Rick Tome, member of the Erie County (PA) Civil War Roundtable, recently delivered this on-line lecture to members of that group and several other historical and educational organizations in that area. We pose the link here should you have the time to view the almost 90 minute program.
https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=1447120758985909&ref=external
March is the time when the Florida Legislature begins their 60-day regular session and this year's cancel culture has apparently already made an impact. Several bills (HB 6007 & SB 1302) would eliminate traditional legal Florida state-sanctioned holidays honoring Florida's Confederate heritage. The birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, along with Confederate Memorial Day, would be eliminated. Under the measure, the state would retain "Farmer's Day," "Shrove Tuesday," "Pascua Florida Day," and even the controversial "Columbus Day"--among many others--as legal state holidays. Another bill (SB 1116) --"Removing Confederate Memorializations" would not only remove the legal holidays mentioned above but would also remove any protections in law against the defiling or mutilating of any Confederate flag or emblem. Protections against doing this to the Florida State Flag and emblem (seal?) would remain in statute.
While working to eliminate any reference to Florida's Confederate statehood, there are already three bills that would seek to extend the current state law that all schools teach about African-American History and the Holocaust. Proposed SB 1962 would add the requirement that all schools teach about "present day inequities" afflicting African-Americans. It is common practice today for any racial inequity to be attributed to white racism and not cultural behavior, educational attainment or sectional disparity. For example, as Thomas Sowell has pointed out decades ago, educators with doctorates have annual salaries less than other doctoral degrees. Most African-American PhDs are in education, therefore, the average salary level of these citizens holding doctorates is less than the average salary of whites holding doctorates--most of whom are not in education. Recent years have shown that 'disparate impact' remedies are almost always for primarily racial reasons. The bill specifies that the instructional materials to be developed for teachers to implement this measure shall be developed by the taxpayer-funded Florida American-American History Taskforce or other institutions that promote the African-American experience. (Would this allow such discredited curriculum as that developed by Black Lives Matter, the NY Times 1619 Project, or other racially-motivated groups to be thrust upon our children?)
Another measure, HB 105, would require now all charter schools and even the state's private schools to annually certify that all children are taught in the prescribed content regarding African-American History and the Holocaust. By the way, these comprise only 2 of 20 such topics that all Florida PUBLIC schools were to teach under Florida's Required Instruction Statute 1003.42. Should this measure pass, the many parents who have enrolled their children in charter and private schools to escape what they consider liberal indoctrination and racially-biased teaching would no longer be safe from such potentially harmful content.
Another bill (SR 1074) would seek to define "white nationalism" as "being pro-white" and would link that term to white supremacist beliefs that hold whites to be superior to all other races. It argues that a surge in hate crimes within the state and nation has resulted primarily from white nationalist groups and cites FBI statistics as evidence. No breakdown of hate crimes by racial groups or percentages of such crimes being committed by that group's proportional representation in our overall population is given. Other data revealing that a larger proportion of hate crimes are committed AGAINST whites as opposed to being CAUSED by whites is absent in the measure. As a result, the proposal is not only inaccurate but divisive. It would--along with other racially-motivated educational materials such as the NY Times 1619 Project, the Black Lives Matter Teaching Modules, and the many university level 'white-privilege' courses which are based upon Critical Race Theory--racially demonize the white race as "oppressive" toward all others. Still other measures would create scholarship funds ('reparations') for the descendants of the Ocoee Riot (SB 164) and would deny accreditation and principal's salaries to Charter Schools and selected private schools that fail to implement all provisions of the amended African-American curriculum and teacher-training proposals (SB 772 line 144).
Related to one piece of legislation pertaining to Florida's legal holidays, SWFLCWRT President Brian Bailey has sent copies of the following letter to members of the Southwest Florida legislative delegation to voice our opposition to the measure. Individual members who wish to echo similar comments may use the contact list for our legislators under the "Legislative Issues / Action" link in the column to the right. Phone contact information, email links and the names of each representative's legislative assistants are given. To download a PDF copy of the letter, click HERE.
It's the time of year when Florida legislators file their proposed bills--some of which--of course, will be passed into law. Today's "cancel culture" is perhaps causing a larger number of bills to be filed than ever before. Some of these laws would eliminate traditional legal holidays that generations of Floridians have used to pay homage to its historic past. Others would seek to identify and condemn 'white nationalism' as a corrosive and racist tendency that afflicts far too many of Florida's white citizens. Still other bills would ban dozens of now legal firearms and through definition might even designate any semi-automatic weapon as an "assault weapon." Additionally, Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law would be erased, thereby tweaking the ability of citizens to protect themselves from dangerous assailants. Still others would, while eliminating the legal holidays set aside to honor Robert E. Lee or Confederate Memorial Day, seek to make the anniversary of the Parkland school shooting a new Florida legal holiday.
To know who is proposing such new legislation or to download copies of these measures, click the "Legislative Issues / Action page" link in the section labeled "Pages" to the right or CLICK HERE.
