The Sons of Confederate Veterans is at it again.
In this story we read how the organization has been the victim of discrimination on the part of those rascally PC liberals at Washington and Lee University for denying the SCV access to the Lee Chapel for next year’s Lee-Jackson Day.
Walter Wilmer, of the Stonewall Brigade of the SCV, says, “I’m just upset about the whole thing. There’s no reason why they had to do this. There’s no sense in these people acting like that. We all have to live here together. All we wanted was two hours out of 8760 hours years’ time. I don’t think what we’re asking for is unreasonable at all.” He adds, “I feel like I’m being discriminated against. There are 70 million people in this country that are descendent [sic] from confederate soldiers and you’re only going to push 70 million people so far and I feel like all this is doing is making things worse.”
Those poor SCV victims, right?
Well, as you might expect, the actual story is a bit different from what the SCV would like us to believe.
This story gives the reason why they were denied permission to use the chapel.
“Hosting the program is no longer an appropriate use of Lee Chapel, W&L spokesmen Brian Eckert said, in light of the ‘distortion, misstatements and inflammatory language’ the school has endured from members of the organization upset with its decision last year to remove Confederate flags from part of the chapel.
“ ‘The persistent name-calling, vilification and uncivil attacks in messages to the university, letters to the editors of local newspapers and social media postings have persuaded us that our original intent to make the chapel available would not be appropriate,’ Eckert said.
“ ‘We simply are not going to allow our own facilities to be used as a place from which those attacks can be made.’ ”
So the SCV’s lying, attempts to intimidate the university, and their uncouth language led to the university deciding the SCV isn’t worth allowing on campus. Now the SCV is lying again in not telling the full story and fessing up that it was their own disgusting behavior that led to the denial of permission to use the chapel.
And showing the claims of “Heritage Not Hate” are lies as well, there were messages on social media regarding “The Committee,” the group of law school students whose complaint led to the removal of the confederate flags from Lee Chapel: “Another message on social media stated: ‘I, personally, would like to take the members of the ‘committee’ to the woods around Lexington and introduce the members, individually, to certain trees and have them ‘decorate’ those trees with their presence. Then the members of the ‘committee’ would know what I think of their ultimatum.’
“ ‘May you and the 6 idiots burn in hell,’ another missive read.
“The messages were from people who identified themselves as members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Eckert said.”
Kevin Levin is all over the denial at his blog [see here].
Kevin, Brooks Simpson, and Andy Hall have said several times the worst enemy confederate heritage advocates have is themselves. This is another case where they only have themselves to blame. Instead of taking responsibility for their actions and admitting they are the ones in the wrong, they’re doing what they do: lying about it.
Student of the American Civil War 
On the one hand I think, the incompetence and naivete of these people is breathtaking. Then I realize: none of this is rational for them. Competence and wisdom lie in the realm of rationality, and their entire program is inherently emotional. I guess this is why they can’t help themselves but sabotage any message that might conceivably have appeal in the real world. You’re right, we can always count on them to foul their own nests.
Thanks for the comment, Sean. There are a few things that go into what’s needed to be a neoconfederate. Basically, there are those who are stupid and just don’t have a clue and will never understand. Many are simply ignorant of history and can be educated. Others lack the intellectual integrity to accept the truth. Still others know the truth and simply lie. The SCV as an organization has lied about history. There’s no doubt about that. They do have an established track record.
I don’t have nearly as much experience with these folks as you do, but a long time ago my own blog was attacked by a vocal neoconfederate who objected strenuously to my assertion that the Civil War had to do with slavery. I didn’t approve the comments, but this person let loose a long strange diatribe of nonsense. I believe she was one of the most active supporters (on the Internet at least) of this sort of belief system. It’s crazy that these people are so emotionally invested in this kind of crap.
You got one of the crazies, Sean, but the internet tends to magnify the appearance of their numbers.
For Lee-Jackson Day this year (2015), the Virginia Flaggers’ protest event was being promoted on Stormfront, for goodness’ sake. You’d think that every now and then they’d pause and reflect on just what it is about their cause that attracts folks like that to rally to the colors. Perhaps they’re just happy to have anyone, and hope no one’s paying attention at who actually shows up.
I don’t think they’re capable of reflection or even self-awareness, Andy.
Al, I always get a kick out of reading your post on the SCV. If they’re so proud of Southern heritage, them how come they seem to have no idea what was going on before the War? Is it just me, or do others find that Stars and Bars flag wavers know only about what happened after Ft Sumter ? Do you know anything about the Abbeville Institute.org ? It’s a blog hosted by a grad of the University Virginia who taught classes. According to the blogs own claims, he is an authority, but I wasn’t impressed with his information. Do you know anything about it?
They don’t know anything at all, Pat.
Yes, I’m very familiar with the Abbeville Institute. It’s a neconfederate website with no credibility at all.
Al, I need your advice. I just started a discussion on the Abbeville Institute on a Facebook Civil War site. One member likes the Abbeville institute because Donald Livingston and Brion McClanahan both have PhDs. How can an amateur history buff like me go up against such scholars?
Livingston’s Ph.D. is in philosophy, so trusting him on history because he has a Ph.D. is a textbook example of the Appeal to Authority fallacy. McClanahan has a Ph.D. in history, but that doesn’t mean he writes the truth. He’s functioning as a propagandist, not a historian. Notice his books aren’t good enough to be published by peer-reviewed university presses.
Not good enough for the peer reviewed university press. Thanks, I’ll use that in my debates.
The strongest rebuttal, though, would be to show where what he says is wrong.