[VAcourier] basic heritage defense article
Virginia Division SCV Communication List
vacourier at scvva.org
Sat Jun 30 13:27:29 EDT 2007
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Basic Heritage Defense
by P. Charles Lunsford
July 1999
Proper heritage defense is a simple process. This brief overview should
serve as an elementary education on the process so that each individual can
operate effectively and not make mistakes, which could result in losses.
Is it a Heritage Violation?
Many times we see something as a heritage violation which is not. If a
local chapter of the NAACP wants to have a Confederate statue removed from a
city parkway, for instance, that would be a heritage violation. If the local
UDC/SCV wants to remove a Confederate monument to get it out of a roadway
and avoid continued damage, that is not a heritage violation. Clear enough.
But sometimes the lines are blurred.
Occasionally, a school official will suspend a student because another
complains about the wearing of a Battle Flag emblem. When asked about it,
the student will comment that the official made disparaging comments about
the flag and ordered its removal. Then, when the official is interviewed, he
will say that he made no such comments. He will claim that the student was
belligerent and hateful to other students and just happened to be wearing
the flag. To avoid a big fight, he suspended the student and asked that the
flag not be worn. He will claim that the flag was inflaming what was really
a discipline problem. Is this a heritage violation? Maybe it is. More
information is needed.
Facts and Evidence
The first thing you should do when you first encounter a potential
violation is to interview all parties to it. You must determine from those
who know, just what the points of agreement and disagreement are. Take notes
or tape record the interview, preferably on video. Do not rely on second
hand information, only get it from the source. In most heritage violations,
the perpetrator will deny it.
Example: In 1992, an Atlanta hotel removed the Georgia State flag,
which embodies a Confederate emblem, and left a blank pole. When it was
announced that they had removed the flag, a large outcry was heard from the
public. The manager began responding to each complainant with a form letter
which related that the flag was removed because that particular hotel branch
had won an excellence competition and would be allowed to fly the company
flag for a year on the pole. They only had two poles, so they removed the
Georgia flag. The manager went on, claiming that we were off base and
falsely accusing them. That made many think we were mistaking the situation.
This reaction is common. In the mentioned case, a letter was produced
from an SCV member who had gone into the hotel, spoken to the manager, and
been told in no uncertain terms that the flag was removed because someone
had complained and they did not want any controversy. We had a witness who
had put it in writing. When confronted with the date, time and name of the
manager who made the comments, no comment was received from the company.
In another case, the leader of a Jaycee group had taken a Confederate
flag from the front of their Oklahoma headquarters after an appearance on a
radio show, during which a caller complained about it. He stated on the air
that he would remove it so as not to offend anyone. When the outcry came, he
denied that he did it at all. He said that it was his personal flag and he
removed it because his term ended. Only after two letters were produced from
listeners of the show, did our own membership feel confident we were right.
The bottom line is this: do interviews; get evidence; be wary of cover
stories. Ask yourself: Was a symbol removed? Was a child humiliated? Was a
song banned? If the answer is yes, then until evidence proves otherwise, it
should be considered a heritage violation.
How Should it be Reported?
First, all necessary data must be obtained. If the interviews and
evidence lead to the conclusion that a violation has happened, intelligence
gathering is necessary. The violation should be written as a complete, yet
concise, narrative, in chain-of-events form and it should include all
related data. If, for instance, a school principal is guilty of violating
the free speech rights of a child, a complete, detailed description of the
instance should be written up after interviewing both sides. Quotes should
be used for all key facts. Then the name, address, telephone number and
e-mail address should be obtained for the principal and each member of the
school board. Only then should the violation be reported.
In the case of a media outlet, be sure to obtain and report contact
information on the advertisers. This is easily obtained on the internet.
In the case of a corporation, we will need to identify the board of
directors. They may be unaware of what was done at a lower corporate level.
If the business is a proprietorship, we will need to identify the
proprietor.
What Action Should be Taken?
