Lobby Day 2020, Virginia Capital Grounds

I do not think there is single soul in the known universe (certainly not in the industrialized, civilised, televised, westernized universe) who has not heard of governor Ralph Northam and his pitchfork-and-torch inciting rhetoric regarding Article I, Section 13 (some of you prefer the 2^ND Amendment, but Virginia had it first, so settle) and how Virginia's gun owners are a bunch of crazy, out-of-control, militia-forming, redneck simpletons who for some reason do not deserve the rights our founders secured for us.

This year a bevy of draconian and punitive legislation has been proposed by a majority (D) General Assembly.  Bills ranging from what are commonly known as "Red Flag" laws to one-handgun-a-month, universal background checks, "assault weapon" bans, magazine capacity limits, and more have passed out of the liberal-controlled Senate chamber.

The third Monday in January (formerly Lee-Jackson Day, now Martin Luther King, Jr. Day) in Virginia has been, for decades affectionately known as Lobby Day.  Because it is a federal holiday, many businesses are closed for the day, allowing the working class the opportunity to engage their legislators face-to-face to air grievances, offer support, or suggest other ways that they can better serve their constituents.

This year amid the growing concern of the passing of grossly unconstitutional, and invasive and intrusive legislation over 90% of the Commonwealth's municipal authorities have declared or resolved themselves as some form of "sanctuary" for the 2^ND Amendment, marking a defiance to the proposition that the state government can pass any legislation limiting the right of the people to keep and bear arms.  A largely impotent gesture when it comes to the law, but more a measure of the determination of the people of Virginia to resist the tyranny of Richmond.

And in response to these resolutions the governor and general assembly doubled-down on their assault on our rights.  They proudly (and factually suspect) declared that a majority of Virginians favored MORE gun control.  This is patently false and is supported only by surveys made largely by liberal voters.

So the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) supported by the Gun Owners of America (GOA) and Virginia Gun Owners Forum (VGOF) announced their intention to organize a rally on the Capital steps on Lobby Day, January 20, 2020.  VCDL has historically led the charge in Virginia in support of gun rights and legislation to protect gun owners and our rich heritage.  Since 2002 under the direction of president Philip Van Cleave supported by a myriad cast of executive members, and regional and local support, they have sent teams (or "groups") into the general assembly on Lobby Day to encourage elected officials to reject intrusive and restrictive legislation and to support empowering and liberty-centric bills.  Many municipalities saw upwards of 1,000 attendees at City Council and Board of Supervisor meetings.  Initial response was substantial, with 10s of thousands pledging to show up in support of the VCDL-led efforts.

And then governor Northam got wind of it.  And governor Northam got scared.  And governor Northam did what democrats do best: he panicked and he started grasping at straws.

First he issued an executive order banning firearms in the Capital buildings.  Then he amended the order to include the grounds.  Then he amended it further to make it a Class 1 misdemeanor to be found in possession of a firearm on the grounds.  Not to be outdone, the Rules Committee of the General Assembly, hastily-assembled and heavily democrat, announced that firearms would not be permitted in the Pocahontas Building which is serving as the temporary home to the legislative branch while the GA building continues to undergo much-needed renovation and modernization.  So for the first time in over a decade, without a single incident (save for one where a LEGISLATOR had a negligent discharge), firearms would arbitrarily be prohibited within the Assembly.  This rule was applied to the public as well as the legislators themselves.

Thousands of people pledged to join the rally.  In the weeks leading up to January 20 there were "reports" of Antifa (the Anti-fascist movement) making threats to infiltrate and disrupt the rally.  The FBI suddenly had "reliable information" which led the arrest of three men, one from Maryland, one from Delaware and one illegally in-country from Canada who they claimed were members of a white-nationalist group know as "The Base" - a group of which there was absolutely zero verifiable information of having existed prior to the FBI "learning" of their plan to bomb/disrupt/infiltrate the rally.  One Senator (Amanda Chase) went on record claiming that these arrests posed a clear and present danger to the event and that people should, get this "Stay home".

I reached out to some friends and we made a plan to attend.  We had no idea what we were in for, but could not in good conscience sit on the sidelines while our rights were under such an attack.  Originally I had as many as five (myself plus four) but scheduling conflicts and uncertainty about logistics and travel times caused a few to reconsider.  In the end it was myself plus 2.  Our plan was to try and arrive in Richmond around 7, so I had one friend who was traveling in from Chesapeake meet me at the VDOT Park-n-Ride at Indian River Road at 4:45 and then we headed to pick up our RIO in Bayview before proceeding towards Richmond.

