Tag Archive for: Virginia

Another Historical Monument Under Fire

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“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” ― Edmund Burke, British House of Commons.

The Vice-Mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia, Wes Bellamy, is leading the charge to request the City Council to order a statue of Robert E. Lee removed, as well as change the name of Lee Park where the statue rests.

Bellamy has planned a press conference, conveniently during normal working hours, for Tuesday, March 22 at 9:30 a.m. He hopes to gather community leaders together in order to pressure the City Council to take action on this critical issue.

Bellamy moved to Charlottesville from Atlanta, Georgia in 2009, and teaches computer science at Charlottesville High School and has aspirations of becoming the principal one day. So, it is surprising that someone who is dedicating their life to teaching our young people is desiring to remove statues that are reminders of where we came from and who we want to be in the future.

General Robert E. Lee,  a graduate of West Point, was a brilliant military officer, commanding General in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and a gentleman. He surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in 1865, thus ending the Civil War. The Civil War is integral to our history as a nation, and contrary to many people’s belief, was not all about slavery, but about States rights.

A few of Bellamy’s reasons for removing the statue are as follows:

  1. Robert E. Lee has no ties with Charlottesville.
  2.     Several current residents have stated that they believe the statue was used as a psychological tool to show dominance of the majority over the minority during this time period, (1924). Subsequently, a large portion of city residents have refused to step foot in Lee Park due to what they believe the statue and park represent.
  3. Governor McAuliffe’s veto announced Thursday, March 10th, of House Bill 587 that would have prevented localities from removing monuments of past historical significance,  McAuliffe said he supports historic preservation, but called the legislation a “sweeping override of local authority” that has ramifications for “interpretive signage to tell the story of some of our darkest moments during the Civil War.”

In addition to Bellamy’s desire to strip our history away, there is a young high school girl, Zyahna Bryant, who started an online petition to have the statue removed. One wonders if Mr. Bellamy has had an influence on Ms. Bryant’s thinking since she attends the same school where Bellamy teaches.

She apparently is also petitioning for a Black Student Union at her school. So, for someone who wants to erase the history of racism in our country, she chooses to be in involved in areas which are definitely racist towards anyone who isn’t born with the proper amount of pigment.

In her letter to the editor of a local newspaper she shared her thoughts which follows:

  1. When I think of Robert E. Lee I instantly think of someone fighting in favor of slavery. Thoughts of physical harm, cruelty, and disenfranchisement flood my mind. As a teenager in Charlottesville that identifies as black, I am offended every time I pass it. I am reminded over and over again of the pain of my ancestors and all of the fighting that they had to go through for us to be where we are now.
  2. Nevertheless, let’s not forget that Robert E. Lee fought for perpetual bondage of slaves and the bigotry of the South that kept most  black citizens as slaves and servants for the entirety of their lives. As a result, legislatures of the south chose to ignore and turn a blind eye to the injustices of African Americans from Jim crow and anti-black terrorism to integrated education.
  3. This past summer, “Black lives matter” was spray painted on the statue. This is just an example of the reactions and the emotions that are evoked because of its presence. Many people, including myself, feel very uncomfortable in the park and we don’t visit it. There are events that I don’t attend simply because they take place in that location.

What I would like to ask Mr. Bellamy and Ms. Bryant, is why stop at Lee Park and Robert E. Lee’s statue? Shouldn’t the city also look at demolishing the University of Virginia as well as his home of Monticello? Thomas Jefferson, after all, owned slaves. If  we are to follow the thinking of Bellamy and Bryant, then much would need to change around this city and others.

For example, Washington and Lee University should look into building a new campus and rename it’s school as well. I am sure it causes great emotional turmoil for those black students to attend classes there. Surely Washington D.C. would need to do some remodeling as well.

I think you get my point.

The Civil War happened and no amount of removing statues will change history. What is important though is to teach factual history to our young people growing up in an increasingly hostile world. No one can deny that blacks in our country have experienced horrible treatment, especially during slavery and the Jim Crow years, which Ms. Bryant mentions. But, does she know the history behind Jim Crow?

