Political Correctness Is Tied To Basic Ignorance

LtCol (ret) Edwin L. Kennedy, Jr

I have concluded that political correctness is tied to basic ignorance.  Basic ignorance is endemic in our society as is political correctness.  Jay Leno’s “Jaywalking” video clips; “Watter’s World” video clips, and numerous YouTube clips showing interviews of supposedly educated people prove my point. 

I retired from the Army almost 20 years ago and ran a large high school Army JROTC program.  In 2002 I successfully sued our school district in Leavenworth, Kansas for trying to illegally fire me just for asking if my son could wear his Dixie Outfitter t-shirt.  Kansas City Federal District Court handled the settlement requested by the district before they literally lost their shirts.  My son got to wear his shirt.  That did not end the retribution so I left and returned to teaching at the Army’s Command and General Staff College in 2004 where I frequently encounter ignorance as stunning as I did when working at the high school.

I taught graduate history at the staff college prior to retiring and, as a certified Army historian, continue to integrate history into all of my instruction.  I now teach executive-level leadership.  Our course continues to take our students to study at War Between the States battlefields and Chickamauga, Georgia is one of my favorites that we frequent.  Because our leadership course uses a case study centered on the movie “12 O’Clock High”, I tie my other course instruction to the case study.  For example, a direct tie to the 8^th USAAF in WWII (“12 O’Clock High”) and the battle of Chickamauga is that the grandson of a famous cavalry division commander at Chickamauga was the first U.S. general killed in action in Europe during WWII. 

In order to illustrate my instruction, I obtained three large glass display cases and populated them with historical military displays related directly to leadership instruction.  For “12 O’Clock High”, I emplaced an extensive collection of uniforms and equipment used by USAAF bomber crews.  Behind the exhibit I put posters showing the ties to our instruction and some historical facts.  For three years one of the posters had a photo of the general whose grandfather was a Confederate cavalry division commander at Chickamauga with an annotation that he was KIA over Germany in June 1943 leading bombers on a mission to Kiel.

One of my fellow instructors, retired Army officer, Joe Judge filed a complaint against me.  For three years he never looked at the display.  He was not interested.  Not only did I receive a formal counseling from my supervisor for emplacing this photo in the exhibit, I was threatened with punishment if it was not removed ---- effectively censoring factual history.  Judge, who has no history knowledge, was responsible for the censoring and banning of any display with the photo in the future.  His ignorance was solely based on his “feelings” that the photo and caption explaining who the general was might “offend” our black students.  Rather than educate our students, Judge decided that their potential feelings were more important than historical facts.

Because of this, I was forced to remove the display of Brigadier General Nathan Forrest, III in his USAAF uniform.  This was done despite the fact that Forrest, III was KIA and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery.  I have taken the entire exhibit down and will no longer emplace any exhibits as censorship is the antitheses of intellectual freedom and education.  I know of other instances with fellow instructors of this type of political correctness over-riding common sense.  It is a sad effect of political correctness that is assisting in the dumbing-down of our culture ---- in this case our Army officers.  Thanks to Joe Judge, our students will wallow in ignorance because Joe had no clue that Brigadier General Nathan Forrest, the Confederate general, fought at Chickamauga and we certainly don’t want our officers to know the fact that his grandson fought honorably for the U.S., losing his life doing so.

The case in the exhibit showing BrigGen Forrest, III’s photo is below:

I Am the Confederate Battle Flag

by Charles H. Hayes 

  I am the Battle Flag
  of the Confederate States of America.

  I am a proud flag.
  I have led great armies to great victories.
  From tall masts I have saluted,
  And been saluted by,
  The ablest generals in history.

  I am a potent symbol.
  I have the power to stir the blood
  Of those who carried me in battle
  Though that blood be continents away
  And generations removed from those battles.

  I am an honorable flag.
  Do not use me for ignoble purposes.
  I am a symbol of pride, not arrogance.
  I represent love of homeland, not hatred toward anyone.
  But no matter who carries me
  Or for what purposes, I cannot be dishonored.
   
   I secured my honor in a hundred battles
  Where good men dying passed me to good men still struggling;
  Where we prevailed against almost impossible odds;
  Where we were beaten by overwhelming numbers;
  Where I was as bloody, torn, tired, and soiled
  As the men who carried me.

  I am a worthy flag.
  I have stood watch over the graves of patriots.
  I have comforted widows in their loneliness.
  As a blood-stained rag I have been passed as a rich legacy
  To the heirs of those who had lost all for my sake.

