I had the privilege yesterday (10/20/18) of attending my third flagging/rally at the pedestal on which Silent Sam stood for one hundred and five years in McCorkle Plaza on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This particular event had been announced on FaceBook, calls of invitation had been made, and conversations held, and thirty or so people, most of them from North Carolina, had stated that they would be there. Five people showed up. Five. FIVE! And three of them were from out-of-state; my good friends Nancy Ann Rushton from South Carolina, Jason Lanier from Florida, and “Johnny Infidel” from Georgia. The only two North Carolinians present were myself and my friend Charles Shepherd. It was chilly and raining and uncomfortable, but we were there. Regardless of the weather, it was worth being there; we had some good conversation, forged some bonds, and some of us made some new real-world friends.

We had two or three people stop to talk, the most memorable, to me at least, being a very respectful young man of eighteen years or so who stepped out of the rather large group of folks he was touring the campus with, walked up to us, extended his hand, and said, “Sir, I just want to thank y’all for being here.” He told us about his Confederate blood-line and how proud he was to carry the Blood, and how sad it made him to see people trying to destroy the memory of the Confederacy and Her fighting men. He later returned and asked to have his picture made with us, a request which we were honored to grant. This particular young man wasn’t worried about what his friends, or anybody else for that matter, might say about his actions or beliefs, and I’m telling you, for me it was a mighty fine privilege to shake his hand. He had the courage of his convictions, even in the face of any adversity or scorn that might be directed towards him from others of his generation, and THAT not only gave me a wonderful feeling of elation, it gave me hope that his generation isn’t totally lost to the rhetoric and indoctrination of those who stand in opposition to the truth. In all honesty, the only thing about the entire experience that bothered me was the lack of support from our own, especially fellow North Carolinians, considering the fact that it was one of North Carolina’s Confederate Monuments we were there to support.

Before I proceed any further with this piece, I want to make it clear that while it was the lack of the presence of fellow North Carolinians that inspired me to write this piece, it is not directed at the citizens of any particular State; I am sure that North Carolina isn’t the only State with this problem.
As I said, there were only five of us there, and only two were from North Carolina. I should say that I consider the event a success because even though there were only five of us there, we, at least, showed up to lend our support to the Cause, and were willing to take a stand, not just for Sam, but by way of being present, for the honor and memory of all those that took a stand for our freedom so long ago. That stand cost them much, much more than ours cost us, and I was, at the least, disheartened and disappointed, and at the most, downright angry, at the lack of support from those who profess to support the Cause and the preservation of Confederate monuments.

I sit here day after day, writing about the truth, discussing the War of Northern Aggression, trying to educate people, and promoting pro-Confederate rallies. I see people talking about how much they love the South and support the Cause. I see them say that they’ll be present at these rallies, that they aren’t afraid to take a stand and show their support for our heritage and history, and the memory of and monuments to the most courageous, honorable, and righteous men to ever take up arms for the cause of freedom against the tyranny of a hostile foreign entity. I see them call out for supporters to show up at these rallies. And then I see how pitifully few of them actually show up to practice what they preach. Now, I understand that some have health issues that sometimes, or even every time, prevent participation, and I don’t hold that against them; if using that keyboard is all that they can do, that’s fine, because they’re doing all they can, and THAT is what’s important.

I realize, too, that some have family matters to attend to sometimes, and that, also, is good reason to not to be in attendance at a rally. I also understand that some have to work instead, and I have no problem with that, either; a body has to feed their family, and I’ll not say a word against these folks because such action demands nothing less than absolute respect, especially in this day and age. Sometimes, people simply don’t have the financial means to attend. There are also those that can’t find a ride every time. There are indeed many acceptable reasons for people to be absent from any given rally, but I can’t believe that only a handful of people are free to attend EVERY TIME. No, I have to believe, and I am not alone in this belief, that way too many people who claim to be supporters of the Confederate cause and the preservation of the monuments to the Confederacy and Her fighting men are actually nothing more than so-called “Keyboard Commandos” who are either cowards, afraid to take a stand for what they claim to believe in, or “fair weather patriots” who don’t care enough to suffer any kind of inconvenience or discomfort to themselves in order to stand up and be counted among the true believers and activists. The words that come to mind are “yellow,” “coward,” and, as I said before, “fair weather patriot.”

Now if, when I say “yellow,” “coward,” “fair weather patriot,” or “keyboard commando,” you feel like your toes have been stepped on, maybe you need to reevaluate your beliefs and/or your position on the subject matter at hand. I myself suffer from both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis; my back has been broken and I have suffered a massive stroke and more mini-strokes than I can count, but when at all possible, I am there to stand for what I believe in, regardless of the physical pain I may suffer as a result. There are things that are much more important to me than my physical comfort or safety. I refuse to let fear or pain keep me from standing up for what I believe in, and neither should you. As the old adage says, I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees. I’m damned sure willing to die to insure that my grand-children aren’t forced to make that choice. That’s why I do what I do. The motto of the Confederate States of America, “Deo Vindice,” means “God shall Vindicate,” and hopefully, in time, he will. But how can he do so if we ourselves don’t strive to vindicate the righteous Cause of our ancestors?

To those of you that put your money where your mouth is, so to speak, I give my eternal thanks for your courage and devotion. As for those of you that do naught but sit at home in comfort and safety and use that keyboard to profess your love and support for the Cause when you COULD be doing more, I’m sick of hearing, or reading, if you will, your empty words of belief and support. It’s time to grab an oar and start rowing, or get the hell off the boat. Actions speak volumes over words, and your actions are screaming that you don’t really care, that you’re merely riding on the coattails of those to whom the courage of their convictions is a very real, if not a tangible, thing, and it’s downright disgraceful. It is true that the Bible says “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5, KJV), but what kind of earth shall they inherit? I believe that the answer to that question is “The kind of earth that those who are unyielding and righteous in the face of great evil and adversity leave them.” As Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) once said, “In the beginning of Change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.” That, my friends, is the difference between the wolves and the sheep. Which are you? As for myself and those whom I know for a fact get out there and take a stand, our fangs are bared and our hackles are raised; for with us, as it was with our Confederate ancestors, it is not only a matter of what is right and true, it is a matter of death before dishonor. We will not initiate violence, but we will not allow ourselves to become compliant victims, either. The time has come for the rest of you to make a decision on, and the reality of, what you truly feel in your heart and what you honestly believe, and above all, whether or not you have the courage to take a stand for those beliefs and be counted among those righteous few upon whom God smiles with pride.

As a man whom God has seen fit to bestow with the gift of words, a gift for which I am most thankful, I say this to you: Words can be powerful; they can inspire men to become something greater, something more than mere men, but actions do indeed speak louder than words, and the time has come to either STAND UP or SHUT UP!

K. Lance Spivey, 21 October 2018
Deo Vindice…