NEXT MEETING

August 12, 2014: Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant, Lake Charles Program. Speaker: Charles Lauret former Louisiana Division State SCV Commander and Commander Army of Trans-Mississippi. 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12.

Charles Lauret

Charles Lauret – Biography

Member of the SCV since 2000.

Brig. Gen. J.J. Alfred A. Mouton Camp #778 of Opelousas, La.

·        1st LT Commander

·        Commander

·        Adjutant

Louisiana Division

·        Southwest Brigade Commander

·        1st LT Commander

·        Division Commander

National SCV

·        Chief Aide de Camp

·        ATM Councilman

·        ATM Commander (present)

Finding Your Way Home

Commander’s Column August, 2014

What is basic and fundamental to our unity as a local SCV camp? I believe the basis of our unity is found in the SCV Charge which we read publicly at every meeting:

“To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit the vindication of the Cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish.”

General Stephan Dill Lee

It is the SCV Charge that defines, motivates, challenges, and unites us as SCV brothers. Our whole purpose for existence is found in this historic statement. We exist to defend the good name of our Confederate ancestors, protect the true history of the War Between the States, and perpetuate the ideals and values of our forbearers. This is our purpose. If we ignore the SCV Charge and focus upon secondary, non-essential issues, then we will see our unity shattered and our effectiveness diminished as a camp. We do not have to like each other to be unified. It is nice when we all like each other, but it is not necessary. We do not all have to have the same personality to work together There will be personality clashes in our SCV Camp but such should not destroy unity. We have to respect each other, even when the personalities of some of our members drive the rest of us up the wall. Why? Because the SCV Charge challenges to emulate the virtues of our Confederate ancestors, who fought side by side with our us fellow soldiers who had different personalities. We do not have to agree on every issue to be unified. But we must focus upon fulfilling the SCV Charge even when we disagree with our fellow members. Interests outside the SCV should not divide us. I am a Baylor Bear. There are members in our Camp who are great LSU, McNeese, University of Houston, Texas A. & M., and UL Lafayette fans. We can have some fun with each other in this area but the support of our favorite college football team should not divide us or cause strife in the Camp. Contemporary politics should not divide us. Our religious preferences should not divide us. We do not all have to dress alike to be united. We do not all like to hunt and fish in order to be united. And we do not have to be Republicans or Democrats to be united in the SCV. The core values set forth by the SCV Charge are basic to our unity. Our responsibility is to work together to implement the principles set forth in the SCV Charge. Any significance issue or position that does not come out of the SCV Charge should not be allowed to divide us. If secondary issues arise, then such issues should be addressed in private, outside of our monthly meeting, not in front of guests or potential members. The recent issue over the banner is a prime example of a divisive issue which negatively impacts our fellowship and unity. As your commander allow me to address this issue within the context of our SCV Charge. I prefer to display in public, banners or flags without the “heritage not hate on it.” I personally don’t think we need any slogan or phrase on a banner or flag representing the SCV which seeks to define us apart from our historic Charge. There are fellow SCV members who like the “heritage not hate” phrase. I will respect their opinion, but to quote our distinguished adjutant, “that’s my opinion, and like a true rebel, I’m sticking to it.” Placing a phrase on a banner or flag is a secondary issue which must not divert us from our historic purpose as established by the SCV Charge:

1. To vindicate the Cause for which our Confederate ancestors fought.

2. To defend the Confederate soldier's good name.

3. To guard of the true history of the War Between the States.

4. To emulate of the virtues of our ancestors.

5. To perpetuate of the principles loved by the Confederate soldier.

6. To support those ideals which made the Confederate soldier glorious.

        I want to work with every member of the camp to fulfill our historic purpose. We cannot vindicate, defend, guard, emulate, perpetuate, or support our great cause and our beloved ancestors if we are diverted by division and conflict over secondary issues. Please help our camp work together as a unified team. In this way we truly honor the ancestors who fought to defend our freedom and our dear Southern way of life.

