Deadline For Funding Requests Announced

Compatriots, The Budget and Finance Committee will review funding requests prior to the Spring General Executive Council (GEC) meeting. Requests must be received no later than Monday, February 2, 2015 and must be received in one of two formats, to be considered! (1) It is preferred that requests and supporting documentation be sent as attachments to an email message directed to Adjutant-in-Chief Nash (nc46e@hotmail.com) and Executive Director Landree (exedir@scv.org). (2) If you send the request and supporting documents in hard-copy format, they must be sent to Adjutant-in-Chief Nash, Executive Director Landree and Army Commanders McCluney, Burbage and Lauret, who also serve on the Budget and Finance Committee. Mailing addresses can be found on the National Committee page at: http://www.scv.org/committeeView.php?cid=BF Those requesting funds should read the Funding Proposal Guidelines found on the Forms and Documents page of scv.org at: http://www.scv.org/pdf/FundingProposalGuidelines.pdf The form to be used to make a Funding Request is also on the Forms and Documents page at: http://www.scv.org/pdf/SCVFundRequests.pdf The information requested on the form is the minimum that is needed for consideration of a funding request. Those making requests are encouraged to submit supporting information if it helps clarify the purpose and other particulars of the project. If you have any questions regarding the guidelines, form or process, please contact me. Douglas W. Nash, Jr. Adjutant-in-Chief nc46e@hotmail.com (910) 635-9700

Political Correctness Rears Ugly Head in Pensacola

Commissioners vote to remove all flags, but American, from Pensacola Bay Center

Updated: Friday, December 12 2014, 12:02 PM CST

For years, the Pensacola Bay Center has flown the Confederate battle flag.  The most well known flag, with white stars atop diagonol blue bars and a red background, was never an official flag of the Confederacy. It was used by soldiers, in battle, but not by the government itself.    

Aubey Smith, Commander of the Pensacola Sons of Confederate Veteransa, says "it's our heritage. It's our ancestry. The 600,000 men, women and children who died during that conflict, it's not something that can be swept under the rug by not showing that flag."

Others see something far more sinister in the flag.

Katrina Ramos says "what I see from the Confederate flag is oppression. What I see from the Confederate flag is slavery. So who's heritage are they talking about."

In 2000, the city of Pensacola voted to stop flying the battle flag. They replaced it on city buildings with a national flag of the Confederacy. At the time, the Escambia County Commission voted unanimously to keep flying the flag.

One resident said "as a citizen of this county, who's money, along with all these other folks, goes to support our public buildings and our government, this is a very inappropriate symbol."

Thursday evening, the Commission heard arguments from supporters of the flag, and those who want it down. Dozens of county residents attended and spoke out. After nearly an hour of discussion and debate, the commission voted to remove the Confederate battle flag from the Pensacola Bay Center .. and all county government buildings. Their new rule says that only the American flag may fly. The only exception is the flag of Florida, and only if it is already in place.

Says Ramos, "we have so much racial tension in our country right now. And so what I want to see from Pensacola is, let us be the first to be an example. Let's start removing these things that are creating racial tension."
   
The vote passed four to one, with only district one Commissioner Wilson Robertson objecting.

http://www.weartv.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/commissioners-vote-remove-all-flags-but-american-pensacola-bay-center-52908.shtml?app_data=%7B%22pi%22%3A%22548a53af1dbff1f429000009%22%2C%22pt%22%3A%22wall%22%7D#.VI3qxivF-Cm

TEXAS SCV LICENSE PLATE CASE GOES TO SUPREME COURT

Confederate Flag License Plate Case Gets U.S. High Court Review

By Greg Stohr  Dec 5, 2014 1:02 PM CT  

21 Comments Email Print

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn

Save

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether Texas officials must issue a license plate depicting the Confederate battle flag, accepting a free-speech dispute with implications for dozens of states with similar specialty-tag programs.

The court today agreed to review a ruling that Texas violated the Constitution when officials rejected an application by the state chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans while issuing more than 350 other specialty plates. Those include tags that say “Stop Child Abuse,” “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and “God Bless Texas.”

The case will determine how much power states have to control the topics and designs of their specialty plates. A federal appeals court said officials can’t favor one viewpoint over another in choosing which proposals to approve.

That ruling will have “untenable consequences,” Texas officials led by Attorney General and Governor-elect Greg Abbott argued in their appeal. “After this ruling, it is not apparent how the state could exclude profanity, sacrilege or overt racism from its specialty license plates.”

The case will test a court that in other contexts is broadly supportive of speech rights. Most federal appeals to consider the issue have said states can’t discriminate on the basis of the message a group seeks to convey on a license plate.

Extra Fee

Texas has a board that approves every license plate design before it is issued to the public. Drivers who want a special plate pay an extra fee, with the money going in part to state agencies and in part to charitable and nonprofit groups.

The disputed plate design consisted of a battle flag surrounded by the words “Sons of Confederate Veterans 1896.” The Texas board said many members of the public found the design offensive.

The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against the state in a 2-1 decision.

“By rejecting the plate because it was offensive, the board discriminated against Texas SCV’s view that the Confederate flag is a symbol of sacrifice, independence and Southern heritage,” the majority said.

A central question will be how the court classifies license plates. Texas contends they qualify as government speech, immune from any requirement that they be viewpoint neutral.

The Texas chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans urged the Supreme Court not to hear the case. The flag “is a symbol that should be a topic for open debate, without the government censoring one side or the other,” the group argued.

Virginia Ruling

The same issue has arisen in the context of the abortion debate. In February, a three-judge panel said Virginia was violating the Constitution by distributing plates that say “Choose Life” while refusing to issue ones that bear an abortion-rights slogan. The state is one of 29 that issue “Choose Life” plates.

The American Civil Liberties Union has asked the Supreme Court to review that decision. The justices today took no action on that appeal and probably will defer acting until they resolve the Texas case.

The court will hear arguments early next year and rule by June in the case, Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, 14-144.

To contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Patrick Oster at poster@bloomberg.net Mark McQuillan, Laurie Asseo

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-12-05/confederate-flag-license-plate-case-gets-u-s-high-court-review.html