The Richard Dreyfuss Civics Initiative (Lord knows we need it)

 

Please sign

Traveller. A difficult horse but Robert E. Lee loved him and made him famous.

 

Traveller was originally purchased at the Lewisburg Fair, Lewisburg, Virginia (West Virginia) where I attended military school at Greenbrier Military School.
After celebrating Independence this week…, I wanted to speak about a loved war horse.

The reason I chose Traveller is because I know nothing about Southern history and because it seems that Robert E. Lee was in the minority in his love for this particular horse…  Traveller wasn’t your garden variety, easy to love, easy to ride horse.  He was a bit of a pain. 

It gives me pleasure to write about a horse that most would dump but that one cherished – and from that, they built a very strong, unbreakable bond.

More @ Horse & Man

Richard Dreyfuss talks sanctuary cities ruling, importance of civics

Via Iver

Another welcome home for Lee, Traveler

Via Billy

 

The men in white robes at the 1924 dedication of the General Lee statue were the Richmond Light Infantry Blues, a Virginia state militia. 

The Daily Progress Regress

 

I understand that Charlottesville City Council might give away the Robert E. Lee statue if there is no buyer. Please put my name on the list in that event.        

As a resident of Chesterfield County, I’m not aware of any statues in Chesterfield — certainly nothing as imposing as the magnificent portrayal of Lee and Traveler.

Our front yard in Bon Air, a Richmond suburb, will nicely accommodate the statue.

The decision to remove and even get rid of the statue is absolutely baffling to me. What if, nearly 100 years from now, Virginians look at Richmond statues and decide they are an embarrassment? Would statues of our recent Richmond tennis star Arthur Ashe, famed tap dancer Bill Robinson and the planned statue of Maggie Walker, history-making banker, be offered for sale? Given away?
 

Like the council members, I am embarrassed by our history of slavery. But I grew up with a grandmother whose mother’s first husband was killed in the Civil War. We proudly have his diploma from the University of Virginia’s medical school hanging in our home, because that is a touch of history in our family.

I am named for our only family Civil War hero, Molly Tynes. Our granddaughter in Waynesboro, Molly Tynes, is named for her also. There are a monument and a highway marker to Molly in Tazewell.

Molly, a young woman, is remembered and honored for riding by horseback 44 miles and over five mountains at night — a 12-hour ride — to warn Wytheville that Northern forces were on the way to destroy the railroad. Molly saved Wytheville from the Yankees. After many years of bragging that my great-great-aunt bravely helped save Southwest Virginia, am I to go to Tazewell and insist that the monument and sign honoring her be removed?

Are we to be the Taliban of Virginia, destroying art works of history just because, now, we don’t like the history?

Robert E. Lee and Traveler are welcome in our front yard.

Nancy Tynes St. Clair Finch, Chesterfield County

Righteous Dad! Senator Sasse Says Raise Future Adults, Not Eternal Children

Via Billy

Senator Ben Sasse has done the unthinkable for a politician: written an excellent book, not specifically about politics, and made it immensely readable.

The Vanishing America Adult is Sasse’s meditation on the crisis of prolonged adolescence in America. As Sasse tells it, kids are no longer being taught how to produce, only how to consume and the real problem is no one is shepherding them into adulthood the way children once were.

It would be easy to write a tome blaming millennials for their failure to launch. Much has been dissected about kids these days with their astronomical expectations and minimal dedication. Sasse doesn’t take the easy route. Instead he looks at how society is dissuading kids from growing up and how we can stop it.

More @ HEATSTREET

Recent regional climate COOLING on the Antarctic Peninsula and associated impacts on the cryosphere

Via Billy

 

Highlights

•

We examine climate variability since the 1950s in the Antarctic Peninsula region.

•

This region is often cited among those with the fastest warming rates on Earth.

•

A re-assessment of climate data shows a cooling trend initiated around 1998/1999.

•

This recent cooling has already impacted the cryosphere in the northern AP.