Traffic was largely inconsequential at that time of the morning and even making a couple of stops for provisions along the way, we made it into town shortly after 6:30.  Our original parking situation had been investigated by a group who came in ahead of us and was deemed unsatisfactory, so we made for an alternate location which ended up being on-street near the intersection of Semmes Ave and Commerce Rd.  We hiked across the Porterfield Bridge to Brown's Island Park and followed 9^TH up to the Capital.  By the time we arrived (about 7:15) there were already thousands of people lined up to get into the Capital grounds (one gate in, three gates out) and many more thousands along 9^TH,10^TH, 12^TH and Bank Streets.  We wandered about briefly before I announced I wanted to try to talk to a couple of delegates, so we headed for the entrance to the Pocahontas Building, which fronts on E. Main St.  There was a line stretching for nearly 3 solid blocks and the building was at capacity.  Security were only letting people in when someone left.  This was at 7:30.

So we wandered a bit more.  We read signs ranging from "More Patriots than you have Handcuffs" and "My Rights are not Up for Debate" to "Northam Must Go" and "I Guess Racism is OK if a Democrat Does It" in reference to the revealing college photo outing governor Northam as a blackface-wearing (or Klan-hooded, depending on who you ask) hooligan.  Never mind that he supports abortion up to the moment of delivery - otherwise known as infanticide.

There were people from all walks.  There were women.  There were blacks.  There were Asians. 
There were Hispanics.  There were queers.  There were people in business casual.  There were younger folks in jeans and hoodies.  There were "operators" in full kit carrying everything from AR15s with custom cerakote finishes to Chinese SKS and even a few Mosins.  One guy who came all the way from New York was carrying what appeared to be a Barrett 82A1.  Not the most practical "rifle" for close quarters in an urban canyon, but to each his own.  The majority I think carried handguns.

There was out-of-state support as well. Signs from New York, Michigan, Ohio - I opined rather loudly that if those states had supported us in 1861 we wouldn't be in this mess today.  I don't think they got it.

The streets and grounds were crawling with Law Enforcement.  Capital Police had been reinforced with Richmond City and Virginia State Police.  For the most part they were consummate professionals.  Many of them were even cordial.  None of them were standoffish.  I'd say at worst they were on low alert.  There were a few spotters (some have said snipers, but I never saw anything other than binoculars in their hands, no scopes) on strategic rooftops, as well as the Capital.  Occasionally one of them would appear to alert but they would quickly lose interest.  There was really very little for them to do otherwise.

Inevitably someone in the crowd would start chanting "We will not comply" or "U.S.A." or some other engineered slogan to which others within earshot would join in.  A couple of times there was a reciting of the pledge or a singing of the National Anthem which kind of turned my stomach, since I see the united state as a virus, a parasitic organism draining the life from its host, the people.  But I kept my cool (mostly) trying instead to reflect on the magnitude of what was taking place.  The VSP reported that there were "about 22,000" in attendance, but I am convinced it was probably closer to 30,000, maybe a little higher.  Some have suggested 50,000 or more, but I don't see anything to support that.

Around 11 AM I was standing on Bank St in front of the Court of Appeals building when I heard a familiar voice over a loudspeaker up on the hill - Philip Van Cleave.  I couldn't make out what he was saying, so I tuned my Baofeng UV-5R to FM 96.1 (WRVA, Richmond) in the hopes that they would make good on their promise to simulcast the rally over the air.  No such luck.  After listening to about 5-6 minutes of an interview already underway I was convinced I would not be able to hear any of the speakers.  The PA they had procured was woefully inadequate.  Not long after the rally officially began I heard a voice behind me call out "Man down!"  I turned and there was an elderly fellow on his back and a couple of younger guys kneeling to investigate.  One of them called to a VSP officer on the Capital lawn and in less than a minute there was a Medic on top of the man rendering aid.  A few State Police formed a short perimeter around the man on the ground, though this was largely ceremonial since most of the onlookers seemed to have enough wherewithal to give the medical professional room to do his job.

I had some concern throughout the day that some yokel was going to finger his AR or paint the crowd, but it never happened.  Even the guys carrying single-point and low ready seemed to at least be students of Col. Jeff Cooper.  I never saw one instance of inappropriate trigger address.

