Saturday, December 19, 2020

An Open Letter to My Senators Opposing Non-Vet Political Stooge Denis McDonough as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs

 An Open Letter to my Virginia Senators
Senator Tim Kaine
231 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
 
Senator Mark Warner
703 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
 
Sir;
 
I am writing you to request that you ask President-Elect Biden to reconsider his selection of Denis McDonough as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and if he does not withdraw it, vote against his confirmation when it come up for a vote in the Senate.
 
Generally, I have no major objections with most of President-elect Biden’s cabinet picks as they are moderately acceptable although several are of dubious qualifications. For instance Representative Deb Haaland (D-NM) as Interior Secretary has little executive experience and can’t be very bright as she graduated from law school but couldn’t even pass the NM Bar exam.  Alejandro Mayorkas might have a challenge being confirmed at DHS because of his grossly unethical behavior last time he was in DHS as documented by a scathing IG report on him. Pete Buttigieg’s qualifications for Transportation Secretary are he was once the mayor of a small Indiana town with a population smaller than the University of Michigan Football Stadium on game day and he has traveled on a train and an airplane .. oh ya, he proposed to his husband at an airport.  The most qualified Biden Cabinet picks so far are Retired General Lloyd Austin at Defense, Janet Yellen at Treasury and Merrick Garland at Justice – All highly qualified and a Great selections.
 
The only one of Biden's Cabinet picks so far I am vehemently opposed to is McDonough for Veterans Affairs.  Non-Vet McDonough for VA is totally unacceptable to most Veterans and Veterans’ Groups because he never served and he has ZERO qualifications. Of the 18 former VA Secretaries and acting secretaries, 14 VA Administrators and two Directors of the Veterans Bureau going back 100 years, McDonough will be only the second person to run government Veterans affairs since 1920 that is NOT a Veteran. The only other one was Dr. David Shulkin who lasted about a year and was Obama’s Under VA Secretary that Trump bumped up to the top job and we all know how that one went. He got fired in short order for ethics violations.

There is a reason why we Veterans overwhelmingly want a fellow Vet leading our VA, because they know what we have gone through so there could NOT possibly be a worse selection then McDonough. With all the highly qualified Democratic Veterans in politics, why is President-elect Biden slapping us Veterans in the face by nominating this non-Vet political stooge to run Veterans Affairs? VA is a tough assignment to begin with but Vets will cut a fellow Veteran some slack.  Like with Shulkin, we will not cut McDonough any slack so I predict he will not last a year.  I would add that Shulkin was even an Army Brat that grew up on Military Posts all over the World and he didn't even understand us.

The ideal candidate would have been former Army Surgeon General LTG (Ret) Nadja West. Not only has she run hospitals, she commanded an entire Major Military Medical Command.  A proven Medical professional with vast management experience.

So exactly what are McDonough's qualifications:
1. NEVER wore the uniform so probably couldn't pick the Soldier out in a line up with bellhops
2. NO Medical experience
3. NEVER run an organization bigger than his bowling team

In his Senate confirmation hearing McDonough had the chutzpah to testify: “I got a taste of the veteran’s life on trips to Iraq and Afghanistan while I served in the Obama White House.” As if accompanying the President on a PhotoOp to a combat zone and spending a couple of hours on the tarmac at Bagram gave him a “taste” of what it’s like to be a Vet or be in combat. Next he’ll be claiming he was “under fire” when he accompanied Hillary Clinton on her historic trip to Bosnia.  

And this is the clown President-elect Biden is trying to saddle us Veterans with to run the VA. Many Veteran's organizations are in the process of organizing to protest the McDonough nomination and I will encourage ALL Veterans to contact their Senators to voice their opposition to this non-Vet political stooge being nominated as our Secretary of Veterans Affairs and urge their NO Vote when he comes up for confirmation.
 
v/r
 
COLONEL, US Army (Retired)
An extended Tour Vietnam Veteran with a CIB
Also served in Afghanistan for the Government as a Civilian

Saturday, August 22, 2020

UNDERSTANDING THE VIETNAM VET AND WHO REALLY FOUGHT THAT WAR

I do not speak for all Vietnam Vets but I believe I’m representative of a sizable segment of them so you might find something informative from my musings here. I was probably typical of the average White middle class draftee circa 1967.  I was in my sophomore year of college when I got my Draft notice so I quickly got in touch with my draft board to see if I could delay reporting until after final exams.  My Induction date was adjusted to early 1967.