•

Observed changes on glacial mass balances, snow cover and permafrost state

---

Abstract

More @ Science Direct

Trump Sleeps Four Hours a Night: 'You make a mistake here, there is nothing to work out'

Via Billy

Hours shy of his 100th day in power, President Trump strides into the Oval Office. The energy in the world's most famous room changes instantly and perceptibly as he sits down.

It's a little after 3 in the afternoon. Trump says he already has been up and working for 12 hours. He and first lady Melania Trump have met with Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his wife, Juliana Awada.

More @ Washington Examiner

The Antidote for Yankee Self-Righteous Delusional Disorder

 

No Yankee ever stretched the truth.  That is probably why Daniel Boone once said he never wanted to live within 100 miles of a “d—d Yankee.” 

The closing days of the sesquicentennial has offered media outlets the chance to reflect on the outcome of the War. The results were to be expected. Both “conservative” and “liberal” websites have lamented that the end of the War did not produce the sweeping political and social revolution that could have been, or in their minds should have been. Three pieces are of note.

The first, authored by Josh Gelernter for the “conservative” National Review, suggests that Southerners should discard their “romance of the Confederacy” for the “better part of its heritage,” namely the thousands (estimated 110,000) of Southerners who resisted secession and fought for the Union. After all, they weren’t traitors. Gelernter offers this advice out of respect for his family, many of whom fought for the Confederacy but ultimately “picked the wrong side.” The Confederacy should be buried along with its cause and its symbols. “[M]ore than one of every ten southerners who fought in the war fought to end slavery and keep the country united. The South ought to be very proud of that,” he writes.

More @ The Abbeville Institute

An Early Canadian Slave Transaction

 

The erroneous belief that the American South was the only region in North America tainted by African slavery is contradicted by Carter Woodson’s writings. He states “[In] my article on “The Slave in Canada,” printed in The Journal of Negro History for July, 1920, (Vol. V, No. 3), several instances of Negro slavery in Canada were given. The latest is mentioned in Le Bulletin des Recherches Historiques for October, 1927, (Vol. XXXIII, No. 10), at p. 584. I translate it from the French the article referred to.”  Additionally, while Michigan was still a territory, complaints of Canadian slaves escaping across the border into Michigan were common.
Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com   The Great American Political Divide

An Early Canadian Slave Transaction

“Honorable William Renwick Riddell, Justice of Appeal, Ontario.

In July, 1748, Jean-Pierre Roma, Commandant for the (French) King at the island of St. Jean (now Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence), on his passage to Quebec, made a singular gift to his friend, Fleury de la Gorgendiere, (the younger). He gave him a mulatto girl, five months old and named Marie.

The gift made to Mr. Fleury de la Gorgendiere is explained by the fact that the mother of the child, the slave of Roma, died in giving it birth. Roma not being able to charge himself with raising the orphan, preferred to give it to M. Fleury de la Gorgendiere.

The deed of gift was drawn up by the Notary, Jean-Claude Panet, July 15, 1748; and in it is the stipulation that in case of the death of Fleury and his wife, the mulatto will return Mdll. Roma (her grandmother). If she cannot take her it is stipulated that she will receive her freedom.

Such sales of the creatures of God may seem curious – they were, however, according to the customs of the time and were made almost in every country.”

(Journal of Negro History, Carter G. Woodson, editor, Vol. XIII, No. 2, April, 1928, page 207)

Robeson County Confederate Monument Unveiling, Friday, 10 May, 1907

 

The following is a news account of the unveiling of the Confederate Monument in Lumberton, North Carolina in 1907, a scene replicated across the South in similar ceremonies which honored the service and sacrifice of Southern men who left their homes and families to defend their States and country.  It is important to note that these monuments were left to the custody of public authorities who were expected to provide perpetual care and faithfully honor the men who gave their lives for political freedom and liberty.
Bernhard Thuersam, www.Circa1865.com   The Great American Political Divide

Robeson County Confederate Monument Unveiling, Friday, 10 May, 1907 (The year my Mother was born) Confederate Memorial Day-05, 10, 1911

(Transcribed from The Robesonian of 13 May, 1907.)

