re: #133 Decatur Deb

True, but it is very difficult to maintain the honesty. The SCV seems to have had an innocent history-buff origin, but was at least partly co-opted.

Per Wikipedia:

In 1889, the United Confederate Veterans (UCV) were formed in New Orleans in part as an outgrowth of the campaign to preserve what would become Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. The UCV was formed along the order of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) which was established in 1866 for Union Veterans. The Sons of Confederate Veterans is the direct heir of the United Confederate Veterans.[3] The SCV was organized at Richmond, Virginia, in June 1896.[3]

Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have tendered letters of commendation to the SCV and affiliates,[4][5] as have other members of the United States Congress.

On May 25, 2009, President Barack Obama garnered praise from SCV Commander Chuck McMichael, who stated, “He upheld the tradition of the office to which he was elected. I do intend to send him a thank you letter. This is the kind of thing that transcends politics.” This statement was in response to Obama’s decision to continue the long standing tradition of the U.S. President sending a wreath to the Confederate Monument at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day.[6]
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It does get confusing.
I have no ancestral ties to the Confederate South as my “folks” arrived just after the end of the Civil War.

But I love living where I live, I would not want to live anywhere else. We have a very rich history and culture here in Louisiana, partly because we weren’t “American” until 1803. In fact, prior to the Louisiana Purchase (and I suspect following it for awhile), the “British” or “Americans” were looked down upon by much of Louisiana society as being boorish heathens.

I’m reading a book right now by Laura Locoul Gore, the last descendent of a Creole family who owned a plantation near New Orleans, now known as Laura Plantation. In it she talks of her great-grandmother’s childhood reminiscences, and one is this:

“Oh, how terrible it was at a dance one night when a tall, gauchy American asked me to dance and mashed my toe. To this day my toe still hurts me.”

The reference to the “gauchy American” was not meant to be in any way complimentary, for none but a gallant Frenchman was to be considered a gentleman.