I grew up all over the World as a Military Brat and my father (an 0-6) and brother (an 0-2) were on Active Military Duty at the time so trying to dodge the Draft never entered my mind. The Military was "The Family Business." Our family Military Home of Record was in Northeast Pennsylvania so I was inducted at the Scranton Wilkes-Barre MEPS (Joe Biden’s Hometown).

I along with 25 other Draftees from my Draft Board, many of them also in college, and a lot of Volunteers went through our pre-inductions physicals which was not very thorough. As someone actually drafted and Inducted I can attest to the fact that at the Scranton MEPS unless you had something disqualifying that a doctor could see with his own two eyes like missing an arm, you were going to pass your draft physical. I had a dislocated knee and my brother had Asthma. I spent 30 years in the Army while my brother managed a 26 year military career and we both retired as O-6’s.

I was inducted into the Army that evening and shipped off by train to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for processing and Basic Training.  At Reception Station we were all given a battery of test and about half of us from my Draft Board scored high enough to be offered the opportunity to attend Officers Candidate School after Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training (about 4 months). Six of us accepted.  I attended OCS as a US (draftee serial numbers started with US) which was a grueling 23 weeks of harassment and physical endurance testing all geared to weed out the weak and teach the rest of us how to survive as a Lieutenant in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. About 40% of my OCS Class survived the course and were commissioned.

I  went to Vietnam as a young Second Lieutenant in 1968 and extended in country to come home an older and wiser decorated Captain with a CIB.  I went on to remain in service retiring 30 years later as a Full Colonel so I know a little about the Vietnam War and who fought it.  The “real war” only lasted a little less than six years with about 90 percent of those killed between 1967 and 1970. The US troop strength reached its height in June 1969 at 546,400.

Vietnam was not the most deadly war the Nation has fought but to put it in perspective here is how it stacked up in our conflicts since World War II:

World War II: 407,316 Killed
Korean War - 36,574 Killed
Dominican Republic (1965) - 23 Killed
Vietnam War - 58,300 Killed (In May 1968 alone 2416 were killed in Vietnam)
Grenada Invasion - 19 Killed
Gulf War - 219 Killed
Iraq War - 4431 Killed
Afghanistan War - 2401 Killed

If you really want to understand the divide between those of us that fought the War in Vietnam and those that dodged the opportunity, read Robert Timberg’s book The Nightingale’s Song or at least listen to his C-SPAN Book Notes interview (https://www.c-span.org/video/?66211-1/nightingales-song).  You might not agree with everything but you’ll come away understanding how most of us still feel all these years later much better than anything you’ll learn from watching Ken Burns Vietnam PBS series.  I though Burns badly missed the mark but in an interview when he confessed he was a Conscientious Objector I realized why.

Probably the biggest myth associated with the Vietnam War was who it was that actually fought it. In the Sunday, 6 April 1986 Washington Post there was an excellent in depth examination of that question in an article entitled “The Myth of the Vietnam Vet" written by Jim Webb (later the Democrat Virginia Senator).The article stated: "The man who fought in Vietnam is typically depicted as a draftee, unwilling and probably black. In fact, 73 percent of those who died were volunteers and 12.5 percent were black (out of an age group that comprised 13.5 percent of the male population)."  It goes on to point out that “the average name on the Vietnam Memorial Wall was a kid from a middle class Zip Code.” Those numbers were consistent with statistics previously published in a Washington Post August 24,1983 article entitled “Inside: The Veterans Administration.” Because WaPo archives don't go that far back on a line, I have appended both article at the bottom of this Blog posting.

The article went on to say: “In the most comprehensive survey of Vietnam veterans ever done (1980 Harris Survey), 91 percent of those that served indicated they were ‘glad they served their country,’ 74 percent stated they ‘enjoyed their time in service,’ 80 percent disagreed with the statement ‘the United States took unfair advantage of me,’ and 72 percent agreed strongly with the statement ‘The trouble in Vietnam was that our troops were asked to fight in a war which our political leaders in Washington would not let us win.’ The media response to this survey was almost total silence.”

