Dogma Police

I have recently, unfortunately, been witness to a strange phenomenon, that is to say an ideological movement eating its’ own.

Southerners are indeed freedom minded folk. Traditional Southerners have always, within the bounds of our guiding principles, held strongly the right of a man to think and do as he wishes. For a Southerner to abandon his right to make up his own mind on a matter or attempt to force another to “toe the line” and think just like the group is patently UN SOUTHERN.

The Southern Movement has been at times a movement of ideology and doctrine. We are men of course and we are apt to fall into the frailties of men. This is to be expected.

What is supposed to make us different, nay better, is that we live based on principles. Our principles should guide us and lead us in the movement. Principles should protect us from accepting such strict and doctrinaire stances that the possibility of individual thought is eliminated.

As men we are also apt to confuse adherence to doctrine with adherence to principles. These are not the same. Principles are unchanging and result from the divine spark that God has endowed his people with. Doctrine is simply mans attempt to codify the principles.

If the Southern Movement is ever to thrive, survive and succeed we must begin adhering more to principle and less to dogma and doctrine. We should ask what are we really fighting for and what do we hope to accomplish. How will we accomplish our aims? Will we do it with a handful of doctrinaire ideologues that are purist in terms of following rules?

To me this sort of person is as foreign and dangerous as a Nazi, Communist, Democrat or Republican. For these sorts would impose their version of OUR principles on others. Our principles are right and just and will sell themselves. Dogma on the other hand in any movement is always another matter entirely.

I cannot help but to compare this sort of doctrinaire cleansing of the ranks to that of the French Revolution or dare I say it…the Communist Revolution in Russia.

The same phenomenon affects parts of the black community. In the liberal machine of the NAACP it is easy to silence an opponent by questioning his “blackness”.

I would caution any one that purports to run around claiming a higher degree of purity of thought to consider the potential outcomes. I would ask for instance when the Doctrine Police might come for you. Did your daddy toe the line? If not after all the blatant scalawags have been dealt with you might be next on the list. Did your great-great great grand pappy serve in X Y and Z battles? If he was only in X and Y then you might just not be a real patriot.

Think this is over the top? I suppose a lot of the folks that worked for the French revolution only to end up at the guillotine felt the same way. “I am a good citizen, not like all those I supported executing before…”

Is this really the sort of company we wish to keep? Is this really the sort of folks we want to become? Does this at all represent the spirit of Christian brotherhood we are supposed to engender?

The insanity of all of this simply boggles my mind. For sure there are concepts and ideas that are as foreign and dangerous to us now as Lincoln’s Army was in 1865. We must battle these isopodous ideas. Neo-Conservative thought is contrary to all we stand for. Supporting the National Republican party is foolish; it will get us no where. I will not disagree with this. I speak out against those items time and time again.

The fact is that if we do not build a political power base we will not win. We will not build that base with die-hard doctrinaires. We will only succeed by reaching out to ordinary Southerners and pulling them closer to us on issues that are important to them. We will only succeed by expressing and exposing our values and principles to an ignorant and uniformed populace.

We must never abandon the principles of our forefathers. We must not forget what they fought and died for. They fought for the right of self-determination. They fought under flags but not for a flag. Only a fool would lay down his life for a piece of cloth. My Great grand father, great great grand father and his brothers were not fools.

Ah yes flags are important. At my home on a Federal military installation I fly several. I begin the week with Big Red (the flag that The Citadel Corps of Cadets flew when they fired the first shot of the War). On Wednesday of Each week I fly the SC Sovereignty flag to represent my belief that SC is a Sovereign State. On Thursday through Saturday I fly the SC Flag to represent my state and the place of my loyalty. On Sunday I fly the Christian flag to represent my obedience to my Lord. Flying flags is important but they alone will not win freedom for my home nor does the act of flying flags make me a real patriot. Conversely, if I did not fly them it would not mean I was less of a patriot.

I have yet to feel the assault of those that might question my Southerness. After reviewing the general history of the movement over the last ten years and the various squabbles and spats I am sure my day is coming. I am perfectly willing to arrange to meet any man face to face that would dare challenge my heritage, principles or conviction for the cause. Just be sure to include your physical address in any misguided barbs hoisted in my direction (either that or avoid using your self appointed Southern detector on me at all).

I have said this before and I will continue saying it. If we ever hope to win we must pull our heads out of the sand and build an effective movement that can and will win. We will not do that by “eating our own young”.

Y’all think about it.

Recedite, plebes! Gero rem imperialem
El Cid