Our phones and messages have been taxed to near capacity in the last few days since it has been announced that some sort of deal has been made between President Pro Tem Eric Johnson, (R) of the Georgia Senate, and Representative Al Williams (D) in the House, to compromise a totally unrelated and non-germane bill, SB 283, on Confederate History and Heritage to somehow encompass an apology from all Georgians for slavery.

We Southern descendants of Confederates have sat back too long and watched without criticism as a powerful steamroller designed to divide our nation and promulgate special interests that promote a doctrine representing racism in its rawest form. See the 1991 and continuing resolutions (see text below) of the NAACP.

There are some facts that we should have dealt with long ago that are outlined in documented detail here.

My history as an adult goes back fifty years as a member of the John B. Gordon camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In those days and until recently, there was never a hint of any disrepect or disparagement of the Confederacy. Quite the opposite. We were a significant part of the civic leadership of Georgia.

I recall attending meetings at one time or another where five or six Georgia governors or former governors, all members, were present. This included practically every state office holder in Georgia. These people weren't interested in promoting anything other than the preservation of the true history and honor of the Confederate solider. I don't recall any significant discussions or programs regarding slavery.

So that you may get some perspective, let's call it like it is. Among this group were Ellis Arnall, who was the leader along with SCV members and Georgia Jaycees, in unmasking the Ku Klux Klan, back in the forties. In this group was Ernest Vandiver, who, while governor, ordered a review of all so called Jim Crow laws which were brought to Georgia by Union occupiers during the so called decade of Reconstruction. His actions resulted in the Georgia General Assembly scrubbing those laws from the books.

Another Confederate descendant, William B. Hartsfield, enlisted me in the early sixties to work with a bi-racial committee with the purpose of eliminating racial strife and unrest during tumultuous sixties. With a great spirit of cooperation Georgia avoided the looting, burning and devastaton that took place throughout America, thanks in large part to the vision of Mayor Hartsfield and community leaders of all stripes.

Being specific, we integrated our schools and universities. We opened opportunities for all Georgians in employment, education and mutual respect. Any fair minded person not blinded by propaganda or outright lies can trace the history. No period in Georgia history has been more productive in all of the indices related to economic well being when you gauge the huge increases based on percentage of population.

Those who would have you believe otherwise fail to recognize the huge population growth, the development of major league sports and the hosting of the Oympics during a period of harmony.

Until the period following the callous attack on all of our people by the NAACP in the early nineties, Georgia was a unique beacon on the hill of states.

President Eisenhower, through Harry Seamons at the Department of State, asked that I travel to several nations of the world to exploit the successes of racial harmony we developed in Georgia. This resulted in more businesses and people choosing Georgia as an international friendly destination. The importance of my mission was to illustrate that America was not all about a Little Rock school dispute, or racial unrest in Birmingham or many Northern cities that experienced similar or more serious situations.

The reception overseas was welcomed by heads of state and diplomatic services that provided forums for me to deliver a personal message from President Eisenhower.

While much progress was made in restoring harmony in America in the sixties, seventies and eighties, the NAACP lost its once laudatory compass. It became a corrupt harbor for people who lost the vision of programs to promote the well being of the black population. Read the news reports of the period and you will see the sordid story of how the organization was highjacked by unsavory greed, resulting in near bankrutcy and a bailout with restrictive handcuffs by a consortium of leftist leaning individuals and organizations.

The bailout resulted in another unfortunate development for the needed representation of many ills in all of America, but particuarly in the black community. They shifted most of their emphasis from programs of substance in order to emphasize emotional programs, such as attacks on symbols, Red Herrings and bogiemen. Lest you think I'm speaking of only Confederate symbols, consider their alliance with the liberal wing of the Democratic party, investigated by the IRS for suspected violations of their tax free status. While they were exonerated for most of the alleged violations, they are still under an IRS watch.

But that's not all. They have involved themselves in alliances with the Gay Community and have taken positions in support of gay marriage. The NAACP has engaged a wholly unsuccessful boycott over a flag on the capitol grounds in South Carolina. Two significant developments have occurred. Black businesses have suffered losses and some have closed. South Carolina tourism has increased at record levels during this ill fated decision. The worst news is that the programs that could be helping myriad problems like black teenage pregnancy, black on black crime, large increases in black drug use and drug dealing are being put to the side.

The NAACP was recently slapped down by the NCAA when they tried to expand discrimanatory restrictions on the athletes of all colors by eliminating collegiate athletic tournaments and playoffs in states where the people have chosen to maintain symbols with Confederate indicia.

Even more unfortunate is the recent resignation of a new NAACP president, who, after eighteen months readily admitted the huge bureaucratic board of directors and he were at odds as to the directions the organization should take. He made it plain he wanted to try to do something about programs of substance for black people, and therein was the problem.

The NAACP will not spend money for programs to uplift people. They can't. They continue to lose money beause of outrageous expenses such as huge executive salaries and perks. Some in the range of $300,000 inclusve. They spend several millions of dollars for a convention which includes hotel suites and limousines for their elite.

The disagreement within the NAACP itself centers around the position of the long entrenched leadership. I'll summarize in my own words. Don't develop helpful programs that cost money. Don't make agreements to resolve issues. If an agreement is made, break it, like South Carolina, that makes a new issue. After all, if we don't create issues, we're out of business. Remember, creating racial strife is our job one. Don't worry, the media will support us. They always do. If someone like the Georgia Heritage Council complains, just label them all as racists and it will make big news and controversy. The media loves that. Another Day Another Lie!

So you will understand this is not me bashing the NAACP, I will give you the words of the highly regarded Better Business Bureau report on chairities. In fact, we'll link to it so you can read it for yourself. In summary, you will see that the NAACP fails in 6 of 20 disclosure requirements.

While doing so, look at the statement the BBB could verify and you will see the NAACP continues to spend wildly for little substanial improvement in programs that could help black people. This results in a loss of almost five million dollars in the reporting period covered.

Note also the NAACP income from members is surprisingly low, while income from what can best be described as "corporate shakedowns" is considerably higher, but has been declining in recent years.

Anyone who thinks they may be doing a good thing to support this organization financially should be made aware of where their money is going. Any hopes of improving the lot of black people went out the door when Bruce Gordon resigned as president.

The debate over slavery is a complex one that defies a quick easy conclusion. Unfortunately, our educators and many people today have been inculcated to believe the War Between The States was over slavery and only slavery. Further, these same brainwashers would like to have you believe slavery occurred only in the South.

Without getting into a long discourse on a who should bear the guilt for slavery, I will leave you with just two well-known and documented items in American history. If you care about the truth, you'll take a little time to bring yourself into the arena of the informed. Of course, you may say you don't need to be informed, you've already made up your mind. After all, what they taught in school must be right.

Neither of the documents I commend to you are Confederate. They are U.S. documents.

1. Lincoln's First Inaugural Address. Plainly states that Lincoln's paramount purpose is "Preserving the Union" (federal revenues).

2. The U. S. Congress in 1860 upon the recommendation of Abraham Lincoln passed the then 13th Amendment, known as the Corwin Admendment. Representatives and Senators from the South had left Washington and didn't participate. Read it, it is one of America's intentionally forgotten documents. You will see the Congress declared and presented to the people a Constitutional Amendment which protected slavery where it existed in perpetuity. The Amendment was on its way to adoption as several Northern states approved it when Fort Sumter took place.

Here's the text of the Amendment:

"No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress the power to abolish or interfere, within any State, with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to labor or service by the laws of said State."