General Robert E. Lee certainly understood what it meant to have authority over others and how to use that authority properly.

Understand that following legitimate orders issued by those in authority over you is also the mark of a Southern gentleman. Respect for authority is the cornerstone of a civilized society – respect for legitimate authority.

What brings this to mind is the way that National Park Service rangers have abused the authority vested in them during the 2013 government “shut down” by following political orders to make life miserable for the public they are supposed to serve. Did all NPS rangers act this way? No, I’m quite certain that was not the case. What I find troubling though, is that I have not seen any reports of rangers who stood up and said they will not be part of this. Would it be reported? Absolutely. Probably not by the major media, but the alternative media would have hailed such men as the courageous gentlemen that they would be. I saw no such reports.

That brings up the question of what is the proper way to handle illegitimate, immoral, or illegal orders? If you’re looking for a safe, easy, and painless answer, there is none. No one wants to lose their job – especially in a job market such as we have now. That is why it is so important to be selective when going to work for someone (including working for yourself) to make sure that you are working for someone who is of good moral character and will not require you to do that which you know is wrong.

What if you find yourself in such a situation anyway? As difficult as it is to say, a letter of resignation that clearly spells out the reason why you can no longer work for that employer is the only proper way to handle the matter of being issued immoral and/or illegal orders.

Before I get accused of being “holier than thou” and hearing “you don’t understand”, and “it’s obvious you’ve never been in that situation”, I’ll say, “Yes, I have been in that exact situation.” Did I follow my own advice here, and do the right thing and resign? Sadly, no, I did not. Instead I told the person over me that I knew exactly what he was doing and what he told me to sign my name to, and that this had better never happen again. Yes, I signed my name to something I knew to be false. I put my signature on a lie. That is something that I will live with for the rest of my life – always wishing that I had done the right thing. That, my fellow aspiring Southern gentlemen, is why I am writing this. It is written in the hope that others will not make the same error that I made decades ago. Learn from my mistakes.

Scoutmaster – by Norman Rockwell

The Boy Scouts is no more, but there are still boys. There are still vast woods and lots of sticks with which to build fires. There are still plenty of good men who want to introduce boys to manhood. One doesn’t need a corporate-funded super-organization to take a pack of boys into the woods and learn about survival. It’s time to begin anew.

I have titled this post “Boy Scouts Version 3.0″ to identify what comes next. I was fortunate enough to have been a Boy Scout during version 1.0 – before political correctness did what it always does and destroy the traditional culture. I was in Scouting in the early 1960’s. What we are seeing now is version 2.0, but it won’t be long before 2.0 will be so different from 1.0 as to be unrecognizable as the same organization. In time, the Boy Scouts will be much like a church that decides it is more important to please Man than to obey God. The good people begin to leave as the worldly people take over. The process accelerates until it becomes little more than a social club for nice people.

What happens to those who leave because Scouting has become what it was intended to protect boys and young men from? The Thinking Housewife is correct:
• There are still plenty of good men who want to help boys become men.
• There is no requirement for a massive organization and corporate sponsorship.

It is time for the Scouting equivalent of Home-schooling.

This short video illustrates a boy’s entry into manhood; it requires no words.

The Hazardous Journeys Society (HJS) was founded to give glory to God, not man, as part of an exciting effort of world exploration. The purpose of the HJS is to provide teams of intrepid adventurers, photographers, students, scientists, journalists, and naturalists with an opportunity to engage in journeys of discover around the globe and to interpret their findings from a perspective that honors the Creator.
External Links

www.hazardousjourneys.org

To that end, this is a list of tangible things we can do, presented in no particular order.

