Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
The Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has come up with an idea for celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Civil War—known to some as the “War between the States.” The veterans group has proposed that the state of
Mississippi issue a series of specialty license plates commemorating the war. These specialty plates, planned for the years 2011 through 2015, would each have a different design.
What has some people upset is the specialty license plate slated for the year 2014, which would honor General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest, a native of Tennessee, is considered by some to have been a military genius. Others feel differently about Forrest who is “reviled” by some for allegedly having lead a massacre of Black Union troops at Fort Pillow in his home state in 1864. It should be noted that Forrest also served as the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.
According to ABC News, the NAACP is planning to send a letter to Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour requesting “that he publicly denounce the license plate and use his office to prevent it from being issued.” Derrick Jackson, president of the Mississippi state NAACP, said of Forrest: “He should be viewed in the same light that we view Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. The state of Mississippi should deny any vanity tags which would highlight racial hatred in this state.”
Although many historians agree that Nathan Bedford Forrest distanced himself from the KKK later in his life, some believe “it was too little too late because the Klan had already turned violent before Forrest left.”
Sources
Videos: Confederates Are Cool Again!
By Adam Weinstein| Wed Dec. 1, 2010
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/12/video-confederate-cool-again-south-slavery-lincoln
Excerpt:
Now, Civil War revisionism is nothing new. For generations, Southern apologists have argued that the stars and bars and rebel gray are about “heritage,” not hate; that the war was fought over “states’ rights,” not slavery. But the SCV’s new ads are custom-tailored to our post-Obama tea party zeitgeist. The code words have changed from “states’ rights” to “federal taxation.” The war was “really about money and control,” we learn, not long after hearing how the aggressive radical Abraham Lincoln had no qualms about throwing waves of Northern soldiers to their deaths to extract a tribute from the poor, put-upon men of Dixie who “stood courageously for liberty.” Says the sing-songy female narrator who delivers these historical “truths”:
Don’t let others do your thinking for you! Don’t allow them to rob you of your heritage while they celebrate their own! Be proud of your Southern history and heritage!
As a trained political scientist and longtime history buff—and, of course, a journalist—I’m quite into the idea of more and better historical education for the citizenry. It’s just that in America, the loudest challenges to the historical record tend to come from crackpot populists, right-wing ax-grinders, and adherents of sham scholarship. The longstanding Confederacy rehab agenda is the classic example. Great revisionist scholarship is being done on Civil War history today, notably in Stephanie McCurry’s excellent book Confederate Reckoning and the work of other historians like James Loewen, Euan Hague, Heidi Beirich, and Edward Sebesta. But that new research is proving what most of us already suspected: The Southern secession was all about slavery and racism. The Confederate government was at odds with the interests of most of its women, minorities, and poor whites. It was a grand failure in virtually every sense.
Except it wasn’t conquered.
Quillen: The War of Revisionist History
By Ed Quillen
The Denver Post
4/11/2010
http://www.denverpost.com/opinion/ci_14847773
America’s longest war? Some fear it will be in Afghanistan, others point to Vietnam or the Cold War. But it’s really the Civil War, as we learned last week.
April is now “Confederate History Month,” promoted by an outfit called the Sons of Confederate Veterans, and duly proclaimed as such by Robert F. McDonnell, governor of Virginia.
He said he wanted to promote historical tourism. Virginia has many attractions: Jamestown, Yorktown, Williamsburg, Mount Vernon, Monticello, plus Civil War sites like Petersburg and Appomattox which will get more attention with the 150th anniversary starting next year.
But by making it “Confederate History Month,” rather than “Civil War History Month,” McDonnell managed to neglect a prominent Virginia general — George H. Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga,” the “Sledge of Nashville” and the subject of a recent biography, “Master of War.” For keeping his oath of loyalty to the Union, Thomas was disowned by his slave-holding family, and apparently his home state continues the tradition.
This demonstrates the fallacy of the old saying that “the winners write the history.” When it comes to the Civil War, the losers write the history.
For instance, it’s easy to find Dixie explanations that the war was about “states’ rights,” rather than slavery. But the fact is, if you read about America in 1850, you find that Southern politicians didn’t give a whit about states’ rights. They demanded and got a federal Fugitive Slave Law that superseded northern state laws and required northern sheriffs and constables, and even common citizens, to assist in the kidnaping of free black persons. Northern state laws that required jury trials to determine whether an African-American was an escaped slave or a freeman were made invalid by the federal law pushed by Southerners.
So much for states’ rights.
As for Southern “freedom,” ignore chattel slavery for a moment and consider the freedoms that Southern politicians denied their white citizens.
