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
Parli Italiano? In case you don't, do you speak Italian?
Ok, those fools couldn’t get laid at a hooker convention.
The KKK was formed by the Confederate democrats and is telling about their political ideology. Why you use the term Coven for those who support the United States I have no idea. It is the Confederates who formed a coven or klavern.
No, it's a waste of time because you'll obviously ignore any evidence to the contrary in order to hold your simplistic version of events.
The fact still remains that the KKK was a terrorist wing of the democrat party and they targeted republicans.
Then you won't have any trouble presenting evidence of this targeting during the 1920s.
The Coven is short for the Lincoln Coven that lives, eats a breaths to bash Secesh Southerners on Free Republic. You are definitely Coven material. Your Coven CO is non-sequitur, report to him for instructions.
Because I didn’t agree with you in regards to your singular example of KKK infiltration in to the republican party? How does that prove that I won’t accept any evidence? You accused me of being simplistic and yet you come at me with such a simplistic viewpoint in order to make an accusation.
Also I got pulled into this morning as I mentioned above. I do not keep a reference library of links handy but I will surely provide you with sources from where I get my viewpoint and the claims that I make. One source is David Barton who has written and made films (‘Setting the Record Straight’) on the connections between the KKK and democrat party. The targets of the KKK were even put into print (republicans) and there have also been Congressional hearings producing evidence of the democrats using the KKK as a terrorist wing of their party.
You are not giving any reason though for why you use the word ‘Coven’ in regards to those who support Lincoln and the United States in this debate. It was the Confederates who formed a coven or klavern, so why use that in reference to Lincoln supporters?
Coven is a term of “endearment”. The Lincoln Uber Alles Free Republic brigade has a cult like love for their first goth President. President Davis was the President of VA and 10 other Southern States, I do not acknowledge Lincolns presidency.
Alabama - July 13, 1868
Arkansas - June 22, 1868
Florida - June 25, 1868
Georgia - July 21, 1868 (Approved on 2nd attempt July 15, 1870)
Louisiana - July 9, 1868
Mississippi - February 23, 1870
North Carolina - July 4, 1868
South Carolina - July 9, 1868
Tennessee - July 24, 1866
Texas - March 30, 1870
Virginia January 26, 1870
My contention is that the rebel States never actually seceded. Re-admission being merely a fancy political term for when they became eligible for Federal Revenue funds-sharing.
Well then the ‘KKK klavern’ can simply be a term of endearment for your little klan of anti-United States secession supporters.
Yep. Most of us got over it.
Nobody on “our” Southern republican (little r) states rights side has any love for the KKK, whereas there is no denying the cult like love of Lincoln shown by the coven, so there is a difference. You do want you want, but I’ll just call you a$$wipe, is that OK with you?
...that power can be exercised by them only under the tie of conscience, binding them to the retributive justice of Heaven...the indissoluble link of union between the people of the several states of this confederated nation, is after all, not in the right, but in the heart.It appears as if he considers the State of the Union to consist of all members and if Ringo wants out, or - heaven forbid Harrison - let alone merely Lennon (or least of all Paul), the Beatles would no more be a group; likewise, even the least of the States, e.g., CA, or NY secession (not even contemplating the horrors of R.I. departing) would require the individual States to confederate, attack Britain, and after its re-defeat reseat delegates for the Second Constitutional Convention to reform a new-improved perfect Union. Mind you, a more perfect Union is one thing, but that was the 19th century after all, so a more-prefect more perfect-Union was definitely called for.
If one believes the concept this nation was formed by the grace of God, the onus of God's wrath respecting its dissolution falls squarely upon seccionists heads. Its one thing to revolt against tyranny, but do the principle reasons for seccessoin rise to the degree of egregiousness whereby that which was forged with the blood of patriots is warranted to be discarded so easily as yesterday's sodden fish wrap?
While I admire the Southern soldier's priciples of standing up for their convictions to defend their way of life, I find it abhorhent that the status quo being defended was predicated upon an egregiously inconsistant philosophy as that of the abomination of slavery in contrast to the principles set forth in the Declaration of Independence as being 'self evident' and unalienable rights of Man.
...far better will it be for the people of the disunited states, to part in friendship from each other...In one of the Federalist Papers it is mentioned about the quality of men necessary to be leaders of the Republic being formed and something about angels being governed by men due to their fundamental untrustworthyness and what not. The fact that the Southern secionists chose violance over more peacable alternative speaks volumes about how wicked the angels being governed actually are (and the strength of government necesary to keep 'em in check -lest they run amok causing havok everywhere).
Who's to say if the wife of a philandering husband is ethical by her throwing out all his possession on the front lawn and setting the whole gasoline sodden heap alight? Maybe, but the moral question is moot considering the possibility she meet her husbands friends, Smith, Wesson or Colt if his pristine Honus Wagner baseball card was consumed in said pyre.
You know, I don't condone spousal abuse, but I do understand what turns Mr. Hand into Mr. Fist.
Your side has a cult like love for those who formed the KKK klavern and it traitorous and lawless mentality. So it fits you perfectly fine. So go ahead and be as classless as you want, it fits you.
You're making blanket statements. I don't really care who founded what. What I do care about, however, is the people of any given State being able to decide what is in their best interest.
You and your friends can provide information about Southerners during that period being racist, I'll concede the point. The rub is, at least to me, the Northern people were not any better. If you're going to look at American history and villainize all that held racist beliefs, then you can start with Americas first Constitutional President, George Washington. I will not follow you in the search for that evil boogie man . They were men of their times, period.
Shall we discuss something other than this? I'll start. Many Northern States nullified the Federal Fugitive Slave Law, which was endorsed by George Washington. This was their right as a Sovereign State. The Northern States believed, as you do, the Southern people are evil. This belief is deplorable. They reversed course and distantanced themselves from their honesty concerning their own Sovereignty. In doing so, they sold their soul and lost their Sovereignty as well. Hatred of another can destroy ones self, and in this case it did. Congratulations!!!
In order to enable the Federal government easily to conquer the resistance that may be offered to it by any of its subjects, it would be necessary that one or more of them should be specially interested in the existence of the Union, as has frequently been the case in the history of confederations.The question becomes, when does one risk laying down one's life for an ideal or principle? It would seem that the risk / reward is such that dying for a belief is better than living in the anathema of an alternative contrary to it.
And so it was on both sides; the North would not have dissolution of the Union, the South would not brooke impingment nor abridgement of their aristocratic agrarian based society based upon a philosophy diametrically opposed to those ideals set forth in the Declaration of Independance concerning unalienable rights of Man.
Either way, buckets and buckets, and train-loads of gore were spilled establishing the right of might.
Re your coal mine comment. A lot of people probably do not realize there was (or is) significant coal mining in Illinois. There is a nice coal mine exhibit at the Museum of Science and Technology in Chicago. I took my kids there once.
Show me one post where anyone defends or promotes the KKK A$$hat, so f-off jerkface.
Hey, if they end DADT then even you will be able to join the military, getting excited? Squeal like a pig.
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