“The most notable day in the history of Robeson county was the unveiling of the Confederate monument on Friday, the Tenth of May. This occasion had long been looked forward to, and by daybreak people were gathering from every direction. Carriages, buggies, wagons, carts, automobiles, wheels and every kind of vehicle was put in use on that day to bring the people interested.

By ten ‘clock it was with difficulty that one could make his way along the streets. Never before has such an immense crowd been assembled in Robeson county. No drinking, no misbehavior of any kind was witnessed that day. A matter of much comment was the splendid appearance of those present. Robeson well has a right to feel proud of her citizenship.

The streets and public buildings of the town were elaborately and beautifully decorated in national colors, and suspended across Main Street, banners were hung with the word “Welcome” on them in letters to catch the eye of every passerby. On the corner of Fifth and Main Streets, a booth was beautifully decorated, and here the badges of the day were bestowed upon the Veterans.

Governor [Robert B.] Glenn was met at the train at 10 o’clock, and driven in a carriage to the handsome home of Col. N. A. McLean. The Red Springs (Where my Mother went to college. Flora Macdonald College, Red Springs + Macdonald, NC - Many links are clickable) Daughters of the Confederacy were met at the station and taken to the home of Mr. & Mrs. McIntyre, where a splendid reception was tendered them.

The parade started at 11 o’clock at the Waverly hotel, in charge of Capt. A. J. McKinnon, chief marshal. First came the marshals, numbering about 75, on prancing horses with sashes of national colors flying in the breeze, making as fine an appearance of any body of horsemen could desire; following in succession came the Lumberton and Maxton brass bands, making every pulse [quicken] as they steadily marched and played stirring martial music; [then] the Maxton Guards, Lumber Bridge Infantry, Camps Ryan Hoke and Rowland [of the] United Confederate Veterans, numbering about five hundred, led by Capt. [James] I. Metts of Wilmington . . . the old Confederate flag of the Fifty-first [North Carolina] Regiment was borne by Gen. S. J. Cobb, marching to the time of the music and wearing with pride their badges of honor.

The sight of these veterans, the men who faced death long ago for their country and future generations [inspired] the hearts of all, and too, it was a scene of pathos. Some who received lifelong injuries, and others who faced the guns and death so fearlessly in the 60’s are bowed with age, but from the eyes of these worn veterans, flashed the fires of old time courage and vigor. As they marched along cheer after cheer arose from the vast throng and the enthusiasm was great.

Last in the parade came the floats of Maxton, Red Springs, Fairmont, Lumberton, and several others, all beautifully and tastefully decorated in national colors. The individuality of the different floats was striking; not one in arrangement bore any resemblance to another, yet all were beautifully planned and decorated.

In the Maxton float was Miss Bonnie Dixie McBryde, and sponsors. After marching around the town, the parade proceeded to the court house square, where they halted and Governor Glenn, Miss McBryde and others who were to take part in the program, were assembled on the improvised rostrum beside the monument, in the midst of the gaze of thousands of curious, interested eyes.

The seats arranged on the grounds of the court house square, were soon filled with veterans, and th4 masses were gathered as closely around the platform as possible, in order that they might hear each word that fe4ll from the lips of their beloved and honored governor.

Mr. Stephen McIntyre was master of ceremonies, fittingly welcomed the visitors and expressed [the] regret of the committee that the monument was not complete; the statue having failed to arrive in time for erection.

He spoke of the energy and determination and devotion of those who had caused the monument to be erected, [and] in glowing terms of commendation, making mention of our worthy county Treasurer, M.G. McKenzie, who for the past ten years had labored toward the end which is at last attained.

The choir sang in ringing voices, the old but ever new song, the “Old North State,” after which Miss Bonnie McBryde, the accomplished and attractive young daughter of Capt. Thomas A. McBryde, pulled the cord that caused the white veil to fall, revealing the monument, standing there in solemn grandeur, to the eager gaze of thousands. A wild, joyous cheer rose from the throats of all, mingling with a dozen factory whistles and the military salute, three volley being fired.

