William Buckner Taylor was described as a young man of "light complexion, light hair and gray eyes, his height was 5′ 5 1/2 inches." When he enlisted at "Pinner's Point, Norfolk County, … VA on February 19, 1862[,]" he was just 18 years old and listed his occupation as a laborer.

Mr. Taylor was first captured on "July 3rd, 1863 at Gettysburg and sent to Point Lookout, Maryland[.]" On February 18th, 1865, he was exchanged but then recaptured "on April 1, 1865 at Five Forks, and released on June 20, 1865 from Hart's Island, New York."

Where Mr. Taylor lived and worked, met his wife and raised his family between 1865 and 1900, I cannot say at this time. However, in the 1900 census, Mr. Taylor is listed as a stone mason and widower, "age 59, birth is listed as Feb 14, 1841[.]" This means that he should have been 21 years old instead of 18 years old at the time of his enlistment and that the date on his headstone is incorrect too. But, if you've ever tried researching your own family history, you would know that these discrepancies are quite common.

Living in his household in Topsfield, MA, according to the 1900 census, were his children,

"Mary B Taylor, age 15, birth April 28, 1885, born in MA
Lilian B Taylor, age 13, birth November 20, 1887, born in MA
William O. Taylor, age 6, birth March 27, 1894, born in MA"

And, by the 1910 census, William Buckner Taylor was listed "as a boarder in the home of Norman McLeod [in Topsfield], his age is listed as 69."

Mr. Taylor passed away in 1911 and while he is buried in Topsfield, MA, "[t]here is a memorial marker to him located in Oak Grove Cemetery, Portsmouth, Va."

Oh yes! About that grave marker … this "is a military headstone, provided by the Department of Veteran's Affairs. They will provide a headstone when one is not present for a veteran of the Civil War, both Confederate and Union, … [although] who requested it, I can't tell you, … [i]t could be that a Son's of Union Veteran's could have requested it."

—Cynthia Buck-Thompson [Personal email, June 8 and 9, 2008]

***

Cynthia Buck-Thompson is a Civil War Living Historian as well as "the family genealogist." Her husband reenacts with the 9th Virginia, Company B as well as Artillery for the Maryland Park Service.

I'd like to thank Cindy for all the work she did to answer my questions, every bit of the information listed here has been provided by Cindy.

***

Another entry that I'd like to revisit is the one that I called Spring Greens, especially, the part in which I mentioned the rhododendrons at Bradley Palmer State Park. They weren't in bloom back in April and, thus, I was unable to post any photographs on my blog. So, I wrote "I promise not to let you down. I will keep track of their progress and take many photos to post when the time is right."

Well, I did keep track. The "buds" seemed to be many, the only "flaw" I expected was the fact that some heavy pruning had been done among the lower branches. Still, new growth was appearing and I fully expected that the shear number of blossoms would be enough to "detract" from the pruning.

Unfortunately, by mid-June, when the parks' rhododendrons should have been in all their glory, … well, … much to my surprise, not to mention my disappointment, there were barely a handful of blossoms! Oh, there were plenty of buds that had opened up, but few of those buds had any blossoms to show. I just couldn't believe my eyes!

Perhaps, even stranger still, was the fact that, back in April, I had taken a couple of cuttings from the rhododendrons. (Now, before you all come down on me for taking cuttings of plants in a state park, please remember that these rhododendrons are hardly "wild." Bradley Palmer State Park was once the estate of its namesake, "a noted attorney of the early 1900s who represented Sinclair Oil in the Teapot Dome Scandal and President Wilson at the Versailles Peace Conference after the First World War." These rhododendrons were purposely placed to "line old carriage roads." Besides, remember that the rhododendrons had already been heavily pruned! Apparently, though, their caretakers forgot to fertilize them. [Bradley Palmer State Park])

When I got the cuttings back home, I placed them in a vase then placed the vase in my bay window. But, for weeks, nothing happened. The cuttings didn't die but the buds didn't swell either. Then, about the beginning to the middle of June, suddenly the buds just shot up and opened up and I had rhododendron blossoms in my bay window!

