Compatriots,
The situation involving the Flags at Lee Chapel in Lexington, Virginia goes
far beyond the Virginia Division. I have been in contact with Commander Tracy
Clary, Virginia Division and Commander Brandon Dorsey, Stonewall Brigade on
this matter.
I ask all compatriots from all Divisions to attend this rally (details below) if
possible. If you can not attend, at the very least, please contact the
officials at Washington and Lee and express your concerns.
B. Frank Earnest,
Commander Army of Northern Virginia and Southern Patriot
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Desecration of Robert E. Lee's Grave and Memorial Rally and Forum in Lexington,
Virginia Saturday July 26th.
Recently Washington & Lee University President
Ken Ruscio announced the university would remove the eight regimental
Confederate Battleflags surrounding the famed recumbent statue of Robert E. Lee
in Lee Chapel. The statue chamber and the Lee family crypt were built onto Lee
Chapel as the site chosen for the Robert E. Lee Memorial using private
donations raised for the purpose. As such the university accepted the responsibility
to ensure that Lee's burial place would be given the proper respect it deserves
and it did so for well over one hundred years.
Sadly, the once proud Southern
school has become infiltrated more and more with radical ideology and the
academics running the school no longer share the same values as Robert E. Lee.
Instead many overtly and openly proclaim disdain for him. When Lee's character
was recently attacked, the school offered no response and instead has caved to
the demands of a small group of student's who want Lee and everything he stood
for repudiated.
For now they have won their fight to remove these flags, but
they or others like them will continue their crusade with revolutionary fever
to destroy Lee's image in its entirety. The current president, the successor to
Robert E. Lee, has now become the nations most notorious grave robber. These
radical students undoubtedly dream of the day that sledge hammers will be taken
to Lee's recumbent statue just as the mob in Iraq recently did to the grave of
the famed Prophet Jonah.
How should decent people react to the cowardly
violation of the memorial for an American Icon? Are we so ignorant to believe
that people cannot understand why Confederate flags would be at a deceased
general's or veteran's grave? Why has this happened and what can be done about
it? The Stonewall Brigade Camp 1296 is putting together an event where these
issues will be addressed.
This event will be held on July 26 at an open community meeting to be held at
the Holiday Inn Express on N. Lee Highway at 4pm that day featuring Dr.
Marshall DeRosa, Professor of Political Science at Florida Atlantic University. He will present “The Heroical Robert E. Lee: Under Attack by the Useful Idiots of the
Ruling Class.” Following Dr. DeRosa's presentation attendees will be invited to
express their concerns and to offer ideas and solutions to the matter.
In
addition we will hold a Flag Vigil against this cowardly act in downtown
Lexington throughout the day and are working to secure a sight near Lee
Chapel to hold a rally beginning at Noon. We encourage anyone concerned about
this issue to attend and bring your flags and signs in hand to protest what we
consider no less than grave robbery as defined under law by the current
president of Washington & Lee.
We ask that everyone remember that
although we have the right to be angry at this situation, everyone should
conduct themselves in a manner that would not further embarrass the memory of
Robert E. Lee. We do not need to stoop down to the level of those who started
this travesty. The city sidewalks will be accessible to us, but expect W&L
security to remove or arrest anyone entering the campus with a sign or flag.
What else can you do? Write, call, and email the university using the contact
information listed below. Secondly, if you know any W&L alumni or donors
let us know who they are so that we can encourage them to contact the school
and consider withholding further support. Thirdly, attend the flag rally and
forum if you can. Fourthly, consider contributing to the various heritage
defense funds for this purpose.
Contact Information:
President: Dr. Kenneth Ruscio, Washington and Lee
University, 204 West Washington Street Lexington,Virginia 24450. (540) 458-8700 president@wlu.edu
Provost: Dr. Daniel Wubah
Washington and Lee University, Washington Hall 214 Lexington,Virginia 24450.
(540) 458-8418 dwubah@wlu.edu
BOARD OF
TRUSTEES:
Secretary of the University: James D. Farrar, Jr. Washington & Lee
University, 203 Washington Hall Lexington,VA 24450. (540) 458-8465 jdfarrar@wlu.edu
Executive Assistant to the
Board of Trustees: Katherine Brinkley Washington & Lee University, 202
Washington Hall Lexington,VA 24450. (540) 458-8417 kbrinkley@wlu.edu