Miss Katie Lee McKinnon then beautifully recited “The Conquered Banner.” (I recited this many times growing up) Miss McKinnon is a reciter of exceptional ability, and her very successful effort was warmly appreciated and brought tears to the eyes of many, as she spoke in thrilling tones.

Governor Glenn was presented by Mr. S. McIntyre, who said that no introduction of Governor R.B. Glenn was needed, for his name throughout the State was synonymous with progress and advancement, intellectual and moral. He welcomed him to the county of Robeson in most admirable and suitable words.

Governor Glenn arose and addressed the people . . . his kind benevolent countenance won the hearts of the spectators from the beginning [and a] hush fell on that vast throng and all listened with bated breath to one of the most masterly efforts ever produced in Robeson. He assured his hearers in the beginning that the purpose of the gathering was not only to unveil the monument erected to those who had met death in a noble cause, but to give a hearty handshake to those who still linger, and to instill noble aspirations and loyalty in the hearts of the coming generations. He paid a most splendid and touching tribute to the veterans who sat facing him, that the world has never seen braver or more worthy soldiers than those who followed Lee and Jackson from 1861 to 1865; that none were more deserving than those who went from North Carolina, the Tar Heel State, the grandest commonwealth south of the Mason and Dixon line.

In glowing terms that inspired his hearers, he spoke of the glorious deeds done in the 60s by the gallant sons of the Old North State. His recitals of the deeds done by the North Carolina sons at Malvern Hill, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg [and] Appomattox was thrilling and carried the thoughts of listening veterans back, – back, to the cruel hardships of war. North Carolina, he said, entered the great struggle unwillingly, but once started, there was no turning back. Always in the midst of the battle, with a never-faltering courage, they deserved the highest tribute which could be paid them.

While Governor Glenn said the men of the South were brave and noble, he said the women were even more so. Without the courage and never failing sympathy of the good women of the South, they could never have held out [against the enemy] as they did.

In his closing remarks he besought the veterans to live lives of honor and such as would entitle them to enter and belong to the Great Army and serve under the banner of the Great Captain. He urged the young people that they live such lives as will make them worthy of the responsibilities of the future, [and] that they might worthily take the places of the older ones when they should pass away and be able to finish the task committed to their care with honor.

When Governor Glenn took his seat, there arose cheer after cheer [and] the people were most enthusiastic in their enjoyment and appreciation of his powerful address.

Crosses of Honor were presented to 15 Veterans when the address closed. After which, the monument was formally turned over to the custody and care of the commissioners of Robeson county, and Rev. C.H. Durham dismissed the audience.

An elaborate dinner was spread on tables in the court house yard where the veterans and military were served dinner. At 4:50PM the Daughters of the Confederacy visited the graves of Confederate soldiers which they covered with many beautiful flowers. The occasion was one which will live long in the memories of all who attended. It was the biggest day Lumberton has ever known. The crowd was estimated at seven thousand people.”

FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Donald Trump's interview with "Face the Nation"

Via Billy

On his 100th day in office Saturday, President Trump spoke to CBS News' chief Washington correspondent and host of "Face the Nation," John Dickerson, about his accomplishments at the traditional milestone and beyond, before flying to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to give a speech at a rally.

What follows is a full transcript of the interview, which aired on CBS earlier Sunday. Additional coverage of the interview will air Monday on "CBS This Morning," broadcasting live from the White House.

More @ CBS

The World's Oldest Flash Mob

Via Cousin Colby

YUDU: Making Social Media Great Again!

YUDU Outdoors is a new social media destination for outdoor enthusiasts.  At NRA 2017, we got a chance to talk to the guys behind this innovative project.

Basically, they wanted to create an online environment where gun-friendly and pro-hunting people could virtually gather and communicate free of judgment, free of ridicule and free of all the B.S. we see today on the established social media outlets.

I mean, let’s face it.  Over the years Facebook has devolved into a cesspool for hoplophobes, trolls, snowflakes, P.C. police, nannystaters and other chuckleheads who have made becoming outraged a national pastime.

