They have told us that the

flag was changed in defiance of integration, yet there has never been

one article, note, letter, statement, or eyewitness account put forth

to validate this claim. The Atlanta Journal Constitution even admitted

in July of 1992 in their Q & A section that no evidence was to be

found.

They have told us that the

flag is bad for business, yet the record is clear to even the most uninformed

that our economy in Georgia since 1956, the year the battle flag was incorporated,

has been the envy of any state in the union. Atlanta has grown into an

international city that has hosted the Olympics, the Super Bowl, and the

World Series. Atlanta has become a renowned business hub, all under the

old flag. Why after 40 years was there suddenly a problem? We know the

answer of course: the only problem was that some persons and organizations

were running out of things to complain about, namely the NAACP.

The NAACP and their supporters

say that the old flag was racist, yet they lobbied for several years to

return to the pre-'56 flag, which was the Confederate stars and bars.

That flag was designed by a former Confederate colonel, voted on by a

legislature in 1879 that was dominated by Confederate veterans, and was

signed into law by a governor, Alfred H. Colquitt, who was a former Confederate

general. Now they have endorsed a flag that contains the battle flag,

only smaller. If the battle flag is racist, does it become less so because

it is now smaller?

Our Camp will not support the

new flag. The city of Atlanta and Fulton County have for years insulted

the rest of the state by flying the pre-'56 flag. Now we will turn the

tables as we will fly and recognize the flag that has just been abolished,

and we call on all of the citizens of Fayette County to do the same. We

only ask that this boycott of the new flag go on until the citizens of

Georgia are allowed to vote and choose between the two. When that happens,

win or lose, we will pledge to move on and let the issue be settled.

The memory of the honorable

service of 120,000 Georgians, including 400 Fayette Countians who gave

their lives, demand that we defend to the last our ancestors and their

sacrifices. No amount of tax revenue, reputation, or worldwide opinion

is worth trading for our history and heritage.

Executive Committee

Gen. LaFayette McLaws Camp

79

Scott K. Gilbert, Jr.

Commander