The City had removed all trash bins from Bank St, as well as 9^TH, 10^TH, and 12^TH Streets between Main and Bank.  I was worried that there would not be enough facilities to dispose of litter, but some resourceful attendees had brought trash bags and scrapers, and left the place as clean as they found it.  It is a testimony to the character of the culture in general that there was no trace left.

To my knowledge there were two (2) sets of johnny huts.  One on Main St between 10^TH and 11^TH and the other on Franklin west of 9^TH. It didn't appear as though they were abused or vandalized, and the lines to use them were about as orderly as could be expected.  Several streets were cordoned off with heavy machinery (dump trucks, backhoes) and large round concrete pedestals which resembled pieces from maybe a giant Pachisi set, with grooves at the bottom where they could be forklifted.

Around 11:45 we had pretty much determined that we weren't hearing any of the speakers on the hill and the sun had dipped behind the VRS Administration Building (temperature topped out at around 38°) and we figured we had seen what we came to see and done what we came to do.  We strolled down Byrd towards the Mayo Bridge and followed the catwalk under the railroad trestle back west towards Brown's Island.

Getting out of Richmond was only slightly stickier than getting in, as some of the road closures worked against us trying to get back to I-64 without paying a toll.  We finally found a route that didn't snarl us up in town for more than a few blocks, made our way onto the interstate around 14^TH and Broad, and headed home.

Round about 2 PM I received a phone call from a member of the House who asked me if I was still in Richmond, and would I like to come up and see him.  About that time I was on I-64 in Hampton passing the Coliseum and Bass Pro Shops!  He asked how I thought it went, and told me that he was still working for US.  He told me that since I wasn't available that I could always - and he welcomed me to - email or text him if I had any suggestions or wanted to talk.  Of course he expects to be rather busy the next few weeks, and he was about to head into a committee meeting, but the gesture was greatly appreciated and humbling.

Overall the day went smoothly and without incident, I think much to the chagrin of governor Northam who issued a statement saying that the presence of law enforcement "de-escalated" a potential situation except, to anyone who was there, the only situation was the one Northam created and we refused to be baited by.  What I think it says the most is just how little Northam and his acolytes know the people of Virginia.  We are patient.  We are loyal.  We are good, hard-working, honest people.  They predicted riots and violence, because those are the tools THEY use to get their way.  But don't poke the bear too long, governor.  There were enough operators in the crowd to wipe the floor with your law enforcement brigade.  If even 1/3 or 1/4 of the people in attendance appeared at the Capital gate with the designs to oust you physically, there wouldn't be nearly men enough to stop them.

Your actions over the next few months will determine your fate.  Be very careful how you tread, because my ancestors did far worse to better men than you for far less.  Just because we're patient doesn't mean we're stupid, and just because we're honorable doesn't mean we're harmless.  Your days are numbered, Northam.  How you count them is up to you.

Star Wars, Episode VII - The Force Awakens -VS- Rogue One, A Star Wars Story

Let me preface this post by saying that I am a Star Wars purist.  I detest the heavy-handed editing George Lucas applied to the "specialized" and "remastered" editions of the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V & VI).  Special effects are no longer special if they appear in every frame and, of course, Han shot first.  No true fan will ever believe otherwise.  It is what defines him as a scoundrel and creates a character who is destined for reconciliation.

I have recently had the [ahem] "privilege" of finally watching both of the new[er] Star Wars films, Episode VII (The Force Awakens) and "Rogue One, a Star Wars Story".  Canonically-speaking, Rogue one is a fine film.  It takes a few liberties being removed from both the original trilogy and, arguably, some of the most horrid films ever released, the prequels.  Those liberties, however, are not significant departures from the story we all know and love, and each piece seems to feed us to the very beginning sequence of "Episode IV - A New Hope".  We experience characters entrenched in desperation as the Imperial threat looms and expands, and we are introduced to the first key players in the original saga's opening.

Episode VII, however, is a complete and utter s**tfest.  Aside from the handful of known and established elements (Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker) the film makes no effort to develop any of the other characters, even the main villain who (spoiler alert) turns out to be the son of Han and Leia, is a powerful Jedi, and has become evil for some reason.

I spent a full two hours in sheer WTF mode.  Nothing makes sense.  Somehow in the span of 30 years Han and Leia have had a kid who became an evil jedi, the former Empire has been reinvented under the "First Order" and some malevolent being known only as the "Supreme Leader", constructed a planet-sized weapon which just happens to have the controls for its deflector shields located in a broom closet instead of in the same room with all of the other important computer things, and Luke Skywalker has disappeared.

