| HERITAGE & POLITICS By Greg Kay 14 August, 2000 |
| Southerners are dedicated to our heritage. We have a plethora of groups out
there who are dedicated to preserving it. We have associations of the
children of veterans preserving the memory of their ancestors and museum
societies preserving their belongings. We have historians dissecting the
battles they fought and think tanks of academics debating the reasons why.
We hold balls in hoop skirts and march in our gray uniforms. We, as a
people, have a fascination (our critics say an obsession) for the glories of
our past, and rightly so; for it is a glorious past indeed. We owe a great
debt to those fighting to preserve it. There's only one problem; we're still losing. Our monuments, our flags, our history; every element of our heritage is falling one piece at a time before the forces of political correctness - the new reconstruction. Heritage defense alone is just not working. Could it be that we venerate our past so much that we don't have room for the future? We are not the first nationalist movement seeking to reclaim our sovereignty that has been faced with this dilemma. In the early years of the 20th century, during the British occupation of his country, the Irish patriot, James Connolly, wrote the following: "These agencies, whether ... Language movements, Literary Societies or Commemoration Committees, are undoubtedly doing a work of lasting benefit to this country in helping to save from extinction the precious racial and national history, language and characteristics of our people. Nevertheless, there is a danger that by too strict an adherence to their present methods of propaganda, and consequent neglect of vital living issues, they may only succeed in stereotyping our historical studies into a worship of the past, or crystallizing nationalism into tradition - glorious and heroic indeed, but still only a tradition. Now traditions may, and frequently do, provide materials for a glorious martyrdom, but can never be strong enough to ride the storm of a successful revolution. If the national movement of our day is not merely to reenact the old sad tragedies of our past history, it must show itself capable of rising to the exigencies of the moment. It must demonstrate to the people ... that our nationalism is not merely a morbid idealizing of the past, but is also capable of formulating a distinct and definite answer to the problems of the present and a political and economic creed capable of adjustment to the wants of the future. This concrete political and social ideal will best be supplied, I believe, by the frank acceptance on the part of all earnest nationalists of the Republic as their goal." Do we realize what James Connolly was saying? That we should forget our past and put it aside? That we should back away and hide our symbols in the name of political correctness, as some now suggest? That we should not defend our heritage? God forbid! We cannot, however, be so wrapped up in our past that we live our lives there. We need to live in the now and for the future. The past is not the house; it is simply the foundation that our ancestors laid down to build that house upon. As Connolly so aptly pointed out about his nations heritage organizations, their work is invaluable. The Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughters of the Confederacy, the League of the South and the Heritage Preservation Association and many others like them have all done yeoman's service in the fight to preserve the history that makes us who we are, and as long as they fight the good fight, they deserve our support. Yet, their fight for preservation will never make us free. While we support their work, there is no point in the Southern Party trying to duplicate their efforts, particularly since, by it's self, heritage defense is a losing battle - we have nothing to gain, and everything to lose, while our enemy has all to gain and risks nothing. For the Southern Party, there is another way. The best way, in fact the only way to ultimately preserve our heritage in a hostile and numerically superior culture is to regain our independence, and the only way to do that is to seize the political power to make it happen. That is the Southern Party's job! Our goal is there in writing for all to see - independence and good government for the people of Dixie - in a word, secession. We intend to accumulate political power and influence by taking on the issues of today as well as those of our heritage, until the day comes that we can use it to bring about the rebirth of this Confederate Nation; that great Southern Republic. That is our best heritage defense, for, when Dixie rises out of the ashes and that blood-dipped stainless banner waves from it's proper place once again, we will build a thousand monuments for every one that was destroyed, and we'll raise a million flags for everyone that was taken down, once these Confederate States of America takes her rightful place once again amongst the nations of the earth. HOME ~ EDITORIALS ~ THE MCCAUSLAND PLAN ~ CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE ~ LINKS |