders began to pile up when the company started producing their own flags, selling more than 1,000 on the first day of self-production.
Despite calls from around Alabama and the country to have the flags removed, owners of the store have insisted they will continue to sell what they view as a "historic" flag.
Sales for the Huntsville flag shop hit a high last Tuesday, following the media firestorm that ignited in the wake of a shooting in South Carolina that left nine dead and a shooter in custody with white supremacist ties.
The company offers four sizes of Confederate flags, ranging from $25 in price to $85.
Owners of the establishment said, on average, the store would sell two or three flags a week prior to the same controversy that inspired Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley to order the flags removed from the Capitol grounds last week.
Alabama Flag & Banner: http://alabamaflag.com
Civil War center, Confederacy museum join forces
11/17/2013
For more information: http://cwmemory.com/2013/11/17/museum-of-the-confederacy-and-american-civil-war-center-to-merge/
Civil War center, Confederacy museum join forces
Pair will form new entity to advance shared mission
Posted: Sunday, November 17, 2013 12:00 am
BY KATHERINE CALOS Richmond Times-Dispatch
The world’s premier collection of Confederate artifacts at the Museum of the Confederacy and the city’s premier waterfront location at the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar are combining in a new Richmond museum.
S. Waite Rawls III, president and CEO of the Museum of the Confederacy, and Christy Coleman, president of the American Civil War Center, will be co-leaders of the new organization, whose name will be chosen with guidance from national and local research.
Edward L. Ayers, president of the University of Richmond and a Civil War scholar who sits on the board of both institutions, will be chairman of the combined board.
“I think it’s going to be a great thing for the city, it’s going to be a great thing for people who care about the Civil War and it’s going to be a great thing for people who care about the mission of both institutions, which will be able to be sustained,” Ayers said.
Continue reading "Civil War center, Confederacy museum join forces" »
Former slave cabins to be turned into rentals
10/01/2013
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Developers plan to turn former South Carolina slave cabins built in the 1850s into single-room rental homes while keeping the historic look. WYFF’s Mandy Gaither reports.From NBC News
Future of Civil War re-enactment events rests on the young
09/18/2013
Laura Garcia | Laker Weekly Richard Jennings, 12 (from left), Nathan Jennings, 14, Matthew Furr, 14, Doug Camper and Jacob Jennings, 9, relax Friday outside of Jubal A. Early Homeplace.
It’s doubtful that Nathan Jennings’ knowledge of the Civil War can be matched by many his age .
Last weekend, he camped out at LakeWatch Plantation in a field with friends and kin for Franklin County Civil War Days. They slept under makeshift tents and wore uniforms fit for a soldier.
“I do it for the fun and to educate people,” the Rocky Mount teen said. “How many people do you know who actually get to do this?”
Nathan started participating in re-enactments about two years ago, and at 14 , he’s not far from the age of some Civil War soldiers, especially those fighting toward the end of the war. Nathan, along with his two younger brothers, Richard and Jacob, and their mother, Kim Jennings-Valerga, participated in the weekend events.
On Sept. 7, Nathan and his friend Matthew Furr, 14, sat on the lawn of Gen. Jubal A. Early’s homeplace and talked about how to get authentic-looking wooden canteens for future Civil War re-enactments. The next day, he could be seen leading a group of boys in formation for drills.
Nathan said his sense of duty and seriousness about history was inherited from his uncle, Doug Camper, a Civil War re-enactor for 23 years.
Most re-enactors are Camper’s age and older, which will create problems for both authenticity and the future of Civil War re-enactments if young people keep losing interest.
Camper said this event had fewer re-enactors than in previous years, but the volunteers made it work, although some had to change coats mid-battle to play the opposition. Camper said despite luring his nephews into his favorite hobby, recruitment of all ages is difficult, in part because of the equipment expense; a brand-new replica of a Civil War-era rifle can cost $1,000.
He said re-enactors take their roles seriously .
“It’s about learning the history and teaching the history,” Camper said.
David Palmer of Boutetourt County, who played Gen. Robert E. Lee during the event, said that for many children, watching living-history re-enactments could be their only exposure to the Civil War.
“It does concern me,” he said. “So many people are so ignorant of our history. That’s why we do what we do.”
Palmer said participants sat around the campfire at the encampments and discussed politics and social issues .
Having enough participation on the battlefield is one thing, but the re-enactments wouldn’t be complete without the women of the Order of the Confederate Rose in their Civil War-era dresses. Paula Meador of Roanoke said that unlike the men’s groups, members don’t have to prove lineage to participate.
“You just have to love the South,” she said.
Ditty Speed of Wirtz chimed in, “And we do love the South.”
Both locals and visitors attended the Civil War Days, which included vendors and a view of battle re-enactments complete with loud cannons and rifles. The spirit of the South could be heard after the battle on Saturday when a Confederate soldier yelled out to a large crowd of spectators, “Virginia!”
Curtis and Brandi Cornell of Moneta said it was their first time attending a Civil War re-enactment. They brought their daughter Ashtyn, 9, and her friend, Emily Newman, 10, who enjoyed seeing the horses used by the cavalry.
“I thought it was a good way to learn about it,” Emily said.
Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue Vandalized
09/13/2013
September 13, 2013, by Stephanie Scurlock
(Memphis) Vandals left their mark on a controversial statue in the heart of the city’s medical district.
The Nathan Bedford Forrest statue, located off Union Avenue, has been in the middle of a heated battle since the city removed a marker and renamed the park.
A city employee had his hands full cleaning up the statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest.
Late Thursday night or early Friday, someone poured bright red paint on the side and sprawled graffiti on it.
“It’s just a shame they don’t have anything better to do or have more respect for historical items or city property or other people’s property,” said Lee Millar, Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Continue reading "Nathan Bedford Forrest Statue Vandalized" »
Why do people still fly the Confederate flag?
09/12/2013
By Tom Geoghegan, BBC News, Washington
A row has erupted in Virginia over a proposal to fly a huge Confederate flag outside the state capital, Richmond. One hundred and fifty years after the Civil War, the flag can still be seen flying from homes and cars in the South. Why?
For millions of young Britons growing up in the early 1980s, one particular image of the Confederate flag was beamed into living rooms across the UK every Saturday evening.
The flag emblazoned the roof of the General Lee, becoming a blur of white stars on a blue cross when at breathtaking speed, the Dodge Charger took the two heroes, Bo and Luke Duke, out of the clutches of the hapless police in The Dukes of Hazzard.
Continue reading "Why do people still fly the Confederate flag?" »
WARNER BROS. REMOVING CONFEDERATE FLAG FROM ‘DUKES OF HAZZARD’ CAR
08/27/2012
CBS
The General Lee – Bo and Luke Duke’s vehicle of choice from ‘The Dukes of Hazzard‘ – is a classic and instantly recognizable Hollywood car. But it’s about to get a little less recognizable as Warner Bros., the studio that owns the theatrical, DVD and licensing rights to ‘The Dukes of Hazzard,’ has decided to remove the confederate flag from all future versions of the car.
The news has reportedly been floating around the hobby community over the past few days as ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ collectors became aware of a new regulation. A collector on HobbyTalk.com was told by a representative at ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ toy company Tomy:
Starting January 1, 2013 all Dukes of Hazzard General Lee vehicles will not be allowed to be produced with the Confederate Flag on the top of the vehicle.
According to the toy rep, the word came directly from Warner Bros. who no longer wants to endorse an item that has the Confederate flag printed on it.
As of now, this directive only expressly includes merchandising but Warner Bros. is developing a new ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ movie with Jody Hill directing and if they’re being this strict about licensing issues, they could very well enforce the same policy with the upcoming film. But what is a ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ property without the General Lee with the flag painted on top?
What do you think? Is it a smart move for a company like Warner Bros. to distance themselves from the symbolic nature of the Confederate flag or do you think it’s an overly PC kneejerk reaction.
Originally posted at Screen Crush by Mike Sampson
'Redneck' school bus driver wins right to fly Confederate Flag
08/06/2012
Oregon has its share of interesting people, and one of them won a First Amendment ruling over the weekend. Jackson County school busdriver Kenneth Webber earned his job back after an Oregon court ruled that the schooldistrict could not fire him over his decision to fly the Confederate Flag.
Webber, who has driven a school bus in Jackson County School District 4 for six years, was fired for his refusal to remove a Confederate Flag with the word "redneck" prominently displayed on his personal pickup truck. Webber's truck had been parked on school grounds, and his decision to ignore a supervisor's request to remove the flag while on school property eventually led to a suspension and, ultimately, his firing.
According to the court, that's a violation of Webber's First Amendment rights.
The flag was a birthday gift from Webber's father, and Webber claims that it has nothing to do with any sort of racism. According to the Huffington Post, "The married father of four said the flag had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with proclaiming his 'redneck' lifestyle of hunting, fishing and family."
"I work for what I have. I support my family. It's just who I am. I'm a redneck," Webber told the AP. "It's a way of life."
School Superintendent Ben Bergreen explained to the APwhy he personally insisted that the school bus company force Webber to remove the flag:
"The fact is, our district is about 37 percent minority students. It's fairly common knowledge that the Confederate battle flag is perceived by folks as a racist or negative symbol. The Southern Poverty Law Center said more than 500 extremist groups use it as one of their symbols."
He claimed that the flag violated the school district's policy of anti-harassment, which according to the Christian Science Monitor, prohibits "jokes, stories, pictures or objects that are offensive, tend to alarm, annoy, abuse or demean certain protected individuals and groups."
Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke, however, ruled that Webber has the right to fly the flag. He decided that there was no proof that the "redneck" Confederate Flag had harmed school operations.
"The law governing Webber's First Amendment rights is clearly established," Clarke proclaimed. "The display of a flag is an act of symbolic expression protected under the First Amendment."
From the Examiner.com
54th Regiment Sculpture Defaced by Vandalism
08/01/2012
54th Regiment Sculpture Defaced by Vandalism from Chris Lovett on Vimeo.
The Massachusetts 54th Regiment sculpture on Boston Common is defaced by a 38 year-old woman from Quincy who allegedly splashed the Civil War monument with yellow paint. She has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation. Report for BNN News. Aired August 1, 2012.