Action varies with each violation. The reporter usually makes a
preliminary decision as to which action to take. Sometimes, if local folks
are doing something specific, they will not want you to do anything. But
beware. Sometimes a local reporter will ask that nothing be done because the
violator is his old fishing buddy. If the local men are manning a specific
strategy, there is no reason they cannot tell the rest of us just what it
is. Secrecy is very rarely needed in such matters, particularly to a
compatriot.
There are a number of actions which can be taken. Some are:
Rallies
Public rallies are a good way to get expensive media contact for free.
However, it is imperative that a large crowd be assured and it is equally
vital to keep embarrassing people from attending. Holding a rally on public
property with a permit allows the host to have undesirables removed by the
police. Advertising rallies publicly makes the risk of undesirables greater.
However, only inviting those within organizations makes smaller crowds. It
is difficult to host a good rally.
Rallies should be used when the polls show the public is on your side
and all they need is to know that someone is actually doing something. That
will help dispel apathy, a real problem with heritage violations where the
public begins to feel that all is lost.
Letter Writing
Letter writing is very effective with elected or appointed political
officials. It is also effective with corporations.
There are certain principles to remember in letter writing:
1. Use small, store bought stationary and blue ink. This makes it look
like the only time you write letters is to say hello to aunt Betsy, not that
you are a letter writing kook.
2. Be very brief. A few sentences is adequate. Do not go into too many
logical points. No one will likely read it any further than to see if you
are for or against. Don't tell how proud you are of your granddaddy, they
could care less.
3. Never use any type of form letter or borrow someone's wording. Never
say you are with an organization. Only the head of the organization should
do that. Each letter must look unique. Research has shown that when a
politician gets a letter like that described above, he considers it to
represent 500 people. If it comes affiliated with an organization, he
determines how many members there are in his district and acts accordingly.
If a local SCV camp has 30 members and each writes a letter revealing the
affiliation, the politician can easily find out it represents 30 votes. If
they are apparently spontaneous letters, the politician will assume 15,000
people feel the same.
4. If there is more than one individual involved, send a different
letter to each (i.e. each member of the school board).
5. If a broadcaster or other media outlet is involved, send a letter to
the advertisers. This is very effective.
Legal Action
I recommend that all heritage violations be reviewed by an attorney.
Most violations are not destined for court but it is always possible. The
SCV Judge Advocate might review the matter, or the Southern Legal Resource
Center will review the facts. In any case, it is always advisable to have
the matter reviewed by a lawyer.
Political Action
Political action is sometimes needed, however, such action should be
left for organizations which are not ruled tax exempt under section 501 (c)
3 of the Internal Revenue Code. The SCV is such a tax exempt organization.
Others, such as the Heritage Preservation Association have tax status which
allows candidates to be worked for or against. It should be remembered,
though, that taking leaflets to legislators considering legislation directly
related to our interests is not forbidden. Many tax exempt organizations do
that.
Public Relations
Occasionally, something dramatic should be done. The SCV
Commander-In-Chief holding a news conference on the steps of the US Capitol
might be such a tactic. Issuing press releases and press packets are also
valid tactics. Even hiring public relations experts is a valid tactic. In
1998, the Commander of the Georgia Division, Allen Trapp, hired a public
relations firm to get as much publicity as possible regarding the visit to
America by the Confederados from Brazil. A $2,000.00 investment netted
hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of publicity which was refreshingly
non-defensive. Such public relations activities are proper for large
organizations like the SCV.
Communications
The final consideration is communications. Today, using the internet,
we can communicate instantaneously with online compatriots worldwide. We
should use this resource and each member should consider a computer as more
important than a new musket. With such things as the SCV lists nationally
and in each state, with web pages and such things as the new
ConfHeritageAlert at onelist.com, we can begin to respond immediately with
factual and effective reports. As soon as all compatriots are online, we
will be a powerful force.
For more information on handling such heritage violations, contact
Charles Lunsford at: brfox1 at yahoo.com or, to sign up for the new heritage
defense list server, contact owner-ConfHeritageAlert at onelist.com. Your
ancestors will be proud as they look down.
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