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AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY IN CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA The unspeakable tragedy at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church is being already being used by some in the “agititation/propaganda” business to further divide good hearted people of different heritages, especially in the Southern states. We 30,000 members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans are heartbroken by this depraved and insane act of murder. Our deepest sympathies and our most heartfelt prayers are with the victims and loved ones of this heinous act of a deluded racist. We at the S.C.V. have long detested the use of our forefather’s symbols by racist groups and individuals. We consider it to be a cowardly desecration of our inheritance. Our ancestors fought for the South and of that we are not ashamed. In the 150 years since the War ended, the men and women of the South, of all colors, have contributed a higher percentage of military volunteers than any other region of our nation. This country would not exist were it not for Southerners like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. We are American patriots to the core. The mindless murders at Emanuel AME Church were an act of purposeful evil. Those who try to make larger political hay out of this are misguided and forgetful of our common heritage. As a nation of many ethnicities we should all extend tolerance and understanding to every individual of every heritage. And that should include those of us of Confederate heritage. We must not allow the sickness of one demented individual to become that with which the media and our opponents define us. We are the same good-hearted people that we were last week and last year. May the Lord be with those who are suffering from the dreadful murders in Charleston. We stand with them to decry racism and to decry those who wish to divide us in the aftermath of this evil. Ben Jones, Chief of Heritage Operations, Sons of Confederate Veterans ‪#‎SCV‬ ‪#‎ElmSprings‬