        Reaching out to enlist new members to join the Sons of Confederate Veterans is critical during this time of the year. Please make every effort possible to encourage perspective members to join. No organization including the Sons of Confederate Veterans can continue to be healthy without a constant inflow of new members.

Yours in Our Great Cause,

Dr. Andy Buckley

Commander

FUTURE MEETING SPEAKERS

September 9, 2014: Joe’s Italian Restaurant Sulphur Program. Speaker: James Ronald Kennedy, former Louisiana Division State SCV Commander and author of The South Was Right. Topic: "Post Appomattox: Reconciliation or Vindication?"

October 14, 2014: Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant, Lake Charles Program. Speaker: Rev. Shane Kastler member Captain James W. Bryan Camp and author.

November 11, 2014: Joe’s Italian Restaurant Sulphur Program. Speaker: Texas State Representative James White (invited)

December 9, 2014: Captain James W. Bryan Camp Christmas Party.

 Recumbent state of Gen. Lee at the 

Lee Memorial Chapel at Washington &

Lee University with the flags surrounding

the statue before they were ordered

removed by the university president.

(Library of Congress)

SONS OF CONFEDERATE VETERANS ACCUSE UNIVERSITY OF "NARROW MINDED PREJUDICE"

       A recent event at Washington and Lee University has underscored the growing phenomenon of "South-bashing" in the media and in academia. At the behest of several young law students, that school's President made a decision to remove two St. Andrews Cross battle flags from the Lee Chapel on the campus. Lee Chapel is the burial place of Robert E. Lee, who led the Army of Northern Virginia. General Lee became President of what was then Washington College after the War Between the States and is generally credited with saving the school. The Chapel is a beloved and honored place to the more than 65 million Americans who are descended from those who fought for the South in that conflict. 

      The law students, who call themselves "The Committee", delivered an ultimatum to President Kenneth Ruscio threatening civil disobedience unless certain demands were met. One of those demands was the removal of Confederate symbols from the Chapel, saying that the Christian Cross flags made them feel "unwelcome". On July 8th, Ruscio announced that the flags would be removed from the Lee Chapel. We cannot fathom why anyone would attend a school named after Robert E. Lee and then say they were offended by the St. Andrews Cross flag. Nor we cannot fathom how anyone could take them seriously and cave in to their threats. But in the current climate of 'South bashing', such a radical act as this seems to be accepted as some sort of litmus test for the "politically correct police".

       It appears that those who have a very simplistic view of American history have decided that the 150th anniversary of The Civil War is the right time to demonize the Southern culture, to intensify their vilification of Confederate heritage, and to continue to act as if their actions are some sort of moral crusade.

            We who are of Confederate heritage honor our ancestors for their sacrifice, their perseverance and their astonishing courage against overwhelming odds. These men were our family, our kinfolks, and their blood runs in our veins. But the new bigots of political correctness are exhibiting the same kind of narrow minded prejudice and knee-jerk bias that has always been the enemy of brotherhood and understanding.

     This latest example is the breaking point for us. Our patience with this new McCarthyism is exhausted. These mean spirited attacks upon us come from the same sad place as do all racial, religious, and regional prejudices. They are rooted in an ignorance combined with a sense of superiority. 

      Over 50 years ago, that courageous Southerner Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "I have a dream that someday on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to dine together at the table of brotherhood." And that has happened. We have done that for decades now in the South, in great part because Dr. King did not qualify that dream or put asterisks on it. He did not say that we would dine together in brotherhood only if we dishonored our ancestors or if our family could routinely be called bigots, traitors, and racists. He was a far better and wiser man than that. He meant that we would dine together by accepting our past as it is and that we would understand each other by our shared culture of work and weather and food and music and memory. That way we could strive together to heal the wounds of the past and thus build a proud and loving South, where folks are judged only by the content of their characters.