Is that not weird or what? Did I have a premonition of sorts? I mean, really, the only other explanation that I can give you is that I did fertilize the cuttings, albeit with an indoor plant food, but still!

***

Okay, now about that brief explanation for my absence from blogging these past few weeks.

You see, I am fast approaching a very special anniversary. On August 27, 2008, I will become a five-year breast cancer survivor and, while I am just thrilled to pieces to be reaching this milestone, as I reflect on how far I've come in these past five years, I've also become acutely aware that I have not taken as good care of myself as I had promised I would do once I was finished with therapy. Oh, don't get me wrong now, I haven't fallen to pieces altogether! But, once in a while, we all need to step back and take a good look at where we've been and where we want to take our lives next. Fact is, this was just the perfect time for me to do that!

So, what more can I say? I've had my break from blogging, I've made some new plans, including some new ideas for this blog, and, … well, … I'm back! I sincerely hope you'll all forgive me for my absence and, I certainly hope to see you all return too.

]]> http://lifechums.wordpress.com/?p=352 Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:27:57 +0000 lifechums http://lifechums.wordpress.com/?p=352 Thomas 'Stonewall' Jackson was born on 21 January, 1824 and died on 10 May, 1863. Thomas Jackson was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, and probably the most revered Confederate commander after General Robert E. Lee. Thomas rose to prominence and earned his most famous nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run (also known as First Manassas) in July 1861. As the Confederate lines began to crumble under heavy Union assault, Thomas' brigade provided crucial reinforcements on Henry House Hill, demonstrating the discipline he instilled in his men. Thomas Jackson had suffered from OCD.

Keep visiting: www.lifechums.com/ more Celebrities featuring Shortly .............

The Battle of Perryville

On October 8, 1862, Watkins and 18,000 Confederates clashed with 20,000 Union troops on the hills outside of Perryville. Nearly 7,500 soldiers were killed and wounded in Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle.

Click To Read More

But I guess if you seriously want change, you'll have to accept that it may very well come in the form of inexperience.

08AMA!

Arming Obama:
Sen. Jim Webb -- Vietnam Vet, 'Redneck' -- Is Emerging As the Democrats' Military Point Man; The 'VP!' Chant

By Monica Langley
Wall Street Journal Online - WSJ.com
June 21, 2008
Click here for the original article

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- With his two Purple Hearts, three tattoos and spoiling-for-a-fight attitude, Sen. Jim Webb is emerging as the Democrats' point man on two of the most profound matters facing the electorate this November: national defense and the military.

A highly decorated war veteran who opposes the Iraq war, Sen. Webb is considered by many Democrats to be the best person to go into battle against another war hero, expected Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. The ex-Marine, who hails from the important swing state of Virginia, could also become Sen. Barack Obama's go-to person on national security, where the Democratic presidential candidate's résumé is weak compared with rival Sen. McCain's.

His rising star has been enhanced by the expected passage of a GI bill he championed, which provides money for veterans to go to college, and which President Bush recently accepted despite his earlier veto threat. All that makes Sen. Webb one of the most talked-about possible vice-presidential contenders.

Yet, Sen. Webb, a politician for less than two years, could be a risky combatant for the Democratic party. The 62-year-old lawmaker and novelist has a zeal that sometimes defies political niceties: He didn't shake President Bush's hand when the president asked about his son's deployment to Iraq. Some of his views aren't politically correct. He contends that "poor whites" are an oppressed class, and defends Confederate soldiers for fighting for state sovereignty.

A spokeswoman says Sen. Webb "speaks artfully about complex issues that many politicians shy away from, and it's his authenticity that is so compelling."

The self-described "redneck" occasionally carries a concealed pistol, and is still suspect to some Democrats for having served as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration. He speaks fluent Vietnamese with his third wife, a lawyer who fled Vietnam as a girl and whom he calls his "warrior queen." He takes long walks in Arlington Cemetery, stopping recently to place a rock on the headstone of Sen. McCain's father, a tradition that signals respect for the dead...