1. Boldly proclaim the saving grace of Jesus Christ. Leading a soul to eternal salvation is a greater accomplishment than anything else in this life.
2. Live a virtuous life at home, at work, and in public. Always speak the truth. We are ambassadors of our great Southern culture and must serve as an example of what that culture stands for.
3. Be part of a church that truly believes The Bible ¹. as the literal word of God – and acts on it. There are far too many modernist churches that lower standards and try to become like the rest of the world. If you’re in one of those modernist churches, leave and find a real church that is not focused on entertaining the congregation.
4. Use the power of the spoken and written word to advance the cause of restoring civility to America.
5. Dress more formally than what is customary in today’s society.
6. Pay close attention to manners and etiquette, and make them a part of your daily life.
7. Pray – not a vain repetition, but pray like you are talking directly with The God who created the entire universe, because that’s exactly what you are doing. He listens to “specks of dust” like us.
8. Seek out like-minded people, and form strong bonds with them.
9. Treat others with respect. As conditions worsen, there will be those who proudly provided for their families in the past, but find themselves without work or, if they are fortunate, doing menial work. Your turn may come. While those who willingly live off of money stolen from the productive deserve our open contempt, resist the urge unless pressed.
10. Follow the Boy Scout slogan of “Do a Good Turn Daily”. Find some way to help someone who would not expect it.
11. Follow the Boy Scout motto of “Be Prepared”. When hard times come, you can depend on no one but yourself and your closest friends and family.
12. Produce some of your own food by gardening or small-scale farming, and raising chickens. Those are valuable skills that cannot be learned by just reading a book. It is also the key to our Southern Agrarian culture.
13. Understand what Southern Agrarianism is by reading I’ll Take My Stand, by Twelve Southerners.
14. If you are living in an urban area, move to a semi-rural or rural area. The cities are not only increasingly dangerous, they are corrosive to the soul.
15. Arm yourself and learn and practice to become effective in the defense of yourself and your family. Armed men are free men – disarmed men are slaves.
16. Turn off the TV, cancel the cable subscription, and disconnect the antenna. TV has done more than anything else to destroy our culture. Don’t allow the filth and propaganda into your home.
17. Home-school your children and help and support other home-schoolers if you can.
18. Take control of your future by investing your retirement savings yourself so that the government cannot gain control of it ².
19. Make your home more self-sufficient: dig a well, own a sewing machine ³ to make and repair your clothes, install a wood heating stove, increase the insulation in your attic.
20. Secure your home. Rampant crime is just one of the results of a decaying society where civility is no longer revered.
21. Embrace old-school ways of doing things: use paper and pen rather than an electronic device for taking notes (bonus points for using a fountain pen ⁴); shave with a double-edge safety razor and brush and mug rather than the latest multi-blade gizmo; resist the temptation to automatically upgrade to the latest technology; consider using open source software and Linux rather than falling into the Windows/Mac trap.
22. Resolve to give no credibility to political correctness. When it comes up, question it and force the source to justify what was said or written. Don’t accept it.
23. Watch your language. Make a conscious effort to avoid any obscene or profane word coming from your lips. Crude language identifies the speaker with the worst elements of any society. That such language is now commonly used by “celebrities” is reason enough to shun it.
24. Cherish those who are close to you and resolve to repair any relationships that need repairing. Your family, your spouse, your friends – those are more important now than ever, and will become even more so in the future.
25. Display the Confederate flag – any one of them – on a regular basis. (see the Code of Confederate Flag Etiquette)
26. Sharing a meal as a family is a time-honored tradition. Make the extra effort to have a more formal, structured dinner.
27. Resolve to take away the power that the word “racist” has over us; at the same time, remember to treat all men with the respect they deserve.
28. Language is an important part of any culture – the English language is the language of our people. Don’t allow yourself to slip into the sloppy language habits that have become a mark of modern popular culture. Writing and speaking well are the marks of a civilized man. Use correct English in your speech and writing. ⁵
29. Collect books – not digital text, but real paper and ink books that can be read without batteries. As the popularity of digital text increases, there are bargains to be found in used books. ⁶
30. Carry a pocket knife. A generation ago, every Southern male carried a pocket knife – it was almost a rite of passage. Somewhere along the way, the Nanny-state took over, and an incredibly useful tool came to be viewed as a dangerous weapon and a threat to be banned.
31. Get out of debt as quickly as possible. Make it a top priority.
32. Reduce or eliminate your income dependence by laying the foundation for your own business. Find something that you truly enjoy doing and that others are willing to pay for, and acquire the tools and the skills to provide that service or product at a profit. ⁷
33. The Christmas season has become the emblem of materialism in America and a brief glance at the mayhem of “Black Friday” shopping will confirm that. Turning away from the greed and materialism is a wonderful opportunity for a family lesson in setting priorities. Rejecting materialism now will make life easier later when it is forced on America by a failing economy.
34. Find something that you can grow or make at home to give away to others. For some, it is home-canned vegetables or preserves or home-made soap; for my wife and I, it is vanilla extract; for our son, it is egg nog in a variety of flavors. Turn back the clock a bit to a day when people didn’t buy everything from the store, but made it themselves. We also give away much of what our garden produces, and the surplus eggs from our chickens.