Abraham Lincoln had promised not to interfere with slavery where it was legal, and had supported the Fugitive Slave Act as part of the Compromise of 1850. So why did his election cause secession?
Back in those days, presidents appointed postmasters. Under the previous administrations of Democrats Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan, postmasters in the South routinely destroyed “abolitionist propaganda,” rather than deliver such mail.
But it was assumed that Lincoln would appoint postmasters who would not censor the mail, and actually respect the First Amendment by delivering anti-slavery newspapers and books like “The Impending Crisis of the South.” The “freedom” that the Southern politicians promoted was their freedom to tell everybody else what they could read.
Now consider a recent proposal to remove Ulysses S. Grant from American currency, a notion which comes from a North Carolina congressman. Grant was, of course, the victorious Union general, so it’s not surprising that he’s not exactly a hero on the nether side of the Mason-Dixon line.
But the congressman referred to Grant’s presidency, not his military career. As president, Grant had his flaws. But he did suppress a domestic terrorist organization, the first incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan, and he supported and signed the first federal civil rights law in 1875.
This may explain why there’s an effort to erase him from the $50 bill, just as the Virginia governor wants to erase George Thomas from his state’s history.
How about an “Honest History Month” one of these days?
rafflaw:
Agreed on all counts.
Wow! With Brent,Josephine Southern,now Jeb the Reb we had better lay in a supply of white sheets. Half of them to be tied to their Ames swords for surrendering purposes and the other half, of course, to be worn by them on their colored-ful nocturnal activities. Careful of the cinders from those burning crosses, ya hear!
Elaine,
Great video from Hardball. For anyone to try to rewrite history and suggest that Slaves were happy being forced laborers is ludicrous.
Mespo,
I love the eyes of Singletary! He was a good one. He is just too intense to be a head coach.
reb i must warn u these confused liberals beliefs have been brainwashed to them so long that they are so out of touch with ALL of american history. it may take a truckload of stakes an garlic. they read a few half truth posts an think they have it all figured out, instead of really doing there reaserch on the entire war an general forrest. but i have since figured out that the truth is not what this blog was for, its for there half truths an lies to promote there agenda. but i guess in there defense they learned it all in the winners books an posts. when there own libary of congress has the facts. they do not see the destruction of the country as our forefathers founded as treason.they believe its a good thing to have had 600,000 deaths to change this country into a new one.when not the first shot had to ever be fired.they do not believe in the america created in the beginning, they believe in what was won by the tyrannts. they are the folks adams an jefferson warned us about. they think our loss of soverignty is a good thing. they think the goverment that won is on there side!lol! they actually think the war was about slavery. i just dont understand how, after posting lincolns own words they could continue to be such sheep! but reb u feel free to drive that stake, i feel as though ive been in a gang war with 20 childern by myself!! im gonna go laugh myself to sleep now. goodnight all. remember me an the sons of confederate veterans will leave the light on for you!
jeb after arguing with these liberal sheep for a week, i have decided to return to the topic, as arguing the causes of the war is above there near sighted minds. This blog was posted by elaine an deals with the scv tags an nathan bedford forrest. an u can see by my tiresless debates with them, im not weak. I sunk to there level a couple times, but no more! the facts are, they used disproved fiction of forrest attacks on fort pillow. they would rather see the 300 black men that fought almost to the last man as incompetant slaves than the truth, that they were brave soldiers. in there own posted wiki link it clearly states the commander of fort pillow did not surrender. forrest did not start the kkk, he was a member an helped break it up after only two years because of illegal an immoral conduct by some members. that is the facts.but the facts do not fit into there agenda of lies an half truths, so they attack like sharks!!lol! but while ur judging my debate skills reb, why dont u help drive that stake. lol!!
Mespo, recon we can get some of whatever makes him so clear-eyed? I had been considering this one.
http://www.standrewsocietysarasota.com/images/old_scot_cartoon_trans.bmp
brent waller:
good luck to you sir.
I would give no quarter, they’re not going to give you any.
They are despicable and malicious, they argue using slander and vile invective.
I would not post what you have written, it makes you look weak. They are piranha and now smell your blood in the water. Cowards all, give them no quarter. Put the stake of truth through their black hearts.
now if we are back on topic i refer u to my earlier post
after doing some research i found the newspaper OPINION column written by Leanord Pitts, mr Pitts is no friend of the south, in an opinion article as he so often does, he is not truthful.point of fact is almost all statements he made in that article are simply not true, the fort pillow statment he made about forrest massacring 300 black union soldiers has been totally discredited by historical reaserchers for years.the fact is they did not surrender, an fought valantly almost to the last man!!!!today almost everything mr pitts said are only repeated by those ingnorant of history an those who use them to fan racial hatred
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.”
