I looked for the thread on this, but could not find it. To recap: the town of Jonesborough had a project in which the name of each veteran buried in the local cemetery would be placed in some sort of “walk of honor” and would include his particulars including, I would suppose, the command in which he served, his rank and etc. At the time this project began, there was no plan to include Confederate veterans buried there. A local SCV camp intervened and after much negotiations, apparently it was agreed upon to include the Confederates. After the passage of some time (and the return of money people sent to buy the Confederate bricks), the Town came forth with a “compromise” in which all soldiers who fought in the war would simply be identified by the name “Civil War”. Needless to say, this was/is unacceptable and when some people complained that Union veterans were already identified as serving with the Union, those soldiers’ bricks were removed and replaced with ones that said “Civil War”!
I was personally asked to send a letter to some “friendly contacts” in the press. I have done so. The letter is found below:
(Salutation)
I am writing to you regarding the deplorable situation in Jonesborough which I am sure does not require explanation on my part. Suffice it to say, there are two real problems here that must be addressed. The first is a matter of justice, the second a matter of survival.
As to the first: to “honor” veterans by identifying them merely with the name of the conflict in which they fought would be acceptable if every veteran fought on the same side in that conflict. But when both sides are interred in the same cemetery, to identify them thusly is an affront to both sides. Furthermore, it is not only an affront to the fallen hero, but an affront to his family as well. It is simply not acceptable and I cannot for the life of me imagine any reasonably intelligent person thinking that it would be. Yet, not only is this the “solution” chosen by the town government, but it is already being implemented as bricks now in place honoring Union veterans are being removed and replaced with the generic term “civil war”! This fact seems to show that either the members of that government are deplorably stupid and totally insensitive – or that there is an “agenda” at work which “trumps” taste and intelligence.
And this “agenda” leads us to my second point. You know the history of the Jonesborough authorities and their dealings with the Sons of Confederate Veterans as that group attempted to have their ancestors honored rather than ignored in this particular project. Given that the United States Government has declared Confederate soldiers to be “American” soldiers, I cannot understand the Town’s reticence in permitting them to be duly honored as such – but that is beside the point. The fact is this: after much discussion, the Town agreed to so honor these fallen heroes as soldiers who fought for the South – or at least that was the belief that all people of good will held upon the conclusion of the “negotiations”.
Shortly afterward, however, people who had sent money to purchase these bricks had their money returned with the comment that the project had fallen behind and that they were not prepared to place the bricks already at hand. When I was told this, my suspicions – already considerable given the common history of such matters – were thoroughly aroused. Shortly thereafter, this “compromise” of simply putting the names of the fallen and the war in which they fought – without any mention on which side of that war they fought – was brought to light. Of course, it was completely unacceptable not only to the SCV but now, it would seem, to various Union veteran groups as well.
Putting aside the nature of the dispute, the simple fact is this: the Town authorities acted in bad faith. They had no intention of keeping their “agreement” with the SCV but were merely “buying time” in hopes of finding something – anything – that would permit them to appear to be keeping their word while remaining within the realm of the politically correct censorship of all things dealing with Southern – and especially Confederate – heritage. As a native New Yorker who has no “Southern” connections but who reveres the South, her people and her heritage, I am appalled and insulted that anything so deliberately mendacious and despicable should have been foisted on people of good will by those who supposedly “represent” them.
But far worse – and this is where the “survival” aspect arises – is the fact that this very kind of dealings with the people by government at every level only validates the belief that a majority of ordinary Americans hold today; that is, that you cannot trust your government and its representatives. Once that basic trust is lost – and we are very, very close to that moment – then government itself becomes impossible and we are on the road to becoming a “banana republic” and all that that entails. The officials in Jonesborough apparently believe that they have found a “way around” an awkward situation. Wrong! They have only shown themselves to be liars and prevaricators whose word is as useless as Confederate money. Rather than accept an unwelcome outcome with good grace and honor, in an attempt to placate various politically correct anti-Southern groups, they have chosen to become one more example of official perfidy. Apparently, none of them remembers that story about straws and camels.
Thank you for your courtesy.
Valerie Protopapas,
Long Island, New York
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