Democrats were entirely in control through the entire time of Jim Crow laws, and fought against having them squelched. Both in 1956 and 1964 the Republican Civil Rights Act was blocked by the Democrats. An article in The Blaze recounts the specific numbers that might surprise people who have been led to believe the Civil Rights Act was a Democrat idea. The article states,

“Goldwater was one of just six Senate Republicans to vote against the bill in 1964, while 21 Senate Democrats opposed it. It passed by an overall vote of 73-27. In the House, 96 Democrats and 34 Republicans voted against the Civil Rights Act, passing with an overall 290-130 vote. While most Democrats in both chambers voted for it, the bulk of the opposition still was from Democrats.”

The KKK was a product of the Democrats as well, and used in order to keep political control. They would beat blacks until they promised not to vote Republican. This is very similar to how the Democrat party is using the Black Lives Matter organization today. See recent FB account of black police officer who attended Trump rally where BLM was protesting.

Lee-statue-defaced-063015-credit-Cville-police-489x400Black Lives Matter (BLM) uses intimidation, vandalism (case in point, the Robert E. Lee statue right), foul language, and harassment to threaten anyone who doesn’t agree with their cause. They trample others first amendment rights when they don’t mirror their own, as has been seen at the republican presidential  rallies.

If anyone truly wants to improve race relations in this country, it won’t be Black Lives Matter.  They only incites racism, and continually show contempt for those police officers that make it their job to protect the citizens. Anyone who joins a group of people who march down a street chanting, “Pigs in a blanket, fry em like bacon,” when referencing our police officers has nothing in the way of fostering better race relations on their agenda.

At some point, as adults, we need to accept what was our past and not remain entrenched in battles that were fought, and won. I personally am weary of constantly hearing about racism. Martin Luther King expressed it best during his ‘I Have a Dream” speech when he stated,

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

In the long run showing respect to one another and raising our children to do the same will go a lot farther than pulling down any statues. And those who are bothered by certain historical monuments would do well to be reminded of the struggles we have been through as a nation and draw pride from the fact we live in the country with the most freedom in the world.

Unpacking the On Air Murders and ‘Targeted Violence’

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The horrific murders of Virginia’s WDBJ journalists, Alison Parker and Adam Ward, at the hands of Vester Flanagan II is an example of what the Secret Service refers to as an incident of “targeted violence.” Secret Service researchers define targeted violence as “any incident of violence where a known or knowable attacker selects a particular target prior to their violent attack.”

The Secret Service, tasked with protecting the President of the United States and foreign heads of state, has over a century of experience in dealing with targeted political violence and has engaged in exhaustive research into the behavioral patterns of people who engage in this type of violence.

Their Exceptional Case Study Project was a pioneering research piece, which documented the reported thoughts and behaviors of over 80 individuals who either attacked, or planned to attack a public figure. The results of this study, combined with the Secret Service’s work on targeted school violence in their Safe School Initiative Report can provide some helpful information for public figures in the media, school principals, security professionals, law enforcement and intelligence operators.

Here are some of the highlights of their targeted violence research:

  •  “Handguns were the most common weapons used during a Principal Incident but a number of subjects reported using knives when they were unable to procure handguns.”
  • “While more than 60% of the subjects had had contact with a mental health professional at some point in their lives before the Principal Incident, fewer than one-fourth had such contact in the year before their attack or near lethal approach.”
  • “Most subjects had used weapons but few had formal training.”
  • “One-fifth of the subjects had been arrested for a violent crime.”
  • “Motives included wishes for notoriety, revenge, idiosyncratic thinking about the target, hopes to be killed, interest to bring about political change, and desires for money.”

Here are some of the highlights of their school violence research:

  • “Incidents of targeted violence at school rarely were sudden, impulsive acts.”
  • “Prior to most incidents, other people knew about the attacker’s idea and/or plan to attack.”
  • “There is no accurate or useful ‘profile’ of students who engaged in targeted school violence.”
  • “Most attackers engaged in some behavior prior to the incident that caused others concern or indicated a need for help.”
  • “Most attackers had difficulty coping with significant losses or personal failures. Moreover many had considered or attempted suicide.”

There are no easy answers here and, thankfully, violent incidents such as this are still rare, but this information can assist in attuning the senses of those in leadership positions to the warning signs that may otherwise be missed.

In my experience as a Secret Service agent interviewing potential assassins and attackers I feel that this is the most important takeaway from this research:

“In two-thirds of the incidents, the subject had a grievance. Usually grievances concerned the target (of the attack).” And, “Many subjects had taken action in response to a grievance, such as writing a letter or visiting an office.”

There are no easy answers here and, thankfully, violent incidents such as this are still rare, but this information can assist in attuning the senses of those in leadership positions to the warning signs that may otherwise be missed.

