Thursday, March 24, 2011

Attack On Lee-Jackson Flags In Lexington

View Image

Friends,

I am sure that if you reside in the Lexington, Virginia area that you have no doubt heard of the recent attack lead against our display of period Virginia flags, Robert E. Lee Headquarters flags, and 2nd National (stainless banner) flags for Lee-Jackson Day. A small vocal group is attempting to have the city enact a policy to prohibit the displays in the future. Below is a recent article on the issue. It would be great to have some well written "letters to the editor" of our local papers expressing support for the flags, history, and free speech. Those email addresses are below.

Sincerely,
Brandon Dorsey, Commander
The Stonewall Brigade SCV
Lee-Jackson Day sponsor
www.leejacksonday.webs.com

Editor: Rockbridge Weekly: jeclark@ntelos.net

Editor: The News-Gazette: editor@thenews-gazette.com

Lexington Citizens Up In Arms About Flags
By Patte Wood
Staff Reporter

Lexington City Council was presented with a petition with approximately 350 signatures by resident Anna Brodsky during citizen comments on Thursday, March 17th.

The petition is a result of the confederate flags that were flown the week before Lee-Jackson Day parade organized by the Sons of the Confederacy. Lee–Jackson Day is a holiday celebrated in the Commonwealth of Virginia for the birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. The original holiday, created in 1889, celebrated Lee's birthday. Jackson's name was added to the holiday in 1904. In 1983, the holiday was merged with the new federal holiday Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as Lee-Jackson-King Day in Virginia. This merge was reverted in 2000. Lee–Jackson Day is currently observed on the Friday before Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is the third Monday in January.

The flags were allowed to be flown by the City as they are under a federal injunction upholding freedom of speech. The petition reads as follows.

Via Nancy

No comments:

Post a Comment