  I am the Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America.
  Do not forsake me.

Ole’ Bedford’s havin’ another party!!!

Ole’ bedford’s havin’

another party!!!

You are cordially invited to attend the 17^th Annual Birthday Celebration of

 Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest!

Saturday July 9, 2016

3:00 PM

At

“FORT DIXIE”

Home of Butch & Pat Godwin

10800 Co. Rd. 30

Selma, Alabama  36701

Guest Speaker – Chuck McMichael

 Past Commander-in-Chief, Sons of Confederate Veterans

Live Music by:

The UNRECONSTRUCTED Band

Southern Fried Catfish Supper w/ all the fixin’s served at 6:00PM

Auction, door prizes, ice cold watermelon served all day long –

Drawing for NBF Hot Cast Bronze Mini Bust

HOTELS:  Area Code 334 - Hampton Inn- 876-9995; Holiday Inn Express – 874-1000;

 Quality Inn- 874-8600; Comfort Inn-875-5700; America’s Best-872-1900; Selma Hotel-872-0460

For more information call: Pat Godwin @ 334-875-190, 334-419-4566 (cell) e-mail: oldsouthrebel@zebra.net – please call for reservations for headcount purposes only.

All proceeds go toward Confederate Memorial Circle, Live Oak Cemetery, Selma, Alabama for 19 historical narrative markers to be placed at points of interest within Confederate Memorial Circle.

No Charge – DONATION ONLY 

FRIENDS OF FORREST, INC.

2016 ANNUAL NEWSLETTER

Dear Friends of Forrest:

SEVENTEEN CELEBRATIONS!!! WOW!  Can ya believe this is the 17^th Annual Nathan Bedford Forrest Birthday Celebration!!! Absolutely Incredible! The years just keep flyin’ by! This celebration continues because of YOU…you who love and revere the GREATEST MILITARY GENIUS who ever lived! As we continue to celebrate the life of Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest, we follow his advice to his men…”When ya got the enemy on the run, keep the skeer on ‘em”!!!  I know that in view of the past year since June 17, 2015 after the “Charleston 9” shooting, our fight for our Southern history and heritage and our very INDENTITY has certainly escalated to an intensity that appears to have had an injection of steroids…especially thanks to Alabama’s X-rated governor, robert bentley and South Carolina’s governor, nikki haley.  The TRUTH of the matter is that “they” fear us and what we stand for…FREEDOM & LIBERTY and a Constitutional Representative government! Our culture is a Christian culture and Christianity is the bullseye of their target!  Western Civilization must be eradicated in order for the one world government to exist! But in the face of adversity, we MUST PERSEVERE!!! 

We hope you are making plans to attend this year’s FORREST CELEBRATION as we look upon this gathering each year as more of a “Family Reunion”. Because of Nathan Bedford Forrest, Butch & I have made soooo many wonderful friends whom we consider integral members of our extended Confederate family. We lament the passing of so many “soldiers on the battlefield” since this celebration started back in 2000 but with the passing of each precious soul, we will always remember them; but, hopefully, we garner another soldier who has come to know the TRUTH about our history and our heritage and has joined the fight to save our noble Christian culture.

As always, each year, we strive to plan a gathering that will make you want to attend, even though you might have been here many times before and will make you leave here at the end of the day, looking forward to returning next year!  With that goal in mind and in our heart, this year guarantees the achievement of that goal! Chuck McMichael, past Commander-in-Chief, National/International Sons of Confederate Veterans, will be our keynote speaker this year and will be giving his address on “The Blood”. I have especially asked Chuck to give this presentation because it is one of the most outstanding presentations I have ever heard and I firmly believe that EVERY ONE of our people needs to hear this speech and hopefully will bring our people to understand the importance of “the Blood”.  Chuck is never a “lulling” speaker and is blessed with such a sense of humor that is so unique. He is certainly a NATURAL!

For YEARS I have tried to get UNRECONSTRUCTED here at the FORREST CELEBRATION but they are in such demand that they have always been booked before I could get to them, but this year, thankfully, I asked them LAST year about performing for the 2016 celebration.  We are very excited to have them coming this year to entertain you for the day with their unique style and talent. I know you will want to come & enjoy their music during the day; especially, if you have never had the pleasure of hearing them, you are in for a wonderful treat!