EDITORS NOTE: This column originally appeared in the Conservative Review. The featured image of CBS anchors grieving is of WDBJ-TV7 news morning anchor Kimberly McBroom, center, gets a hug from visiting anchor Steve Grant, left, as meteorologist Leo Hirsbrunner reflects after their early morning newscast at the station, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2015, in Roanoke, Va. Reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward were killed during a live broadcast Wednesday, while on assignment in Moneta. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)

Poll: Clinton Leads Trump; Ties With Bush, Rubio, Walker in Virginia

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ROANOKE, Va. /PRNewswire/ — Among Virginians, likely Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump (45%-32%), but is in a virtual tie with Jeb Bush (42%-41%), Marco Rubio(41%-40%), and Scott Walker (42%-38%), according to The Roanoke College Poll.

Despite the attention given to the Planned Parenthood videos, opinion regarding abortion is unchanged sinceJuly 2013. Virginians polled are more likely to see the Confederate battle flag as a symbol of Southern pride (42%) rather than as a racist symbol (31%).

The Roanoke College Poll interviewed 608 residents in Virginia between August 10 and August 20 and has a margin of error of +4 percent.

“Clinton’s lead over potential Republican opponents appears to have shrunk, although the comparisons are not perfect,” said Harry Wilson, director of the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research. “Of course, it is still very early, but no one likes to lose momentum. While she appears to be replicating the Obama winning coalition among blacks and women, she is not creating an age gap.”

“Despite the media attention to the Planned Parenthood videos, overall opinion regarding abortion is unchanged. Opinion regarding abortion is generally thought to change slowly, if at all, and that certainly seems true in this case. We may have reached a tipping point on symbols, especially when it comes to removing statues dedicated to Civil War veterans. The racial and regional differences regarding the flag are what we would expect to see. Perhaps most interesting is that those who had ancestors who fought for North were more sympathetic to the battle flag and its symbolism than those who did not have any ancestor in the War.”

More information is available at http://www.roanoke.edu/about/news/rc_poll_politics_aug_2015.

Virginia: Immigration Turning Another Red State Blue

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There is an informative article at Breitbart, thanks to Julia (LOL! not the same Julia as the author of this article) for sending it, that pretty much confirms what I have been hearing anecdotally about Virginia.

Eric Cantor

Eric Cantor

I have no time this morning to go into it in any great detail, but here is how Breitbart writer, Julia Hahn begins:

The birthplace and final resting place of George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson—and once one of the most reliably-red of red states—is being rapidly turned into a progressive stronghold.

These changes are not the result of an inside agency, or a natural evolution in political thinking, but rather the result of one of the most impactful yet least-discussed policies of the federal government.

Each year the federal government prints millions of visas and distributes these admission tickets to the poorest and least-developed nations in the world.

[….]

A census study entitled “Immigrants in Virginia,” released by University of Virginia (UVA) researchers, documented the phenomenon: “Until 1970, only 1 in 100 Virginians was born outside of the United States; by 2012, 1 in every 9 Virginians is foreign-born.”

Republicans helping to make it happen!

While the influence of conservative voters in the Commonwealth continues to diminish, it is ironically Republican officials in Virginia who have led the push to resettle even larger numbers of immigrants inside the state.

Former House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, for instance, in the months before his titanic fall from power, engineered the effort to provide more labor to Virginia employers through foreign worker visas.

Former-executive director of the Virginia Republican Party, Shaun Kenney, described conservatives who wanted to trim the ongoing resettlement efforts as “nativists” who “have no home in the modern Republican Party,” thundering, “drive ‘em out.” Ironically, Kenney’s immigration policies are having that exact effect.

There is much more, continue reading here.

Take heart, ‘Pockets of resistance’ are forming in Virginia, more on that later.

RELATED ARTICLE: Exodus from Puerto Rico could upend Florida vote in 2016 presidential race

VIDEO: Planned Parenthood helps Sex Traffickers get Abortions for Child Sex Slaves

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The Right Scoop reports, “Live Action has gone into different Planned Parenthood facilities in Virginia, New York, and New Jersey and all of them were willing to aid sex traffickers in getting abortions for their child sex slaves, with one even telling them where to go to get a secret abortion for a minor under the age of 14. They also made sure the sex traffickers knew that their child sex slaves could get insurance, even if they weren’t citizens.”

Read more.