Confederate Colonel

“Do you think you’re better than other folks?” How many times have we heard this or something similar when discussing our decision to hold to higher standards? Whether the topic is Southern Gentlemen or Christianity, there will always be the egalitarians who insist that higher standards equals snobbishness. To that question, my reply is, “Do you think that you are no better than some crack dealer or serial killer or sadistic rapist or child molester?” At this point, they must either agree that some people are indeed, better than others - or they testify that they are so morally bankrupt that there simply is no hope for reasoned discussion with them.

It is important to note that we are comparing people on man’s terms - not God’s terms. We are all sinners destined for an eternity in Hell without trusting in Jesus. Jesus died for all of us, so in that regard, we are all equally vile and in need of salvation. What we are talking about here though, is ranking people in terms of whether they are givers or takers; whether their presence means society is better or worse off.

Genuine humility is an important quality of the Southern Gentleman and of those who follow Jesus, so we need to make sure that we never give anyone reason to accuse us of such bad behavior.

Egalitarianism is one of the symptoms of socialism, and as this country descends deeper into socialism, it is bound to become more prevalent. What used to be commonly held beliefs are now seen as class snobbery. Don’t let the moral bankruptcy of egalitarianism and political correctness hold sway over your life. Have the courage to stand up to those who would claim that “everyone is equal” when they clearly are not.

This past Saturday, my wife and I were part of 116 Bible Believers who walked a five mile stretch of Orange City, Florida. We carried signs proclaiming the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. While the vast majority of the feedback we got was very positive (lots of horns honking, thumbs up, waves, and that sort of thing), it still amazes me that a group of Christians quietly walking along the road carrying signs could prompt someone to give an obscene gesture as they drive by. I can understand the guy who yelled, “He’s just a dead Jew.” That’s his opinion and, presumably, he is trying to “educate” us in the same way that we are trying to educate him. But to display outright hostility as though we were somehow directly attacking him? That, I simply do not understand.

I guess that is just to be expected when that many people are involved. There is bound to be at least one person who feels called to such incivility. I wish I could just ignore that and focus on all the encouragement we got during that afternoon. That kind of refocusing is just something I need to work on.

I wonder if the guy with the middle finger gesture has any idea that he ended up encouraging me with the knowledge that at least he read and paid attention to the message. I pray that before he dies, he will understand the gravity of his action, repent, and be saved.

The best history is your own history. Everyone has a history and discovering and documenting that history has a number of benefits:

An Appreciation for the past
So many of the wonders of modern-day life are taken for granted. Consider the every-day things that our ancestors didn’t have: dentists to prevent toothaches; anesthesia for medical and dental procedures; cross-continent travel in a matter of hours; instant communications; the ability to search a world of information on any topic from the comfort of your own home; and the list goes on.

A Personal Link with Historic Events
I am rather awe-struck by the fact that my great grandfather, William Pelham McGehee - the grandfather of my father (who is still quite sharp at 95 years old) - fought in the War for Southern Independence. That is just three generations ago! When I visited the preserved battlefields of that war, I stood on the very ground that he fought on and realized that the opposing sides were just yards from each other at Petersburg where he was captured. History is not an abstract concept for me because I have a personal link with it.

A Sense of Time and Connection with the Future
As I gather information on those who came before me, I do so realizing that it is being gathered for those who will come after me. Like an older adult planting a tree, it is done so knowing that its full benefit will be enjoyed by our descendants.

---

Getting Started and a Software Review
My interest in genealogy comes and goes in spurts. After setting it aside for about the past 20 years, I have once again picked it up. The early records that I had worked on are now available only on faded dot-matrix-printed paper. The data files are so old that they are no longer usable. The good side to all this is realizing the progress that genealogy software has made over these years. I am using Legacy software, and it is an absolute dream to use. The old software that I used years ago forced you to work within a very narrow set of parameters. Legacy lets me record all sorts of information and either display it or hide it as needed.

Hide it? why would someone want to hide what they are entering? Identity theft - that’s why. Legacy lets me set an option on the reports that hides information about anyone who is currently living. I set that option to just show the word “Living” in place of their name. That is used for reports that will be posted on the internet for others to use. Legacy will also create a CD that I can distribute to other family members. That will be set so that all the information is displayed - unless I want to mark an individual as private. For example, if someone in the family had a failed marriage, they may prefer that it not be made a part of the family record. I can record it and set it to private so that future researchers will have that information, but not until those involved have died. Legacy’s privacy features make it so much easier to get distant family members to share their information when they know that it will be used in a way that respects their reasonable expectation of privacy.

What about photos? I am now able to include scanned images of all those old family photos that were once very difficult and expensive to share. There can be only one original, and for those who have been entrusted with them, there comes the responsibility to share them. Legacy lets me do that. I can add the photos and video and attach the files directly to the appropriate records. We have some audio recordings of those family members who moved from Alabama to Florida in a covered wagon. I will be able to add that audio to the CD to share with the rest of the family.