Of course the day will consist of our usual “SOUTHERN MENU” serving ice cold watermelon all day long at the Pickaninny Freeze Watermelon Stand. At 6PM, is our famous Southern Fried Catfish supper with all the fixin’s and General Forrest’s Birthday Cake! Col. CC Pegues Selma Camp Commander, Nelson Andrews will be our Master Chef again this year! The BEST catfish this side of the Big Muddy!  Past Ala Div. SCV Commander, Ronnie Simmons will be our Master of Ceremonies. We have some special Southern/Confederate items for the always exciting auction and also some special door prizes. 

Since last year’s drawing of the LAST hot cast bronze NBF mini bust, I am happy to announce also that, thanks to the sculptor of the NB Forrest bust, Paul D. Spaulding, I commissioned a foundry by his recommendation to pour the NBF mini bust that we draw for each year. Digby Carter of Somerset Foundry in Bath, Maine has done an exquisite job of pouring the new busts!  The patina is just beautiful and the bust is mounted on a beautiful finished block of walnut. This is an exquisite work of art; hot cast bronze, poured from the original mold and would retail at as much as $5000 depending on the art market location, of course.  Enclosed are 10 tickets for the drawing at $2 each if you wish to participate. Please send the stubs with your name & contact information and check made payable to NBF Monument Fund/Confederate Memorial Circle & mail back to me to receive before 8 July 2016 to insure that your tickets get in the drawing. If you choose NOT to participate, please discard the tickets & DO NOT SEND BACK TO ME.  If you wish to make copies of the tickets to enter the drawing with more chances, please feel free to do so & send stubs & check accordingly.

We invite you to come & bring your family & friends. While in Selma,  please make plans to visit Confederate Memorial Circle at Historic Live Oak Cemetery to enjoy our victory against the City of Selma and see our project and see your ancestor paver(s) if you have already purchased a paver. After 15 years and 2 lawsuits, we have a sound victory in Selma, Alabama, the civil rights capital of the world! We now hold the deed to Confederate Memorial Circle! The 14^th Amendment FINALLY worked for us!  We are still raising funds to have 19 historic narrative markers placed at the featured points of interest within the Circle. If you would like to purchase an ancestor paver & do not have a form, please contact me & I will mail the forms to you or send by e-mail attachment.

 The Re-dedication of Confederate Memorial Circle was held last May 23, 2015 – I hope you were a part of that wonderful day in history, but if you did not get to attend, the DVD is now available for you to enjoy the day in the convenience of your home. It is a 3-disc set, 2 ½ hours long and beautifully packaged for $25 plus $3 shipping & handling. The set includes the speeches in their entirety of the 4 wonderful speakers of the day; Dr. Cecil Williamson, Benny Austin, Bill Rambo and Todd Kiscaden, plus the music of the 5^th Ala Regimental Band, and Celtic singer/songwriter Jed Marum performing at the reception held at the Smitherman Building Museum, original site of the NBF monument in Oct 2000 until it was moved by the City of Selma to Live Oak Cemetery in Feb 2001.  We had some requests for the Historic program booklet & I had some reprinted. We are selling them for $5 each while they last & will not be reprinted. Also, we still have some of the NBF Commemorative Coins available at $10 each. When these are gone we will not have any more struck.  All these items will be for sale at the CELEBRATION, of course. We still offer the FRIENDS OF FORREST T-Shirt for $25 each which includes shipping & handling; we have Large & X-Large on hand right now.   All proceeds from the sale of all these items described, plus the bust drawing tickets & the CELEBRATION go toward the 19 historical markers.

Butch & I and the Friends of Forrest Board of Directors want to thank you ALL for your continued faithful support all these years of our efforts here in Selma to pay homage to General Forrest that he so rightfully deserves for his valiant defense of Selma on 2 April 1865 and to protect, defend and preserve our Southern heritage here in Selma. Without your faithful, dedicated support, our efforts would have never come to fruition!  We especially thank you for your precious friendship, prayers and moral support during the most trying times through these past 15 years and 2 lawsuits.

Bring ya family & friends!  Bring insect repellant, sunscreen, lawn chairs, pop-up tents if you wish – dress cool as we guarantee a hot day in July!

We are planning a REALLY BIG day and hope you will come & share the birthday celebration of Lt. Gen Nathan Bedford Forrest with us at Fort Dixie!

Confederately yours, 

Patricia S. Godwin, President

Friends of Forrest, Inc.