Some kid from (surprise!) another desert planet has the force flowing through her.  A former stormtrooper has a conscience and also knows how to not only use a light saber, but wields it effectively the very first time he holds it in battle, despite having never seen one, nor even knowing what it is.  Somehow Luke's ORIGINAL light saber (the one he got from Kenobi in IV and lost when his hand was cut off over Bespin) has found its way to the lair of a 1000 y.o. barkeep on the other side of the galaxy.

It is pure JJ Abrams dreck.  The dialogue is clunky and forced.  There are explosions in pretty much every scene. Remember, this is the same guy who made Bumblebee a Camaro.  He has no respect for canon.  Episode VII watches like a fan fiction written by someone who learned about Star Wars by watching The Ewoks on Saturday morning cartoons.

I want to follow the story, but there are more plot holes than in a block of swiss cheese.  Episode VIII is already out and I just cannot fathom where this rambling, incoherent storyline is going to take us next.  One thing is for sure, there will be lots of explosions and lots of unexplainable subtext.  Thank God for FireTV.

Sons of Liberty

I have been watching "Sons of Liberty" on the "history" channel the past two days (finale is tonight) and the more I watch, the more I inspect and reflect on the grievances, hardships, and general indecent treatment of colonists by agents of the crown, the more I draw parallels to today's U.S. government with all of its taxes and levies and fines and appropriated executive authority.

If our ancestors - well, MY ANCESTORS - were here today, witnessing the ever-increasing scope of government influence and interference both at home and abroad, to the point where small business, any business not intimately connected with/to a favorable public official, office, or agency, was paying up to half of its revenue in taxes alone (we have one of the highest corporate tax rates in the industrialized world), they would be meeting right now in Philadelphia preparing a document which would, for the sake of all free men, submit and surrender their personal fortunes and freedoms to dissolve or abjure their status as "citizens of the crown".

Read the Declaration of Independence.  Dissect the accompanying list of grievances and tell me there are not similarities - or worse - among the burdens of the common man under the yoke of today's "progressive" oppression.

This country has survived long beyond the limits of any reasonable expectation nearly solely on the merit of the dogged determination of insiders, charlatans, petty tyrants, and the might of the world's most well-equipped and funded military power.  So, too, was it in 1776 with England.  The most powerful navy ever assembled.  The most well-trained and equipped army of the Napoleonic era.  One of the furthest-reaching and omnipresent empires in the history of the world.

Defeated by a bunch of rabble-rousers with hand-me-down muskets, a few brilliant minds and, ultimately, the support of the French Armada.

The British Empire was, at the time, one of the most "free" empires in all of history.  As a constitutional monarchy there were rules and laws and certain rights which were enjoyed by all - so long as the crown was held sacrosanct and paid due tribute.  Taxes on goods were not nearly what we pay on them today, and yet those taxes were enough to incite riots, boycotts, bloodshed.  A free people should not be paying tribute to any king, elected or otherwise.  There is no middle ground - taxes are slavery. To pay a tax on property already owned, over and over again (real estate, personal property, etc) is fiendish and immoral.  To support such a scheme, lest it be strictly due to compulsion, is also immoral.

Yes, I said it.  If you agree that paying taxes is your "civil duty" then you are a reprobate.  "Render unto Caesar", if you will, is the only reason to defer to the will of the state over the will of God.  We are captive by the laws of man, but only so long as we are willing to suffer them.  The state knows that I am no good to my family dead or in jail.  I also know this.  So I oblige their theft of my personal wealth as a consequence of loving and living in my home Virginia.

But, as per H.L. Mencken, every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.  My boiling point has long-since passed, yet my instinct for self-preservation has prohibited me from doing anything brash or foolish.  It took several YEARS before the colonials could be convinced to enough men that the reign of King George should end, at least on this continent.  They did not want to unseat him, merely to be free of him and his ilk.

And that is my only desire for Virginia.  I wish to be free of Washington D.C.  I wish to be availed of the despotism which demands apportionment of MY EARNINGS to wage war on my neighbors for smoking a plant or against foreign nationals half a world away whose only "crime" is defending themselves from american "exceptionalism" (read: colonial conquest).