More @ Guns America

Trump to stick with conservative list for next Supreme Court pick

Via Billy

President Trump will stick with the same list of potential nominees for the next Supreme Court vacancy, he told The Washington Times in an exclusive interview in which he also waved aside the lack of a honeymoon from Capitol Hill, saying Republicans are “going to get there” and Democrats are still smarting over losing an election they thought they couldn’t lose.

Speaking in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump said a repeal of Obamacare would have passed the House last week if Republican leaders had put it up for a vote. He now expects a vote early in May, which he acknowledged is outside the 100-day time frame he had hoped for but still much shorter than the 15 months it took President Obama to have the national health care bill enacted.

He also said he expects the near-universal opposition to his agenda from congressional Democrats to wane.

“I notice it calming down,” he said.

More @ The Washington Times

Remembering Confederate heritage: Southern states had a right to secede from the United States

Via Billy

In 1874, the Georgia Legislature created a public holiday denoting April 26 as Confederate Memorial Day and in 2009 it passed Senate Bill 27, which permanently designates April as Confederate History and Heritage month. Gov. Nathan Deal in 2015 ignorantly joined the Marxist Socialist revisionist movement, which is attacking everything Southern and Confederate along with America’s founding fathers. He removed the names of two state holidays — Robert E. Lee’s Birthday and Confederate Memorial Day. They are now state holidays without names. Karl Marx is quoted: “People separated from their heritage are easily persuaded.”

More @ The Albany Herald

A Person I Admire, By Dixie And Daddy

  

Re-post from Lee's Birthday2007+
 

A Person I Admire

By Dixie Townsend
Nine Years Old

Rocky Mount Telegram
March 3, 2006

"The person I admire is Robert E. Lee, the general of the Confederate Army. He's my Dad's favorite person. Mr. Lee was an excellent horseman. He, and his horse Traveller, led the Confederate soldiers to fight against the Yankees.

His four daughters admired his courage, bravery and his Southern accent. Later in life, Lee's hair turned white. His beard was always trimmed neatly. He presented a commanding appearance, straight, alert and intelligence. He was never known to smoke, drink alcoholic beverages or use profane language.

General Lee was an American hero. Perhaps one day, I can be like him."

Fourth grade,
Tarboro-Edgecombe Academy,
Jamie Baker, teacher

Lee, (By Dixie Townsend, Nine Years Old)                            ========   General Robert Edward Lee

Edward Lee, in my estimation, was the greatest man this nation has ever produced. He graduated from the United States Military Academy without a single demerit, a feat that has been unequaled to this day. He also was second in his class and achieved the coveted cadet rank of Adjutant. He served over thirty years in the United States Army and General Winfield Scott stated that Lee's exploit before the Battle of Contreras in Mexico was "the greatest feat of physical and moral courage" he had ever known. General Scott marked him for high command and thought the cost would be cheap if the United States could absolutely insure Lee's life at the cost of five million dollars a year. He proclaimed that Lee "was the very best soldier I ever saw in the field."

In 1856, as dark clouds loomed, Lee stated that "There are few, I believe, in this enlightened age, who will not acknowledge that slavery as an institution is a moral and political evil."

When war finally came General Scott offered him command of the Union Army, but Lee , after pacing the floor all night, decided he could not fight against his own people. Lee's final written words to General Scott were "Save in defense of my native state, I never desire again to draw my sword."

After leading the Army of Northern Virginia to many victories against overwhelming odds, he surrendered and asked his men to go home and be good citizens. A while later he was offered $50,000 for the use of his name by a northern insurance company, but Lee politely informed them "Sirs, my name is the heritage of my parents. It is all I have, and it is not for sale." He also stated that concerning his previous actions "I could have taken no other course without dishonor, and if it were all to be done over again, I should act in precisely the same manner."

In 1868, the New York Herald proposed nominating Lee for President, but Lee by then President of Washington College where he had but one rule and that was "every man must be a gentleman."

Theodore Roosevelt characterized Lee as "the very greatest of all the great captains that the English-speaking peoples have brought forth." Winston Churchill stated that Lee was "one of the noblest Americans who ever lived."