Many of the political “want‑to‑be's" of today may have a point when they say how they felt about the draft and military service in the 1960's doesn't have a bearing on their fitness to serve today but how they continue to orchestrate their cover ups of how they avoided service goes to the very heart of their present character.

Need I remind you that up until Tet of 1968, the overwhelming majority of Americans supported the war and only then did the mood begin to slowly shift. It is arguable that the anti‑war movement never really enjoyed the support of a majority of the country as evidenced by the fact that Richard Nixon won EVERY State except Massachusetts in the 1972 Presidential Election over a George McGovern who would have had us cut and run out of Vietnam before the finish of his inauguration speech!  Despite the efforts of revisionist historians and Hollywood producers to ascribe only the highest of moral ideals to draft resisters while assigning the most sinister of motives to those who served, the truth is that the vast majority of Draft Dodgers were just plain "chicken."

Active military service was an absolute certainty for any male born between 1940 and 1950 unless he was morally, mentally or medically unfit, or took some overt action to "dodge" the draft.  THAT IS A FACT.  Draft dodging does not necessarily mean “illegal” as the Webster’s Dictionary of the time defines it as simply “avoiding military service.”  Applying for student or occupational deferments, leaving the country, feigning homosexuality, or signing up for ROTC without any intentions of participating were all things people did, legally and illegally, to avoid performing their duty.  I don't care if your name is Trump, Clinton, Cheney, Biden, Romney, Schumer, Gingrich, Sanders, Bloomberg or most other Vietnam eligible politicians, don't insult my intelligence with a lame excuse. 

“It was the luck of the draw" (Clinton), “I had childhood asthma” (Biden), “I had debilitating heal spurs but I can’t remember which foot,” or "If called, I would have been happy to serve" (Cheney) are ALL a little disingenuous when each did everything short of maiming himself (which they didn't have the guts to do) to make sure he was unavailable to be called. It seems that Cowardice was a bipartisan malady that afflicted future politicians in much greater rate then the general population.

Clinton was exceptional devious. Rhodes Scholarships did NOT earn a deferment after 1967 when educational deferments were changed for graduate students. Those starting graduate studies in the fall of 1967 were given two semester deferments becoming eligible in June 1968. This is when Clinton received his induction orders that he lied to have cancelled.

Colonel Eugene Holmes, the Army officer University of Arkansas PMS who had been involved with Clinton's ROTC application, suspected that Clinton attempted to manipulate the situation to avoid the draft and avoid serving in uniform. He issued a notarized statement during the 1992 presidential campaign:

“I was informed by the draft board that it was of interest to Senator Fulbright's office that Bill Clinton, a Rhodes Scholar, should be admitted to the ROTC program ... I believe that he purposely deceived me, using the possibility of joining the ROTC as a ploy to work with the draft board to delay his induction and get a new draft classification.” As a result of his sworn affidavit to enroll in ROTC, Clinton’s induction was cancelled but instead of honoring his promise, he skipped off to England to join anti-Soldier protests.

Also, consider draft quotas were assigned by draft board.  When one man evaded, someone else, often less educated or advantaged and always less eligible, served in his place.  Additionally, because many of the more capable natural leaders avoided service, we often had to settle for the LT Cally's of the world for leadership.  Think of how many American lives could have been saved if leaders with Clinton, Trump or Biden’s potential had done their duty.  Isn't it ironic how correct Clinton was when he used to say that "it's the little guy who plays by the rules that always ends up taking it in the neck."

My point is, if the “Trumps and Bidens of our country” were all "unfit" to serve in their youth when their country needed them badly, what makes them any more fit to serve now?  At least they can begin on their way to redemption by being honest.  Instead of continually spinning yarns that "Ripley wouldn't believe" about why they didn’t serve, can't they just come clean and confess "I was scared, I didn't want to go, and I found a way to avoid it."  Then and only then can they begin to regain a little self-respect and the respect of the rest of us.



Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Time to Force Virginia Congressman Don Beyer, and Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine to Do the Right Thing and Recognize Arlington Virginia's Own Specialist Keith Campbell, Recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, by Naming a Post Office After Him!

Seeing Gold Star parent Khizr Khan speaking at the Democratic National Convention on 18 August 2020 reminded me of an issue I've been championing for years but has fallen on the deaf ears of Rep Don Beyer along with Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine. That is recognition for Specialist Keith Campbell, an Arlington resident that was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Nation’s second highest award for Valor next to the Medal of Honor.

Beyer, Warner and Kaine all sponsored a bill naming a post office after Khizr Khan's son, Captain Humayun Khan, a soldier who received NO awards for Valor and was a resident of Maryland when he was killed, while Beyer's own VA-8th constituent decorated posthumously with the Distinguished Service Cross has received NO recognition anywhere in the Congressman's district or even the State of Virginia. Specialist Keith Campbell was decorated for his heroic action in Vietnam as a Combat Medic. A suitable memorial would be to name the Arlington Post Office in Clarendon at 3118 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201 in his honor.

On several occasions I have asked Congressman Beyer (and Warner & Kaine) to take the time to honor this real hero who also happened to live in his district and actually graduated from Washington-Lee High School but have gotten nowhere. I guess having your father speak at Democratic National Conventions trumps actual heroism in Combat in the eyes of Beyer, Warner and Kaine.

I hope ALL Virginians will help me get the recognition SPC Campbell so richly deserves by contacting Beyer, Warner & Kaine demanding action at:

Rep Don Beyer - https://beyer.house.gov/contact/

Sen Warner - www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Sen Kaine - www.kaine.senate.gov/contact                                    

HEADQUARTERS
UNITED STATES ARMY, PACIFIC
APO San Francisco 96558

GENERAL ORDERS

AWARD OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS

1. TC 320. The Distinguished Service Cross is AWARDED posthumously to:

KEITH A. CAMPBELL, Specialist Four (E4), United States Army,
Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne),
503d Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate).

Awarded:  Distinguished Service Cross



Date Action: 8 February 1967


Theater:  Republic of Vietnam


Reason:  For extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam: Specialist Four Campbell distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 8 February 1967 while serving with elements of the 503d Infantry assaulting a Viet Cong bunker complex. During the initial engagement, the lead company had suffered numerous casualties, including the medical personnel. Specialist Campbell volunteered to assist in treating the wounded, and dauntlessly moved up to the front line. Exposing himself to the intense hostile fire, he began to administer aid to the wounded soldiers. Discovering that one casualty lay fifty meters in front of the friendly lines and next to an insurgent bunker, Specialist Campbell called for covering fire as he maneuvered forward. Disregarding the extreme dangers, he fearlessly ran through a hail of bullets and exploding grenades, but was forced to take cover behind a low mound of dirt. From this position, he killed a Viet Cong sniper who was firing on him from a tree. Undeterred from his mission, Specialist Campbell then crawled the last twenty meters to the stricken man. Dragging the soldier to the cover of a nearby tree, he started to administer first aid. As he fearlessly protected the man from further hostile fire, Specialist Campbell was mortally wounded. His unimpeachable valor and selfless sacrifice against insurmountable odds succeeded in saving a fellow soldier's life. Specialist Four Campbell's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty, at the cost of his life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.


Authority:  By direction of the President under the provisions of the Act of Congress, approved 9 July 1918.

FOR THE COMMANDER:


Chief of Staff

OFFICIAL:


Adjutant General

Saturday, July 11, 2020

LTC Alexander Vindman Is Retiring for the Big Bucks and Contrary to the Liberal Press Allegations, NO One Was Forcing Him Out!


On 8 July 2020 the Washington Post (WaPo) ran this dishonest headline for an article: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman retires, citing campaign of ‘bullying’ and ‘retaliation’ by Trump after impeachment testimony


The article was written by Missy Ryan and Shane Harris, two people the WaPo identifies as “reporters.”  Unless “Reporter“ is the new WaPo euphemism for a “Liberal activist opinion columnist” then these two are no more “reporters” then I am an astronaut. Only two WaPo “Liberal activist opinion columnists” masquerading as reporters would write a piece like this full of opinions and only a partisan Rag like the WaPo would publish it and try to pass it off as “news.”