Click here for the full story

1. What may appear obvious to you and I, will probably take these 6 young ladies years to realize.

2. Stretch Chevy seats 12 plus a still.

3. No face, no taste.

4. I know I've been married for awhile when I notice how nobody matches before I spot the Confederate flag.

5. Now this is a very, very important specimen. It would seem that we have achieved successful cross-breeding between a guido and a redneck. This has happened before in specific environments; prison, the Army, but it is very rare in regular society. This certainly demands follow-up.

6. I'm guessing her family recently won the lottery or finally received a cash settlement from that highly questionable accident which cost her momma her pinky.

"I won't tell you I know who did it," the store clerk said to the patron with a smirk, "But a kid over in Charleston has been taking matters into his own hands. He's went to every single stop sign in his neighborhood and pasted one of those paper-stickers of the [Confederate] flag in the bottom corner. The police couldn't get it off, so they had to replace every sign."

"The paper ones won't come off, but they'll fade eventually," the bearded man said.

"Ah, but you know what," the clerk said. "He says he's going to keep doing it, and when they fade he'll do it again. He wrote a note that said, 'Honor Confederate Army month, or it's not going to stop.'"

The two men shared a laugh, and the man paid for his paraphernalia and left. I got to talking with the clerk--who introduced himself to us as Tim Manning, author of 35 books about the South, founder of the Virginia Heritage Foundation and the North Carolina Heritage Foundation, and pro-life, pro-secessionist lecturer-- about whether this type of Southern pride was typical in the area's youth. 

"First of all," he said, "there are 15,000 organizations, and I'm not talking chapters, I'm talking organizations, dedicated to Southern secession. And plenty of those deal with young people. The most prominent ones that deal with a lot of young people have to be the Abbeville Institute and the League of the South. I sent my son to the Abbeville Institute for seven years, and it did the job. It really instilled him with the knowledge and the pride necessary to work toward our independence."

It turned out it really had done the job, for when I went to pay for the magazine he said, "Actually, my was the editor for that issue. Make sure you check out the picture of him standing on Ted Kennedy's lawn with a Confederate flag."

On his way to join the scouts, his adventures begin.  First, he runs into two deserters.  After a narrowly escaping death, Ben reports the deserters to the home guard of the next town he comes to.  Next, while riding to Richmond, Ben accidentally crosses enemy lines and finds himself a prisoner.  After searching him the Federalists discover a homemade map.  Not sure if he is a spy, they hold him prisoner for one night, then let him go.  Once in Richmond Ben sets out to find the scouts.  Unfortunately, nobody seems to know where they are.  However, an unusual occurance helps Ben to find the scouts.  Tracy Parlow, now a Confederate officer, meets Ben and notices the initials on the blanket that Carrie had given Ben.  Angrily, Tracy calls Ben a thief and grabs for him.  Ben slams into Tracy and knocks him down onto the dusty road.  Just when things are looking hopeless, John Moseby shows up and rescues Ben.  Mosby is a scout!

After joining the scouts, Ben rides with Mosby to find Grant and Shelby.  When they find them, Yankee soldiers are about to ambush Grant and Shelby.  Just in time, Mosby and Ben charge down, dispurse the Yankee horses and foil their attack.  Now horseless, the Yankees have noway to escape.  Reluctantly, they surrender to Shelby, Mosby, Grant and Ben.  As the war continues, Ben has many more adventures than I can chronical here.  Besides, you do need some incentive to encourage you to read the book. :)  The story ends happily.  Ben, Grant, and Shelby Harris are all still alive.  Ben and Grant head back home together.  As they ride home, someone in the hills plays taps, the military bugle song meaning "lights out".  The war is over.  Iron Scouts of the Confederacy is an excellent book.  The fact that it is a true story makes it even more exciting.

Stonewall Jackson uncomfortably surveying the battleground.

The general's poor bladder control was never well documented as it was often overshadowed by his undeniable battlefield heroics. At the First Battle of Bull Run, Brig. Gen. Barnard Elliott Bee, Jr. pleaded with his troops to reform by shouting, "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Follow me." Jackson and the Confederates went on to win the day.