In closing, I think the words of General/President Eisenhower would be appropriate concerning a question as to why he kept a picture of Lee in his office. He stated that Lee "was noble as a leader and as a man, and unsullied as I read the pages of our history......From deep conviction I simply say this: a nation of men of Lee's calibre would be unconquerable in spirit and soul."

Brock Townsend

"If any American father were asked which of our great men he would most want his own son to resemble, the father, if he were wise, would be compelled to answer, 'Robert E. Lee.'" '
Benjamin Andrews, President Brown University, 1880.

Robert Edward Lee (My View)

Such class....NC: Police get apology from restaurant after employees sang “F--- The Police” as they ate

Via Billy

The owner of a Smithfield’s Chicken ’n Bar-B-Q restaurant in Garner has apologized for the way his employees treated Raleigh Police Department officers.

The apology came after a post on Facebook was spread far and wide by officers who said the store’s employees sang NWA’s song “F--- The Police” as they ate.

The post, written on the Raleigh Police Protective Association’s page, thanked the restaurant for its “class and professionalism as you sang ‘F- the police’ as my brothers at Raleigh Police Department attempted to eat at your restaurant. The manager sang along as well. Do you really feel that was appropriate?”

More @ The Raleigh News & Observer

Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/counties/wake-county/article147587124.html#storylink=cpyMore @ The News & Observer

Elizabeth Warren Freezes After Bill Maher Calls Her ‘Pocahontas’ Right to Her Face

Via Billy

Lee doesn't deserve city's poor treatment

Via Billy

The good people of Charlottesville and Albemarle County are proud to have a statue of Robert E. Lee in the city: a splendid work of art and a tribute to a very honorable man, described by Winston Churchill as "the most noble American ever."

Prominently positioned in our city, it begs curiosity, thought, and (hopefully) intelligent communication about our history — who we are and how we all got here in the first place.

Some people are uncomfortable with history, and it can be interpreted to serve different agendas; but a bronze statue is designed to withstand the test of time, and if it can inspire anyone to learn about our history, we hope and trust the worst mistakes are not repeated.

More @ The Daily Progress

What Corporate Media Never Tells You About North Korea

Via comment by EIEIO on MEDIA TRUMPED: Americans Trust Trump White House O...

 

There is a great deal of propaganda and deliberate misinformation about North Korea, which the public should know. While neocons, a cheering corporate media, and Deep State, rush to war with North Korea, information is the ultimate weapon. For example, did you know that North Korea, China, and India, are the only three nations who have committed to a “no nuclear first” policy. They have pledged never to use nuclear weapons “first”, but of course reserve the right to use them if attacked.

How many times has the US threatened to use nuclear weapons against North Korea? Do you know that North Korea has repeatedly asked the US to engage in bi-lateral talks, to cool off the ever-escalating tension? The offer was flatly rejected by both Obama and Trump. Can you resolve differences within your family without dialog? No dialogue, no peace. Why won’t the US talk to North Korea?? The neocons, Deep State, and media argument, insist Kim Jung-ur is irrational, and therefore you cannot negotiate with him. A look back at recent history illustrates the US and its complicit media demonize anyone we do not like, and the demonizing usually ends up with a war.

More @ Information Clearing House

Tillerson Seeking 9% Cut to U.S. State Department Workforce, Sources Say

Via Billy

• Buyouts, attrition meant to cull staff as State slashes budget
• Critics say plan will hollow out the U.S. diplomatic corps (Good)
   
  The State Department plans to cut 2,300 U.S. diplomats and civil servants -- about 9 percent of the Americans in its workforce worldwide -- as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson presses ahead with his task of slashing the agency’s budget, according to people familiar with the matter.

  
  

  The majority of the job cuts, about 1,700, will come through attrition, while the remaining 600 will be done via buyouts, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the decision hasn’t been publicly announced. William Inglee, a former Lockheed Martin Corp. official and policy adviser in Congress, is overseeing the budget cuts and briefed senior managers on the plan Wednesday, the people said.

  
  

  More @ Bloomberg