I make no secret of my feelings for the elected officials, their pettiness, their insincerity.  The U.S. military is but a tool of foreign policy, and the increasingly-militarized municipal police departments are but the same tool deployed at home.  Whenever you decide that you have had enough - seek me out.  Bring 500,000 of your closest friends and let's change the world.

The Great American Experiment

For anyone who is familiar with or proficient in the process commonly known as the "scientific method" it should be painfully obvious that "America", as an experiment, like the centuries'-long quest to discover the "northwest passage", has proven that the American experiment cannot succeed and has, in fact, made things worse for all involved.

The scientific method requires several steps/iterations to establish proof of a theory, idea, or concept.  The American experiment has not followed the scientific method appropriately, as data has been changed to fit a desired result, rather than the result being allowed to stand on its own.  Let us examine the scientific method and compare the component parts of the American experiment against it.

1. Ask a Question:  "Can America survive as a Constitutional republic?"
   
   Arguably America is one of the youngest "nations" (I use the term loosely in this context) in the world.  For a mere 238 years we have existed out of the foundry of nations wrought through a war for independence from the mother country.
   
   
2. Do Background Research.
   
   I have no doubt that the founders reviewed many civilisations and systems of government before putting pen to paper and wresting sovereignty from the individual and vesting it in the state, for they did not desire to strip ALL power from the citizen, only place that which was necessary to preserve and protect the interests of the community at large.
   
3. Construct a Hypothesis.
   
   What might the hypothesis have been?  Let us build a system of government which is defined by limited centralised power to be tempered by the individual states and, at the last, by the citizen members their very selves.  How long might we expect such a system to survive, on its own and without substantial manipulation by external political forces?
   
4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment.
   
   Here's your experiment.  America.  13 member colonies voluntarily agreeing to watch out for each other and engage in fair trade between themselves and foreign interests alike.  Sounds like a great deal.  A common monetary system, minimal taxes to maintain only the bare bones of a colonial/continental defense.  Laws which generally favor the individual over the state.  And so forth and so on.
   
5. Analyze Your Data.
   
   Here's where things get tricky.  The books have been cooked.  The data has been skewed.  Wars and rumors of wars.  Things done in the name of the "public good" have been indemnified against reproach and the ideals of the men who originally wrote down the words have been scrubbed in favor of an agenda which seeks only itself.
   
6. Draw a Conclusion.
   
   Well, what conclusion should we draw?  The republic has survived a mere 238 years and survived (though not for lack of trying) a major schism, two world wars, and countless other military entanglements that would never have been if we had just minded our own business.  And why?  Because our leaders have changed the rules to suit them as we've gone along.  And as the central authority has commandeered more power and disenfranchised more of the citizenry, we pull further and further from the intended result - an experiment.
   
7. Communicate Your Result.
   
   The result?  The result is an increasingly overbearing, tyrannical, interfering government who, rather than allowing the experiment to run its course naturally, has conspired to inculcate fealty through force of law.  When the laws of men no longer leave men with the authority to make their own moral, economic, and political decisions, then the laws of men have ceased to function in the interest of the citizen and function only in the interest of the state.

This is EXACTLY why our founders railed against the crown in 1776 and Southern patriots objected to in 1861.  In this author's opinion they were both right, for those reasons and many others too numerous to address here.

Leading up to 1776, King George's governors were taxing colonial interests at exorbitant rates and spending that tax money not on improving infrastructure/commerce in the colonies, but passing it on to the King's coffers back in England.  Leading up to 1861 the federal government was taxing Southern planters at exorbitant rates and spending that tax money not on improving infrastructure in the South, but passing it on to their northern industrial friends.


Presently in America the federal government collects well over 50% of an individual's income through various tax schemes - real estate, personal property, sales, payroll, social security, medicare, etc - and spends it not on improving the lives of the people from whom it is harvested, but instead spends it waging endless wars, supported millions of individuals who, for one reason or another, cannot or WILL NOT support themselves, and sending it to foreign countries who have evinced nothing but hatred and resentment towards us for generations.


This has got to stop.  The experiment has failed.  Ask a new question: "Can WE survive as a Constitutional republic?"

My research is done for me every day and my hypothesis is a resounding "No."  No, we cannot survive.  I am mentally and spiritually prepared for a new experiment.  Are you?

Return the Flags, Sir

On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, the president of Washington & Lee University capitulated to a band of anti-white, anti-Southern professional race-baiters who branded themselves "The Committee" and decided to have the symbols of our Southern heritage removed from the hallowed ground on which General Robert E. Lee has been interred.  The flags of our ancestors have festooned his final resting place for generations uncontested - until recently when a group of BLACK pre-law students decided that his memory, his honour and heritage, is offensive to them.