Although LTC Vindman through his lawyer made some unfounded allegations about being forced out of the Army when he announced his retirement, the truth is he was not forced to retire and the Colonel’s promotion list had not even been released so he didn’t even know if he had been selected. If he was on the list he definitely had NOT been removed from it.

(Update:  Since this Blog entry was published, Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper acknowledged LTC Vindman was on the COL/06 promotion list and had NOT been removed from it.)

The fact is, LTC Vindman saw an opportunity to cash in on his notoriety that probably would not be there if he attended the War College or accepted an 0-6 promotion because he would have been locked into the Army for several years. If he attended the War College he was locked in for two years from graduation or another three years.  If he accepted promotion to Colonel he would have had to serve three years from his date of promotion in order to retire in that grade. Depending on his promotion number, it would probably be a year before he pinned on Eagles so he would not have been able to retire as a Colonel for another four (4) years. The War College lock in was mandatory but he could have retired before the promotion lock in but he would have reverted to Lieutenant Colonel on the retired list and his retired pay would be as an 0-5/LTC.

Army promotion list are not releasable by the Army until after they have been confirmed by the Senate so anyone discussing who is or is not on the Colonel's list would be in violation of a punitive Army Regulation.  Hence, neither I nor Vindman know for sure if he is on the list and selectees are not even informed until after the Senate acts.  If he was not selected he would still be eligible again for selection next year although after one pass over to Colonel his chances would be greatly diminished.

Having sat on two Army promotion boards I would have been surprised if he were selected looking at his record but if he had, he never would have made general.  He had only one 12 month combat tour and that was as an Infantry Captain and he received no combat awards for that tour.  His contemporaries will all have at least three combat tours and I would be surprised if any did not have at least a Bronze Star. His failure to get a combat award is probably a reflection of his performance in Iraq.  Hence, he is probably wise to retire at this point and move on anyway.

LTC Vindman is retiring for personal reasons and neither the Military or anyone else is forcing him to retire. Of course the Washington Post would never mention any of this, either because they are ignorant about all things Military and DOPMA, which is unlikely, or it doesn’t conform to their desired narrative. Just more confirmation of their new tag line: Democracy Dies in Darkness and the WaPo is Turning Out the Lights.

Sunday, July 5, 2020

Tommy Lee Jones - The War Hero That Never Was but He Sure Loves to Wear the Uniform!

Tommy Lee Jones (born September 15, 1946) is an American actor that has made 64 movies between 1970 and 2020. In 17 of those films he played active, retired or former US Military personnel and in 11 he played Vietnam Veterans, many of whom he portrayed as unbalanced.

            What makes Tommy’s choice of roles curious is despite being of prime Draft age for the Vietnam War and an exceptional athlete being the starting guard on Harvard's undefeated 1968 football team where he was named first-team All-Ivy League, he successfully avoided any Military service or brush with danger. He has never explained how he managed such a remarkable feat but obviously he must have done everything short of maiming himself to avoid being called. Of all the actors too cowardly to have ever served, only Sylvester “Rambo” Stallone has been more blatant in exploiting Veterans then Tommy Lee. The height of chutzpah was Tommy Lee had the balls to play Medal of Honor recipient Five-Star General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. One thing you have to admit about Tommy Lee, for someone that could never bring himself to don the uniform when his Country needed him, he sure has loved to wear one ever since he passed through that “draft eligible” age.

            For the years after the Vietnam War when Vet unemployment rates were high and the public perception of Vietnam Veterans was we were all a “little crazy,” Tommy Lee and “Rambo” Stallone reinforced that perception with the roles they took and how they played us was probably responsible for driving up those rates another 5-10%.  If those guys couldn’t at least portray us accurately, I wish they hadn’t gone out of their way to damage our reputation by making the public think we were all a little unbalanced.