This list was inspired by a list posted at The Thinking Housewife blog. Be sure to read the Thinking Housewife post since it covers some things that I did not cover in this post. What can you add to this list?

Early in our history, or perhaps it was an illusion all along, we voted for candidates based on their stated position, their background, and other criteria. While those are still the terms in which we discuss elections, it is only a mask for what is really happening.

America has divided into two very distinct groups. Two diametrically opposed groups with ideas that are completely incompatible, with no room for true compromise. One will be in power and the other will actively oppose anything done by the group in power. The candidate names and the party names are just convenient labels. The two major parties have completely switched roles over the last 150 years, so the only constant is the struggle between the guiding principles of these two groups.

• One group believes that the individual is responsible for his own material destiny, and that government exists to protect individuals from force or fraud and to provide a basic framework for a civilized society. The same applies on the family level but no further. This group is identified by the labels: conservative, The Right, Republican, libertarian, etc.

• The other group believes that government exists to ensure fairness and equality. It is an egalitarian system that believes all people have equal talent and ability and drive, and that if results are unequal then it must be because the system is unfair and it is government’s role to make it “fair”. This group believes it is the role of government to redistribute wealth to ensure equal results. This group is identified by the labels: liberal, The Left, Democrat, socialist, etc.

Since the objective of these two groups is to win a majority of the votes, there is a self-leveling mechanism involved in the party platforms. The Left will move just far enough to the right to try to win a majority, while the Right will move just far enough to the left to try to do the same. If one side won’t move toward the center, then the other side captures those votes and gains power. While the line between the two sides is constantly shifting, it is still a line drawn down the middle resulting in a close election. Landslides are the result of one side failing to read the mood of the country and not adjusting their position accordingly.

To really understand the difference between these two groups, I look as closely at the people who support them as I do the actual candidates. The liberal side is coarse, crude, vulgar, immoral, and aggressively attacks my most basic beliefs taught by The Bible. They are sometimes referred to as the “Free Stuff Army” and the “Gimme-Dats”. As I imagine my grandchildren living in a world controlled by the liberals, it chills me to the bone. I have a duty to do what I can to keep that from happening. Protecting future generations is one of the most basic obligations of the Southern gentleman.

The two basic rules of power in America are:
1) There are only two sides, and they are defined by whether the individual or the government is responsible the individual’s success or failure.
2) We pick the side that we believe is right and vote for that side. The name of the party or the candidate is just a way to identify which side we believe in.

So, what is the RIGHT thing to do once one recognizes how this works? My conclusion is that we pick the side we believe is right and vote for that side. That leaves me with only one option – to cast my vote for the conservative side, which in this election is Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan. It is far from a perfect choice, but what in life isn’t?

Although it has been 17 years since I left the “corporate world” to start my own business, I can attest to how well these apply to the real world today – nearly 350 years after it was written. For example, knowing how to balance #10 and #17 can have a big impact on one’s career reputation.

Keep in mind that, like the writing of Machiavelli, this should not be considered advice, but wisdom. Understanding the actions of others – whether they be honorable or dishonorable – is a vitally important life skill. This type of information (this book and The Prince by Machiavelli) is not like the maxims of Robert E. Lee, in which each and every point describes the actions of a Southern gentleman. This is more of a catalog of how a wide range of people think and act. While the majority of what we find in this type of book is good, solid, practical advice, some of it would be abhorrent to any Southern gentleman. Whether it is advice to be followed or observations to be noted, they must be understood to successfully navigate through the often-rocky waters of life.