I wrote Mr. Kenneth Ruscio a letter explaining my opinion on the matter and how his decision to accommodate ONLY the oblivious and deceptive opinions of a few rabble-rousers was unconscionable and only served to tarnish the legacy of the late General, as well as that of our first President, General George Washington.

Below please find the full text of my letter, followed by the school's "reply" which amounts to nothing short of an insult by its brevity and lack of meaningful substance.  To wit:

Mr. Ruscio:

I am sure you have been beset by any number of individuals and groups regarding this "controversial" issue.  I, like many of my fellow Virginians are disappointed, ashamed, even outraged by your capitulation to a group of negro pre-law students calling themselves "The Committee" who presented that the presence of the flags of my ancestors amounted to an insult.  As is often the case with issues of this nature, only the side of the disenfranchised has been rationally explored.

I can tell you with some clarity and conviction that few, if any of the more than two dozen of my Virginia ancestors, tracing back to 1720 and earlier, owned any slaves, yet they fought with honour for the Commonwealth against the federal invasion.  Many of them lost their lives or livelihoods defending the state which I call home.

Perhaps that doesn't mean anything to you.  I do not know where you are from, but men much wiser than you or myself consider both General Washington (with whom my ancestors also fought) and General Lee are and always have been held in the highest regard as honest and honourable men.  Washington owned slaves.  Lee did not.  It is imperative if we are to survive as a people that men such as yourself resist the socio-political correctness of these always complaining people.  You have given them now their inch and I expect you will see them have a go at the mile in due time.

To remove the flags of our fathers from the FINAL RESTING PLACE of the revered commander of our armies is a disgrace to his memory and that of hundreds of thousands who promised everything they had to prevent this country from falling to the regime of Lincoln.  Make no mistake, sir.  I do not believe we are better off as a union, but that is a discussion for another time and venue.  This discussion is about my heritage, my legacy, and the heritage and legacy of thousands of others just like me all over Virginia and the South.  We believe in what these symbols stood for, and slavery is nowhere on that list.  So a bunch of self-righteous, professional victims believe the flags of the South represent slavery.  So what?  Slavery existed for hundreds of years prior to that on this continent and it still exists in one form or another on the continent many of the complainers claim as their "homeland".

I would certainly suggest that if they suggest their lives would be enriched by a country whose own heritage is erased and replaced with theirs, they should travel to Zimbabwe or Niger or Chad and report back to us on how "bad" things are here in Virginia.

What you have done, Mr. Ruscio, is thumbed your nose at every patriot who fought under those flags.  You have extended not an olive branch, but your middle finger to the wives who wept and the sons who died for them.  Slavery?  Do you honestly think the average infantry or cavalryman riding with Lee and Jackson owned slaves?  They did not.  That is documented in numerous census both before and after the war.

I suggest that the flags be returned to their place of honour and you instead instruct those misinformed youth of the folly of their ways.  Perhaps they could choose another, more suitable venue to continue their educations?  I would recommend Norfolk State or Hampton University, where their racially-motivated hatred towards Southerners and Southern symbols would be more appropriately welcomed.

Furthermore, the Lee Chapel is a burial ground.  What right do you - does ANYONE - have to remove items from it?  Numerous acts of Congress passed between 1900 and 1958 establish equal rights and recognition of service, as well as ordain that it be unlawful to disturb or vandalize a gravesite.  I would argue that this falls into that category and by removing these flags against the wishes of the family and COMPATRIOTS of Mr. Lee, you have disturbed and vandalized his final rest.

Return the flags, sir.  Do the right thing.

Kindest regards,
Xxxxxx X. Xxx
Virginia Beach, VA

Their response?

Mr. Xxx,
Thank you for your email and interest in Washington and Lee.

I want to make sure you have had the opportunity to read the history of the flags in Lee Chapel located at:

http://www.wlu.edu/lee-chapel-and-museum/about-the-chapel/history-of-lee-chapel-flags

Take care,

Elizabeth Knapp
Senior Assistant to the President
Director of the Johnson Program
Professor of Geology
Washington and Lee University

I highly recommend that ANYONE who cares even a little about their heritage or who has ANY hope for a chance at a future for our people to stand up to these petty instigators.  They have been given their token inch and I suspect they will use it to go next for a mile.