Although the controversial New York Times 1619 Curriculum and many other teaching modules from extremist groups such as Black Lives Matter are increasingly being used in Florida's public schools, no one is sure to what extent students are being exposed to them. The attempts to rewrite our history and indoctrinate children into believing our nation was primarily founded upon--and is still currently afflicted by--oppressive white racism is one that is increasingly being accepted by American corporations, educational institutions, philanthropic entities and news-media outlets.
More than ever, there is a need to ensure that our state and national history is being accurately and honestly taught to our children.
Ps. As a follow-up to the question of how many of Florida's public school districts and classrooms are using deconstructionist "Critical Race Theory" lessons, I took the liberty to send an email to Florida Representative Spencer Roach asking him for those very answers and making available to him a copy of Oklahoma's Senate Bill 830 which would prohibit such 'divisive teaching' in that state. We may want to ask local school superintendents and school board members in SW Florida these same questions.
Jack Bovee, editor
The following original press release was dated February 6, 2021, from Dalton, Georgia. It offers details about a solution found for moving and preserving a Civil War statue in a way agreeable to many in that local community.
On July 8, 2020, following 30 days of several marches and demonstrations, a town hall meeting in which a number of persons spoke to the Council of Dalton about the removal of the Joseph E. Johnston Statue from public property, a Facebook petition to move to statue and another Facebook petition to not move the statue, the City of Dalton notified the local Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy (hereinafter “UDC”) that the UDC needed to make arrangements to move the statue as any permissive easement to allow its continued placement on the public right of way of the intersection of Crawford and Hamilton Streets were no longer permitted. The City of Dalton gave the UDC a reasonable time period within which to arrange to move the statue.
The UDC expressed last summer that it was ready and willing to move the statue provided that a suitable location could be found AND provided that funds sufficient to safely handle the move could be secured as the UDC did not have any money to be able to do so. The City of Dalton expressed that it would not pay for any move or use any tax dollars. Members of the community at large including some of the original marchers volunteered to raise funds to pay for the move.
The Community Foundation of Northwest Georgia which took no position on the subject of whether to move the statue or not to move it, offered to serve as a conduit, or bank, to facilitate the anonymous donations required for the move.
Several possible locations were identified as potential places for the relocation of the statue:
This became the logical and best solution in which the UDC found themselves and the Board of Trustees of the Historical Society graciously voted and agreed to host the statue and give a lease to the UDC to relocate the statue there under certain conditions which had to be met:
The UDC was given an initial estimated budget based upon the pledged donations of $20,000 for the entirety of the project. Bids as high as $55,000 and $35,000 solely for the movement of the statue exclusive of all of the other costs outlined above came in from non-local companies. After several months of lining up bids and proposals, and using only local companies and persons, bids and estimates have come in at between $30,000-35,000 for ALL of the work identified in the six parts to paragraph 3 above.
Donors willing to support this project next worked on raising the additional funding which was completed early this year.
The City of Dalton has provided the past several months to allow time for this project and all of the people involved to work together, and the City has assisted with the logistical support to ensure the safe relocation of the statue, but no tax dollars have to our knowledge been spent or allocated by the City.
One point that needs to be made very clear to the Citizens of Dalton and Whitfield County: No one involved in this process has intimated or attempted to tear down or destroy the statue or the history of it. That group simply wanted it moved from a public property and were willing to pay for its relocation.
The historic Huff House was in fact the headquarters of General Joseph E. Johnston during the Confederate Army of Tennessee’s winter encampment in Dalton for about six months from December 1863 to May 1864. It is a logical place for the statue where the history of the man, the statue and the house may all be interpreted and visited.
The location of the placement of the statue is significant and was chosen for several reasons. It will be placed on Hawthorne Street facing north which is symbolic of him facing north toward his former enemy. By placing the statue in this location, the Huff House may be viewed and enjoyed from the Selvidge Street, or west side, without the statue being in the viewshed of the house such that the house may be studied and enjoyed separately from the statue. Conversely, the statue may also be viewed, studied and enjoyed separately from the house and opportunities for photos of either historic site can be had separately. It allows each of the two sites to continue to have their own separate identities and prominence, while still being available to view and enjoy in one location. Additionally, the new location will better insure its safekeeping with additional security measures of a fence, lighting, and security cameras.
Thus, on the morning of February 6, 2021, the process of moving the statue was completed. This date and time was chosen out of consideration for the many businesses, restaurants, churches and shopkeepers downtown so as not disrupt their business and to cause as little disruption as possible. For this reason, a week-day or Sunday was not chosen.
We provide this press release so that everyone can see both the circumstances and the process for how this project came together. In many communities across our country, unfortunately, similar circumstances have led to violence, bloodshed, vandalism and destruction of people, property, businesses, and statues. In Dalton, however, the various parties have worked together to find and to carry out a good solution. We hope that the new location of the statue will lead to greater interest to and support of the Huff House and our new partners in the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, Inc. as they strive to preserve all of our area’s rich history.
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Submitted on behalf of my client for immediate release.
Robert D. Jenkins, Sr.
Attorney,
Dalton, GA
