PROTESTERS DEMEANING WAR VETERANS ON CONFEDERATE MEMORIAL DAY
Press Release - May 23, 2017
For Immediate Release Media Contact: David McCallister 813-778-1202 Email: floridasshe@gmail.com
Gainesville – The Alachua County Commission is expected to take up a decision today the future of the embattled War Memorial to the “Confederate Dead” that sits on the site of the historic “Battle of Gainesville”.
The County, in the past, sought to shamefully remove it from public view and ‘put it in a museum’, but the Matheson Museum refused to take it.
"The awareness brought by the ISIS-Like purge of historical veteran’s memorials in New Orleans has shocked and outraged Floridians, and they don’t what this happening in their town. Officials that side with “eraseists” like New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and disrespect memorials to Florida's historic veterans are out of touch with America, out of step with their voters, and may soon be out of office" said McCallister.
A voter opinion poll conducted earlier this year before the New Orleans outrage year showed that 91.35% of Alachua Co. voters opposed removing memorials and monuments to veterans of any and all wars – even if they were Confederate.
This came on the heels of both of the County’s advisory Boards (Veterans and Historical) recommending the Commission not move the memorial.
“The Voters don’t want it moved, the veterans don’t want it moved and the Historical Community doesn’t want it moved. If the Commission decides to move it – they are going against the will of the people” said McCallister.
“In other area polls like Orlando and Jacksonville, the level of public support for honoring War memorials constitutes a 'landslide' said McCallister. This level of support far exceeds the 60% plus one vote required to pass a Constitutional Amendment in Florida, and so can only be viewed by Alachua County officials, indeed, all of Florida's elected officials, as a 'mandate' that Floridians want War Memorials protected" he added.
Multiple national public opinion polls over decades continue to show that most Americans do not view symbols of the Confederate States of America, like the flag, as symbols of hate - but just history.
“On Confederate Memorial Day, the day Florida honors the memory of those that died in the War, protestors, defied County ordinances with a protest at the Memorial, with shameful, disrespectful signs. Veterans everywhere were outraged. The lawless, disrespectful eraseists are clearly in the minority – and they should not be pandered to” added McCallister.
“We are asking the Commission put this to a referendum – once and for all. Let the people decide” concluded McCallister.
SAVE SOUTHERN HERITAGE Inc. is a 501 c(4) public welfare corporation that educates & advocates on behalf of Southern Heritage & History. It was started in 2015 in response to the knee-jerk Anti-Southern institutionalized bullying and “Eracism” levied against the people of South Carolina by Governor Nikki Haley, after she broke all previous agreements about how South Carolina’s historical veterans and their symbols should be treated and respected. The Florida branch was activated in mid-January 2016, in response to three initiatives in the Florida Legislature that are part of a hate campaign led by Anti-American extremists, who refuse to respect the various cultures that make up the fabric of Florida’s society. Since that time, it has grown in membership and has been active in Heritage battles throughout Florida including the “We’ll Remember in November Campaign” that resulted in #heritagehater candidates to loose elections in Florida. More info: www.sshfl.org.
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