Posted on 12/03/2010 4:39:40 AM PST by Colonel Kangaroo
Event marks war's anniversary
CHARLESTON -- The shots are solely verbal -- and expected to remain that way -- but at least one Civil War Sesquicentennial event is triggering conflict.
The Sons of Confederate Veterans plan to hold a $100-per-person "Secession Ball" on Dec. 20 in Gaillard Municipal Auditorium. It will feature a play highlighting key moments from the signing of South Carolina's Ordinance of Secession 150 years ago, an act that severed the state's ties to the Union and put the nation on the path to the Civil War.
Jeff Antley, who is organizing the event, said the Secession Ball honors the men who stood up for their rights.
"To say that we are commemorating and celebrating the signers of the ordinance and the act of South Carolina going that route is an accurate statement," Antley said. "The secession movement in South Carolina was a demonstration of freedom."
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People plans to protest the event, said Charleston branch President Dot Scott. She deferred further comment to Lonnie Randolph, president of the state NAACP.
"It's amazing to me how history can be rewritten to be what you wanted it to be rather than what happened," Randolph said. "You couldn't pay the folks in Charleston to hold a Holocaust gala, could you? But you know, these are nothing but black people, so nobody pays them any attention."
When Southerners refer to states' rights, he said, "they are really talking about their idea of one right -- to buy and sell human beings."
Antley said that's not so.
"It has nothing to do with slavery as far as I'm concerned," he said. "What I'm doing is honoring the men from this state who stood up for their self-government and their rights under law -- the right to secede was understood."
Antley said, "Slavery is an abomination, but slavery is not just a Southern problem. It's an American problem. To lay the fault and the institution of slavery on the South is just ignorance of history."
Antley said about 500 people are expected to attend the ball, which begins with a 45-minute play and concludes with a dinner and dancing. S.C. Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, an ardent Civil War re-enactor, is among the actors in the play. The actual ordinance of secession document also will be on display.
Randolph said the state NAACP is consulting with its national office in Baltimore regarding the format of the protests, which also could extend to other 150th anniversary events. "There is not one event that's off the table," he said.
Asked whether there could be good Sesquicentennial events, Randolph said, "If there were a dialogue to sit down and discuss that event 150 years ago and how it still negatively impacts the lives of so many people in this state and around the country, that would be a good discussion, but not an event to sit down and tell lies about what happened and glamorize those people who thought America was so sorry and so bad that they wanted to blow it to hell. That's what they did -- that's what they attempted to do, and we want to make that honorable?"
Charleston is receiving increased national attention as the nation's plans for the Sesquicentennial move forward. This was where it began, with the state becoming the first to secede on Dec. 20, 1860, and firing the first shot on April 12, 1861.
Most of the Lowcountry's Sesquicentennial events have been announced with little controversy -- many involve lectures by respected historians and scholars.
In its vision statement for the observance, the National Park Service said it "will address the institution of slavery as the principal cause of the Civil War, as well as the transition from slavery to freedom -- after the war -- for the 4 million previously enslaved African Americans."
Michael Allen of the National Park Service said he is aware of plans for the Secession Ball but noted that most Sesquicentennial events have found common ground among those with differing viewpoints.
"Now some people might be upset with some pieces of the pie. I understand that," he said. "I think that's the growth of me, as a person of African decent, is to realize that people view this in different ways."
Allen said other Sesquicentennial commemorations being planned will mark events that have a strong black history component, such as Robert Smalls' theft of the Confederate ship Planter and the 54th Massachusetts' assault on Battery Wagener.
"At least what's being pulled together by various groups, be they black or white or whatever, will at least be more broad based and diverse than what was done in 1961," Allen said. "Hopefully, at the end of the day, all Carolinians can benefit from this four-year journey."
Tom O'Rourke, director of the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission, said Sesquicentennial organizers were fooling themselves if they thought the Confederate side of the story was going to be buried in the observances.
"I think there will be controversy, I think there will be hurt feelings, and I think that as this anniversary passes, we will question what else we could have done to tell the whole story," he said. "But I am OK with all of that. ... I think all discussion is progress."
Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/12/03/1847335/secession-ball-stirs-controversy.html#ixzz1737LSVRv
You make it sound like we haven't been trading posts most of the evening. Or is this mojitojane? Or some sort of Southron Sybil Dorsett?
Your weekends for 9 years have consisted of desperately searching for a pro Muslim or war of northern aggression thread on FR.
I don't need to search; we have a ping list.
do you really think you say anything interesting enough to warrant spending a lot of time reading your posts.
And yet you can, and do, quote post after post of mine at the drop of a hat. If they're that dull then why do you collect them?
Did it ever occur to you if lots of Freepers email posts back and forth, you can save them and never have to search for them?
Oh I know all about FReepmails. When I post some of your better ones you go bawling to the mods and have them pulled.
I have to say, since you have been called out many times by many Freepers, you are behaving yourself more than in the past.
Nope, still the same ol' me.
Must be afraid of that old zoteroo.
According to you, you jackasses have been trying to get me the old zoteroo for years now and haven't been successful. So what, exactly , do I have to fear?
It's not nice to call Southern Freepers inbreds and things like that...
Truth must really hurt.
...and things like that and when your nasty, vile, bigoted posts are posted by others, you don't like the sunshine they receive, do you?
And here you just said I don't say anything interesting enough to spend a lot of time reading my posts. Now you're claiming you cast them into the sunshine. Make up your feeble mind why don't you?
Your meds are working(I think)and the Southern bigoted Southern bashing has dropped immensely.
You should try some meds of your own.
I was tempted to end my previous post with But you knew that but I can see from your confirmation of my assessment that it isn't necessary. Thanks!
And the pictures of nerds, geeks, things like that wearing women's underwear? Do you search special for those? Or do you just figure you hit the jackpot when you stumble across them?
You will be surprised at what you will find.
What I find surprising is that you would even go looking for them. Birds of a feather and all the rest I guess.
You want to see some pictures that will probably make you cry like a baby, head over to Craiglist political forum
So now we know where you are when you aren't spreading hatred over here.
The 'they' you were referring to.
Your reputation, and habits, precede you. I'll bet you can post 50 of my quotes on any subject on a moments notice. Just punch in the query and you're database will spit them out in a matter of seconds.
Bit of a hack job, isn’t it? Usually when you Photoshop your fonts and shading are closer together. This one is easy to tell where you plugged your stuff in. Very disappointing. Back to the drawing board.
If you had one then you would.
Don't worry rockrr, I will still extended appropriate courtesy to you and your's. It's called "the right thing to do." Sorry your life is bitter, but can't help ya with that.
You’ve got to wonder about someone who collects pictures like the one in his reply 204 and then calls other guys ‘dearie’. Makes me very glad that he’s in Florida and I’m not.
And speaking solely for myself I will continue to accept said courtesies in the spirit in which I'm sure they're intended.
Nice!
Oh please, mine is not porn. I ran across it in a search for nerds, geeks, dweebs, dorks. There are no whips, no sexual innuendos, the dude is frying something, no whips and crap like the other one. What a bunch of wimps you all are.
Head's all out of proportion. I swear the quality of mo-joe's Photoshop output is deteriorating.
Yep, just a guy making a meal...while wearing bra, panties, garter and nylons. I'm sure mo-joe does all his cooking dressed like that.
Grow up whiner attention whore and why do you piing your butt buddies to stupid posts like that. Back off pansy.
The spirit in which they are attended is sincere. I respect other's rights to post as they please (who am I to judge what others post), but courtesy when children are on a thread is just the right thing to do.
Huh. I came to this thread anticipating more forward-thinking festivities...
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