I did a rather thorough search for the genealogy software that best suited me needs, and Legacy was, without a doubt, the winner. There are other, more comprehensive programs available; there are other, simpler programs available. Legacy strikes the right balance for the serious amateur family researcher. I guess if you are planning to make a career out of doing genealogy research for paying customers, then perhaps the more comprehensive programs are worth the steep learning curve and the complexity. I can’t see the need for it, but perhaps there are better choices for those folks.

I might also add here that I write software for a living and have had my own software business (Adjutant Software, Inc.) since 1995. I can say with some degree of authority that Legacy is a well written program.

When I first started the Confederate Colonel forum, it was my intention to stay far away from all discussion of race. I believed that we, as Southerners, had been too closely tied with racial issues already; I did not want to add to that. It wasn’t until I watched the evolution of the forum that I realized that I was being quite naive in hoping to avoid all discussion of race. In no particular order, here are some key points on the topic:

1. If we had our way, The South would be a land where blacks and whites peacefully coexist as friends - either mixing together or staying apart as individuals see fit to do rather than by government enforcement. Blacks have certainly earned their place in Southern heritage, and they would be welcomed as fellow Southerners - not as “black Southerners”, but as Southerners. There is no doubt that our preference would be to simply not discuss racial issues here - because there were none; however, we are not given that option.

2. As much as we would like to see Southern blacks embrace Southern heritage and culture, it is simply not going to happen to any significant degree. That blacks fought in the Confederate Army is beyond question; that this fact is seen as an embarrassment by modern-day blacks is also beyond question. They are ashamed of the dedication, honor, and heroism of their ancestors who fought for their land.

3. The hostility that Southern Culture receives is, for the most part, either directed by blacks or by white liberals who are motivated by a false sense of guilt. There may be some hostility that is exclusively a matter of white Yankees without any racial overtones, but it is a very small portion of the hostility. The vast majority of hostility toward Southern Heritage and Culture can be either directly or indirectly attributed to racial issues.

4. We cannot turn our back and ignore attacks. “Turning the other cheek” is a well established Biblical principle given to us by God, but that is not what we are dealing with here. We will not respond by attacking that which blacks hold dear - but we will defend the honor of our ancestors and the rich cultural heritage which has been passed down to us.

5. I have read convincing, but circumstantial evidence indicating that the motivation for the NAACP’s attacks on the Confederate flag is primarily a fund-raising strategy. About 20 years ago, the NAACP was scandal-ridden, nearly bankrupt, and in desperate need of a “hot button” issue to motivate their contributors. Attacking the Confederate flag was a lot more palatable than something like a program to reduce the high illegitimacy rate of black children, encouraging responsible fatherhood, or encouraging black students to focus on getting a good education. They have apparently forgotten the meaning of their name: “National Association for the Advancement of Colored People”. The logic escapes me.

6. I understand the feelings of blacks regarding the history of slavery - as they see it. I understand that they see the Confederate flag as a symbol of slavery. The South is a nice convenient target as long as one ignores the facts of how those slaves were captured, who captured them, who bought and sold them, who transported them to America, the South’s efforts to peacefully end the practice of slavery, etc. What frustrates me is why some people pretend to be so easily offended and have so little regard for the beliefs and heritage of anyone but themselves.

It saddens me to see that racial strife appears to be a permanent part of Southern culture and heritage. At the same time, it is a relief to know that this is imposed on us by external forces rather than by our own choice. At Confederate Colonel, we welcome any Southern Gentleman or Lady, regardless of skin color. We have no use for “token” blacks to be paraded around to say to the world, “see, we aren’t racist - we have blacks among us.” No, we would welcome those of any race as fellow Southern Gentlemen and Southern Ladies - and hold them to the same high standards as any Southern Gentleman or Lady.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded of the proper position of a Southern Gentleman, so I am using this post as a reminder - to me most of all. It is far too easy to let the constant attacks that we receive become a festering sore and then lash out in anger. We strive to be Gentlemen here, and that means showing restraint in the face of adversity. All too often we fail; but then we get back up, admit our mistakes, and get on with life while striving to live up to the high standards we have set. Let’s remember that our focus here is on the Southern Gentleman and the Southern Lady - not on those who are hostile to those noble ideals.

Social and political forces are now lining up in a “perfect storm” against all we stand for. Let no one point to the Confederate Colonel forum and website and have reason to say we are not Gentlemen.

One of the projects of Confederate Colonel has been to develop a formal Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette. These symbols have been abused and desecrated not only by those who hate The South, but increasingly by well-meaning Southerners. This Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette is designed as a guide for those who respect The South. If Southerners will not respect the Confederate flag, then how can we expect others to respect it?

It is our hope that this Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette will be adopted by Southern organizations and individuals as a guide to respecting and honoring the symbols of our beloved South and those who sacrificed and died to defend her.

Following discussion on the Confederate Colonel forum, the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette was released on 04/19/2008. The main web page for the code is here. It is also available in PDF format.

The Preamble to the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette reads as follows:

The flag and other symbols of the Confederate States of America represent the dreams of a Southern nation for which our ancestors sacrificed their lives and their fortunes, and for the high and noble standards that we should once again strive for. The flags and other symbols of the Confederate States of America should be treated with the highest respect and never used or modified in a manner that diminishes the image of a great and noble South. Use of the Confederate flag should be held to the same high standards as any other national flag.