Which way should I take this blog? It is time for me to take a good long look at the three blogs that I write and decide where to go next. In addition to the Confederate Colonel blog, I also write The Southern Agrarian blog and have started on what is tentatively named The New Southern Agrarians. Each of these three has “Southern” as a common theme, and that will continue to be the major focus. Let’s start with how each was originally designed:
Confederate Colonel first went on-line in 2007. Here are the stated objectives:
Confederate Colonel Objectives
Our objectives are to promote, encourage, and defend:
• the code of the Southern Gentleman and Southern Lady as guidelines for daily living
• the customs and traditions of The Old South in our homes and in our daily lives
• the tradition of Southern hospitality and gracious living
• the culture, heritage, and symbols of The Old South
• the public display of Southern symbols in a proud and dignified mannerWe recognize that the code of the Southern Gentleman is best exemplified in the life of Robert E. Lee and other great leaders of the Confederate States of America.
We define Southern Culture as being the best of the antebellum period of The South.
A Southern Gentleman is usually also a Christian Gentleman. Christianity can shape and mold a man into a Southern Gentleman, or a woman into a Southern Lady. Confederate Colonel is a Christian web site.
Our Culture • Our Heritage • Our Kinship
Next in line came the Southern Agrarian blog. It started out focusing on Southern Agrarianism as a life style but became more of a how-to blog about raising a garden and poultry in The South. Recognizing that I had drifted away from my intended objective, I started work on The New Southern Agrarian blog. It has just gotten started and is little more than a concept and a domain name at this point.
For blogs that exist as a money-making project, the “Which Way Now?” question is pretty straight-forward: do what is going to make money. That is not the objective however, since this is a “labor of love” and an expense rather than an income. I have a lot more latitude in what I write about.
Here are some of the thoughts that are being considered:
- I would have preferred to not discuss historical issues, but I allowed myself to be drawn into it. Posts about slavery were a lightning rod that attracted some pretty vile comments (see the Hate Mail page for examples). Controversial topics about The South – especially about slavery – will be gone. I want to rise far above that level of discussion, so no more posts about it and no more replies about it.
- I have probably tried to spread myself too thin with three different blogs. After all, I do have a wonderful family to enjoy, a business to run, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to serve, and various other organizations and causes that I support. For that reason, my plan is to combine the three into one.
- Since Southern Agrarianism is a cultural phenomenon that includes all that Confederate Colonel was designed to cover, the end result will probably be called something with “Southern Agrarian” in the name (the ConfederateColonel.com domain name would still point to the new combined site).
- I have become aware of groups of people who practice an agrarian life style (note that “agrarian” covers a lot of ground, and does not mean subsistence-level farming – not even close). There is probably some good “cross pollination” that can be gained there. My hope is that I can help to pull together people from different groups and different areas with whatever we come up with here.
- While Southern Agrarianism has been a cultural movement, a political movement, a literary movement, a philosophical movement, and an agricultural movement, it is probably best described today as a life style. That is where the focus will be (which was the original intent for Confederate Colonel).
- On a more concrete note, I may be changing the overall look of the site to something more aesthetically attractive. I tend to be rather visually-oriented, so I hope to use a lot more photos to illustrate points and to perhaps inspire.
What are your thoughts? Where do we go from here? What specific topics would you like to see covered? Is there anything that you would like to see more of? What about the overall appearance of the site? Please use either the regular “Leave a Reply” or if you prefer, use the “Contact” feature to send an email that isn’t published.
Let me also use this opportunity to say “Thank You!” for reading what I write. Knowing that you have taken the time to read this blog is a very gratifying feeling, and I deeply appreciate it.
Contact Information: Please go to the Southern Agrarian blog for any contact needs.
I think your blog is brilliant, but if you have any anti-LGBT positions, then you should either keep those to yourself, or stop blogging. No Southern gentleman participates in any kind of hate.
And if we need to go down this road, consider any Levitican law that you might have broken, before casting any stone. Sin is sin, and only Roman Catholics distort this truth. Otherwise, you make valid points.
Mr. McGehee, I enjoy your blog and think you’re on target with all your plans. I appreciate that you don’t monetize your blog and hope it can remain “a labor of love.” Just don’t dismiss your readers that do embrace a very simple, even subsistence, lifestyle. We’re good southerners, too.
Judy,
Thank you for the comment. I definitely will NOT dismiss those who embrace a simple lifestyle. My reason for making that point in the post/newsletter was because many people limit the scope of agrarianism. When they think of the word “agrarian”, they have visions of photos from the Depression and the Dust Bowl, barefoot and dirty children with sad faces, and that sort of thing. “Agrarian” – especially “Southern Agrarian” spans everything from those intentionally living a subsistence-level lifestyle to those re-creating the Planter Class lifestyle. I especially like the off-grid how-to articles you have on your site – those are skills that will likely be required sooner rather than later.
Your article on the kerosene brooder reminds me that there are plans on the web for a kerosene powered incubator. I haven’t tried that approach yet (although I’ve tinkered with a solar powered incubator), but I like the idea.
Thank you again for commenting.
Jay, I don’t know why you, like many others, seem to automatically default to accusations of “hater” when the topic of homosexuality comes up. The topic has been mentioned on this blog in exactly four posts (you can use the Search feature to confirm that), and in each of those cases, it dealt not with what people choose to do in the privacy of their own home, but with the demand for acceptance and glorification of sin. The practice has been around for almost as long as man has roamed the earth, and as long as it was kept private, it was for the most part tolerated along with other sins such as adultery. The problem is not that some are committing sin – the world is already filled with sin, so that’s not the issue. The problem is the demand that sin be accepted as normal and acceptable. The problem is that modern society wants to redefine sin, thus taking on the authority of God.