1. In your affairs, create suspense.
2. The height of perfection. No one is born complete; perfect yourself and your activities day by day
3. Don’t arouse excessive expectations from the start.
4. Never exaggerate.
5. Never lose your self-respect.
6. Never lose your composure.
7. Don’t be uneven, or inconsistent in your actions: either through inclination or choice.
8. Choose a heroic model, more to emulate than to imitate.
9. Understand yourself: your temperament, intellect, opinions, emotions. You can’t be master of yourself if you don’t first understand yourself.
10. Don’t hang around to be a setting sun. The sensible person’s maxim: abandon things before they abandon you.
11. Get used to the bad temperaments of those you deal with, like getting used to ugly faces.
12. Never complain. Complaining always brings discredit.
13. Avoid familiarity when dealing with people. It should be neither used nor permitted.
14. Know how to appreciate. There’s no one who can’t be better than someone at something, and none who excel who can’t be excelled.
15. Undertake what’s easy as if it were hard, and what’s hard as if it were easy.
16. Take a joke, but don’t make someone the butt of one. The first is a form of politeness; the second, of audacity.
17. Carry things through.
18. Don’t be carried away by the last person you meet.
19. Go with the flow, but not beyond decency.
20. Act as though always on view. The insightful man is the one who sees that others see or will see him.

I have just listed the main points here, so be sure to read the full post on Art of Manliness for a more detailed explanation of these points.

Ten Ways to Teach Your Children a Biblical World View is just what the title says. Be sure to read the entire article, and consider making Raising Homemakers a part of your regular reading list – especially if you have daughters. The ten points are:

1.   Start at the starting point:  Read the Bible–a lot.
2.   Read literature/history texts written by authors who have a biblical worldview.
3.   Eat together at least once a day and talk about current issues around the dinner table.
4.   Watch movies that encourage conversation regarding issues/how the Bible relates to those issues.
5.   Use a course or materials specifically written to teach worldview.
6.   Consider sending your older child to a worldview camp or conference or attend one as a family
7.   Create an atmosphere in your home that honors biblical thinking.
8.   Attend a church where the Word of God is consistently, faithfully taught.
9.   As your child gets older, transfer spoon-fed biblical teaching methods to self-directed bible study
10. Choose an education that backs up what is being taught/has been taught at home.

Here at Confederate Colonel, we mainly concern ourselves with Southern culture and how to preserve and defend it against an ungodly and hostile world. There is a reason that The South is also referred to as The Bible Belt. While there have always been plenty of non-Christians in The South, even they generally understood that Southern culture is firmly rooted in The Bible. Christianity and Southern culture are inseparable.

Take full advantage of resources such as this to make sure that your family understands the precious gift of God’s grace. That understanding is not magically absorbed from parents – it must be taught. Of all the things that parents and grandparents can pass along to the next generation, the love of God is the single most important thing. The eternal fate of your family – and of all mankind – depends on it.

An interpreted culture is one that is shaped by those who are doing the interpreting. How we shape this culture says a lot about who we are. What we are doing here is shaping a culture that retains and builds on the best aspects of what we know about the original culture of the Old South.

What an opportunity we have! In reality, those of every culture have that same opportunity, but there are few forces at work trying to shape the current culture of the Old South, so we have a great amount of latitude in shaping that culture. What are we going to do with that opportunity? What choices will we make? Most importantly – how will we incorporate that into our own lives?

The culture of the Southern gentleman is the culture of the Old South. We can shape our lives to be true Southern gentlemen, true Southern ladies, and to raise our children and our grandchildren to follow in those footsteps. Will we? Or will we just go along with the crowd with what passes for culture today? The lyrics of Silence is Golden ¹ include the words, “Talking is cheap, people follow like sheep, even though there is nowhere to go.”

We have a great opportunity to shape our lives and our families. Let’s not squander that opportunity.

Richard Michael, grandson of Stephen Clay McGehee. Born at 4:14 this morning. 7 pounds, 15 ounces. 20 1/2 inches.

No one is “born” a Southern Gentleman, but allow me a bit of liberty in this instance. I can assure you that Richard Michael will be raised to be a Southern Gentleman. Richard Michael joins his cousin, Ethan David, as our second grandson; the happy parents are Richard and Sarah. All are doing fine and are already back at home.

I am truly blessed with a wonderful family.