~Marcus Tullius Cicero.
mike that is mepsos quote read slower, annonomously yours, your a bigot, who uses slander when u dont like what josephine southern said. ur crack pipe comment was disgraceful an shows the type of person you truly are.scribe i have had enough of you threatning me, back it up or shut up!you liberals are completly stupid of american history. i have had enough of it, i never hear u not once say a thing of the indians, my mother is half choctow indian, my indian ancestors fought for the confederacy, do u sheep really believe that THEY fought for slavery? my indian ancestors were almost wiped off the map by the yankees. scribe u take ur threats an shove em where the sun dont shine. time an again i see racist an slander comments by those on this page. they villify my southern ancestors while they post quotes from slaveowners!!lol!! scribe im not on a terrorist watch list, although the people that jonathan turley represent, “he is the mans pic at the top of this blog you all an me are posting on” are!!!! u liberals show me time an again why yall are a small fringe group every time i turn on my computer. first you all use outdated an disproven info on nathan bedford forrest, which is slander the mans decendents are still living. second u attack using things like crack pipes an drooling on ur sister comments when u are proved wrong. third u make threat after threat because u cant stand someone coming on here an telling the true history because it doesnt fit ur hate filled agenda, fourth u keep speaking of the blacks while completley forgetting that ur yankee heroes wiped out the indians, an some of these yankee generals u bost of massacered indians women an childern an are burried in indian country for it. fifth. people like the scribe forget all other history but southern history. mike there were many lynchings of white people in this country!!! in the american west white folks were lynched, indians were lynched. get over it. why dont u look at the whole country besides the south. after i proved all of the info on forrest wrong, yall set out on the attack because u have nothing left!!!! why dont scribe an the rest quit the threats, the racist remarks an lets all return to the focus of this blog. in other words nathan bedford forrest.do that an i will answer continue with threats an bs an i wont. i tried to debate but got tired of the attacks. so can we all be civil? if yall will i will. no man is without sin, i will be the first to admit that. but lies have been told on nathan bedford forrest, is why i posted on this blog to begin with. so i am asking for folks to be civil an return this blog to its true intention. we can argue about the civil war forever. im not gonna change ur mind, an ur not gonna change mine. that argument has been going on for 150 years. scribe u seemed to forget the first amendment when u posted the rest. u need to watch calling me a terrorist as the 1st amendment does not cover that
OS:
“I have been considering getting one, but cannot find a “curmudgeon.” Elf would be a lot easier, but elf does not quite convey my personality–since I am the same size as the average NFL linebacker.”
*************************************8
Got that perfect avatar for you. Note the clear-eyed take on things:
http://www.midwestsportsfans.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/mike-singletary-eyes.jpg
Because you just can’t have too much Nina Simone…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1ri-sWSrK0&w=640&h=390]
Topical
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktsU01lfzLU&w=640&h=390]
AY: everyone likes the avatar. I have been considering getting one, but cannot find a “curmudgeon.” Elf would be a lot easier, but elf does not quite convey my personality–since I am the same size as the average NFL linebacker.
RE: debit transactions. I have checked the telephone hotline and saw that same thing, so I called the bank. I was told that when you make a debit transaction they do a hold, then re-credit from the hold when the money is actually drafted from the account. In other words, for a short time, it will appear that the money has been re-deposited, but what you are actually looking at is the hold being released. That “double transaction” does not appear on a bank statement, since it is not a true transaction.
Your bank may do it differently than mine. Also occurs to me the cashier may have hit the wrong key and reversed the transaction. OOPS!
SL,
So do you really, really like my avatar….It was a hard decision…do you have an ideal that you’d like …..
Since this thread has already been jacked…..
OFF TOPIC…..
I recently made a debit transaction at a retailer…..upon loading the good, I was stopped by the registers attendant…..they came to the vehicle and asked to look at the receipt….I was ok with that it was paid for… I got curious and looked at my bank balance…the transaction had been debited from my bank account and the almost immediately reversed….hence…sum game zero….not credited….but reversed…..does anyone have any thoughts or ideals on this….
Hey everyone pay attention…..
This Thread has officially been hijacked………Please remember that facts have nothing to do with the poster posting as a southerner…..
Since, this is the world that they want to live in….never…..confuse facts….. that they believe with the truth as it is known…..
Therefor….the people speaking about truth….have in essence jacked the thread…..lol