I take the Holy Bible as my final authority. If you have an argument, then that argument would rightly be with God and not those who proclaim His word. You are absolutely right – “sin is sin” and the sin of homosexuality (what The Bible calls “vile affections” which was practiced by “Sodomites”) is, in God’s eyes, on the same level as adultery and fornication (which is what a practicing “Sodomite” is also guilty of). No one goes to hell for practicing homosexuality – they go to hell for rejecting God’s sacrifice of His Son to pay for those sins (all sins, not just “vile affections”).
Regarding your comment about Levitical Law: it applied to one nation – the Old Testament Hebrew people, who were God’s chosen people – and to no one else. Most of the heresies throughout history (including many today) are the result of not understanding that basic concept. The Law was given to the Hebrews (the Jews) by God through Moses, and it was for them only. It does not apply to me unless that same law is commanded in the New Testament (which many are).
Let me be very clear here – I am a sinner, or perhaps more properly, I am a SINNER. It is in my nature as a descendent of Adam, and I have absolutely no hope of ever “earning” my way to heaven through my actions or efforts. None. The only way I – and you and everyone else – will get to heaven is to truly repent of my sins and put my trust entirely in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. I cannot get there any other way. Repentance means to turn away, so if one continues to commit what he knows to be a sin and has no remorse and tries to claim that it really isn’t a sin because he has “peace about it” and thinks it’s OK, then that is open defiance of God.
Now, coming from someone who believes the above with all his heart, which action would be considered hatred?
1) Telling people that trusting solely in Jesus for the salvation of your soul is the only way to heaven, and without that your eternal soul will burn in a literal hell.
– or –
2) Keeping silent, so as not to upset anyone, and knowing for an absolute fact that those conscious souls will spend an eternity in hell – burning in a literal lake of fire.
Now, with all that said, this blog is not about bashing anyone. It is, however, about protecting and preserving the culture. Activist homosexuality is about tearing down an important part of that culture and redefining what is and is not socially acceptable. If the case calls for it, I will continue to be a very harsh critic of those who promote the homosexual agenda. What someone does in the privacy of their own home is their business and I am quite content to be just as kind and polite to them as anyone else. I will not, however, pretend that it is OK.
I welcome your participation here, but I will continue to stand up for what is right. There is one other gentleman who is a regular reader and commenter here who is openly homosexual. We have had numerous very cordial conversations, and I consider him to be a true Southern gentleman. We both respect each other’s position on the matter.
I think we have both made our point, and I consider this to be the end of the discussion.
I see no reason to change the format. I like what you have, what you stand for and the reasoned and eloquent responses to silly posts.
Dear Sir:
As a southern lady, I do enjoy your blog and hope it continues. I like reading the articles on manners, southern history, and gentle living. There is so much hate and ugliness in the world today that I tend to gravitate towards the more serene as I grow older. I like reading a good article on quiet, southern living.
Please keep up the good work of writing about the slower, pleasant and simpler days of the South. Mr. Robert E. Lee would be proud!
Regards,
A Southern Lady
I’ve enjoyed reading this blog and the Southern Agrarian blog. My thoughts are the same as A Southern Lady
My sincere “Thanks” to all who have written in response to this post. Several folks have put a lot of time into writing to me rather than posting. I should have replies out to each one by this afternoon. I am putting together an outline of where we go from here and will publish it as the next post on both this blog and on the Southern Agrarian blog. As it is coming together, most of what is currently on both will continue. The main change will be that I will be avoiding any posts on the political, legal, economic, or military history of the Confederate States of America. There will be an increased emphasis on the cultural history of the Southern people during that period to the present day. In addition, the Confederate Colonel blog and the Southern Agrarian blog will be combined into a single blog/web site. The new combined effort will be “The Southern Agrarian” or something similar. The ConfederateColonel.com domain name will be retained and will point to the new blog/site, but it will no longer be the title or a central theme.
That’s a brief but fairly complete outline – I’ll post more detail as soon as I get it all sorted out. Again, my sincere thanks to each of you.
Sir, I am a Tennessean who my Lord Jesus Christ has placed in Nevada. It is good here, but I miss the South. I have been attempting to become a Gentleman from my Mother’s knee. It was such a help to find the “Confederate Colonel” . One does not often find another with the same aspirations in the day to day life. Your blog has become important to me and I hope you continue with the stated objectives!
I have read and absorbed “I’ll Take My Stand” I applaud your idea for the third blog and look forward to it. As for the HATERS they will always be with us no matter WHAT you STAND for. You and I both know you cannot argue someone to Christ. You can tell them what the Lord has given us in his Word, you can explain how you understand it, and you can tell them what the Lord has done for you. Beyond that it is up to HIM.they will hate you or love you just as they did HIM.
I offer you my admiration and encouragement. If any other form of assistance would be of help, please let me know. CRR
“I offer you my admiration and encouragement.” Sir, you just helped make the effort all worth while. Thank you!
I think I now have a firm idea of the future direction we’ll be taking. In a nutshell, the original objectives of Confederate Colonel will be combined with what you read in I’ll Take My Stand, along with the How-to articles in the Southern Agrarian blog. I’ll be fleshing it out and coming up with a more concise set of written objectives in the next few days.
Thank you for stopping by and commenting. You are an encouragement to me, sir.
Agree with Shannon.
You are a real Southern Gentleman and may God bless you.