       Slavery was not the sin of the South, but of the Nation. Chattel slavery existed throughout every colony and state for almost two centuries. Slavery was funded mainly by the Northern banks. The greatest profits went to the North. The North built the slave ships and manned them. The cotton also went North, to the vast textile mills in New England. The North's complicity in prolonging and profiting from slavery is one of the best kept secrets of American history. The work of the slaves helped to build America, both North and South. And yet the South has long been the scapegoat of these attacks from academia and the media.

The South is the fastest growing economic region in our nation. African-Americans are returning to the South in record numbers, finding a more traditional way of life here and according to many, better race relations. 

It is long past the time for the new bigots of political correctness to get over their condescending sanctimony and to enter into the real world of brotherhood and fellowship. And it is time they understand that insulting our heritage is not the way to build bridges of progress.

Ben Jones
Chief of Heritage Operations
Sons of Confederate Veterans

Message from Our New

Commander-In-Chief Barrow

Compatriots and Friends,
      Let me take this time to tell you what an honor it is to be elected as your Commander-in-Chief. Words cannot adequately describe my feelings. I am humbled to hold an office that only seventy-three men before me have held. It is my pleasure to be a thirty-five year member of the SCV. I remember attending my first Lee-Jackson Banquet at Aunt Fanny's Cabin in Smyrna, Georgia where all of my family was inducted into the SCV, UDC and CofC. It was a special moment for me but little did I know what the future held.
     Through the unity of our organization and the strength of our Confederate Ancestors, we shall continue to move forward to be the preeminent authority on Southern heritage. There are many days ahead of us in the Sesquicentennial and beyond that give us opportunities to promote and honor the heroic deeds of the men and women of 1861-1865. By their examples we can learn a considerable amount; it is our ancestors who endured "Total War" from an illegal invader. Today, like our ancestors, we must also choose to stand fast or retreat? They knew their duty, do we know ours? General Robert E. Lee once said, "Duty then is the sublimit word in the English language, you should do your duty in all things, you can never do more; you should never wish to do less."
     The Confederate soldiers we honor and whose DNA flows in our veins took a stand to proclaim to the world the values of our American Liberties and their commitment to its Cause. Those Principles of 1776 and 1861 are still alive today. Friends, let us reconfirm our commitment to those liberties and the Cause which we hold so dear.
      I would like to close with a quote from Jefferson Davis' proclamation from April 5, 1865 in the capitol in Danville, Virginia. "Let us not, then, despond, my countrymen; but relying on the never-failing mercies and protecting care of our God, let us meet the foe with fresh defiance, with unconquered and unconquerable hearts."
       I now ask you to make a stand as they did, to be unified with others of the same mindset and lineage. As with anything in life, a unified group is more effective than any individual could ever be. I hope you will join me as we honor our Confederate ancestors and as we re-dedicate ourselves to those Principles of 1776 and 1861. May God Bless You and My God Bless the Sons of Confederate Veterans,
Deo Vindice!
Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans

Ben Jones named Heritage Chief
Compatriots,
      In light of the issues at Washington Lee University, I feel it is important to let the membership know who I appointed to the position of Chief of Heritage Operations. Mr. Ben Jones, currently from Virginia, was a former US Congressman from the state of Georgia. His expertise in dealing with high profile situations is one of the many reasons he was chosen. His diplomatic skills will prove to be invaluable in this position.
     On many occasions he has proven that he loves his Southern heritage by the fights he has already participated in. One of the most recent that many may remember is when he took on Warner Brothers after they announced they would remove the Confederate Battle Flag off the General Lee, a car he repaired in the Dukes of Hazard. Yes, Mr. Jones is none other than "Cooter" in the hit TV series that still captivates audiences throughout the world. He won that battle, as he has many, and brought awareness to the history of the flag, as well as the Southern people. I hope you will join with him as he guides us through the future heritage issues.

Deo Vindice!
Charles Kelly Barrow
Commander-in-Chief
Sons of Confederate Veterans