Here are the 17 movies Tommy Lee made where he played something he was too much a coward to ever really be, a Military Veteran:

  • Rolling Thunder – Jones plays a Sergeant Johnny Vohden, a returned Vietnam POW and that borders on crazed killer.
  • The Park is Mine – Jones plays Mitch Garnett, a crazy Vietnam Vet that takes over New York City Central Park.
  • The Package – Jones plays Thomas Boyette, an unbalanced Soldier that had served in Vietnam that escapes while being transported for court martial and is now an assassin.
  • Fire Birds – Jones plays Army Chief Warrant Officer Brad Little, a combat Vet Apache Pilot
  • JFK – Jones plays Army WWII ex-Major Clay Shaw, wrongfully and accused and acquitted of involvement in the JFK assassination.
  • Under Siege – Jones plays Bill Strannix, former Navy Officer Vietnam Vet terminated by the CIA who takes over the USS Missouri with its nuclear weapons.
  • Heaven & Earth – Jones plays Marine GySGT Steve Butler, a crazy Vietnam Vet that commits suicide.
  • Blue Sky – Jones plays Army Major Hank Marshall, a preposterous story set at a Nevada military nuclear test site.
  • Rules of Engagement – Jones plays Marine Colonel Lawrence Hodges, a Vietnam Vet military lawyer.
  • Space Cowboys – Jones plays Retired Air Force Colonel William Hawkins, a Vietnam Vet former astronaut.
  • The Hunted – Jones plays L.T. Bonham, an ex-Soldier now a civilian military combat and survival instructor.
  • In the Valley of Elan – Jones plays Hank Deerfield, an ex-Army MP and Vietnam Vet
  • Stranger on My Land – Jones plays Bud Whitman, an ex-Army wounded Vietnam Vet fight the Government over an eminent domain action.
  • Captain America – Jones plays Army Colonel Chester Phillips
  • Emperor – Jones plays General of the Army Douglas MacArthur
  • Shock and Awe – Jones plays author Joe Galloway, famous Vietnam War reporter who co-wrote “We Were Soldiers”
  • Ad Astra – Jones plays Clifford McBride, a retired former Military astronaut.
  • The Burial — Jones plays Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe III (July 12, 1923 – August 23, 2016), an American fighter aceDemocratic Party politician, insurance executive, and funeral director. As a Marine pilot in World War he received the Navy Cross for five of the seven kills he recorded over Okinawa. After the war he entered politics, serving as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 1960 to 1964 and as the mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi, from 1973 to 1981.

Sunday, June 28, 2020

The Mississippi State (Confederate Battle) Flag May Be Gone but the Georgia State (“Start & Bars”) Flag Is Still with Us!


Today, 28 June 2020, the Mississippi State Legislature voted to replace the 126-year-old State Flag by margins of 91 to 23 in the House and 37 to 14 in the Senate. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) will sign the legislation tomorrow.  Although four other state flags (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Georgia) still contain Confederate symbols, Mississippi was the only one that still incorporated the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) Battle Flag in its design. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/06/28/mississippi-legislators-expected-debate-removal-confederate-icon-state-flag/)I understand all the outrage over the Mississippi State Flag because it incorporated the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederate) Battle Flag in the canton which is much more recognized but don’t understand why there is not equal outrage over the Georgia State Flag which is an exact replica of the First National Flag of the Confederate States of America (the Stars & Bars) with the Georgia crest superimposed inside the circle of stars on the canton.  Not only did the entire Confederate Army fight under the “Stars and Bars,” it was the National Ensign and was around longer than either the Battle Flag or the other two National Flags. See for yourself how similar the Georgia Slag is to the” Stars and Bars.”



From 1956 to 2001 the Georgia State Flag also contained the Battle Flag but a new State Flag was adopted in 2003 that intentionally was based on the “Starts and Bars.” The act that created the new flag in 2003 even described it as the First National Flag of the Confederacy and the Georgia Secretary of State website at the time (below but since taken down) made clear its Confederate linage.

It appears the Georgia Legislature must have thought “those dumb Yankees aren’t bright enough to see what we’re doing so we can put this one over on them.”  What does surprise me is that Stacy Abrams didn’t make this an issue in her failed run for Governor, Go Figure?  Now let’s see how long it takes for those “dumb Yankees” to go for a change in Georgia and then they can begin working on Alabama, Arkansas and Florida.