His battlefield performance came into question while serving under General Robert E. Lee at the battles known as the Seven Days Battles. While it is not a complete excuse for his performance, Stonewall Jackson suffered severely from poor bladder control during those battles. A positive point did emerge during the battles at Gaines' Mill. During the battle he rode his horse in front of his troops to bolster their morale. However, the Union army gained courage and moved forward toward Jackson, who was quickly hit with an urge that would not wait. Jackson turned his horse around and galloped behind the lines. While galloping behind the lines eventually relieved Jackson, his troops thought he was fleeing the battle. When Stonewall realized what had happened, he got back onto his horse and led a victorious charge.

A painting of Jackson and Lee entitled, "May I be Dismissed, Sir?"

Because of Jackson's condition, few photographs can be found of him as he was not able to sit for long periods of time for photo sessions.

On May 10, 1863, Stonewall Jackson was shot by friendly fire as he was returning to camp from an appointment with a urologist. He died eight days later.

Now, every Memorial Day, when small representations our nations flag are placed alongside the headstones of those men and women who served in the military, an additional Confederate flag is placed alongside the headstone of Topsfield's lone Confederate soldier!

The grave of William Buckner Taylor
Pine Grove Cemetery, Topsfield, Massachusetts

So, … why is that? In fact, why is his headstone specially marked with his Confederate service, that is, Company I, 9th Virginia Infantry?

Is this a "military" style headstone? Did he specifically request that his Confederate service be noted?

Well, I can tell you one thing, my curiosity has been aroused for several years now … it is just this year that I finally decided to do something about it. However, I'm not interested solely in William Buckner Taylor's Confederate service. I'd like to know a little bit about the man! I mean, why did he choose to stay in this area? Did he leave family in Virginia or had they perished during the war? Did he have a family here and where are they buried? What kind of work did he do? What other kinds of interests did he have? And on and on …

Unfortunately, these questions cannot be answered quickly. Definitely not quickly enough for a blog entry. However, using the little bit of information from William Taylor's headstone as well as a two hour "Google" search, here's what I've got so far.

First, the obvious … William Buckner Taylor was born in 1844 which means that he would have been 17 years old when the Civil War began and 21 years of age when it ended. Taylor died in 1911 which means he would have been about 67 years of age.

I'm afraid that the biggest challenge thus far comes from the fact that the name of William Taylor (and even William Buckner Taylor) from Virginia, even those born in 1844, is VERY common! (But that fact can also make the search all the more fun!)

And now for some "background" information … there was a 9th Virginia Infantry Regiment and a 9th Virginia Infantry Battalion. If Taylor served in the 9th Virginia Infantry Regiment, Company I was at one time known as the "Craney Island Light Artillery" and he may then have seen "action" in places like the Second Manassas, Harper's Ferry, Fredericksburg, and even Cemetery Hill in the battle of Gettysburg.

Sadly, Virginia saw the most battles during the Civil War … 123 to be exact (Civil War Battle Summaries by State). One can only speculate then that there wouldn't have been much left of that beautiful countryside to return to, not to mention an economy in shambles. Certainly, some very compelling reasons not to return to one's native state. In addition, like any war in any part of the world, human casualties are not limited to those in uniform. Many civilians perish as well from injury, hunger and disease. Was this the fate of William Buckner Taylor's family?

***

I must admit that I've never been a huge fan of American Civil War history. However, I have always loved biographies and/or personal histories, especially of those "invisible" individuals (aka, "non" celebrities or "the rest of us"). And, being able to place a person in a specific time period has alway given that "moment" in history greater significance or "substance" if you will. Well, at least, it does for me.

So, while this may be a limited beginning, I am pleased with the results thus far. Trust me, however, this is just the start!

***

Note: For an update to this entry, please visit Past Entries Revisited

]]> http://dnewell1.wordpress.com/?p=67 Thu, 29 May 2008 02:15:30 +0000 Dave Newell http://dnewell1.wordpress.com/?p=67 Betsy Ross, the woman credited with sewing the first American flag continues to be an intriguing character in American history, in large part because not much is known about her personal life.

What is known is that she married at the age of 21 in 1773, but her husband died in 1776, sending her future into doubt. It was in May or June of 1776 when George Washington, George Ross, and Robert Morris gave her a chance to prove herself.

As a young, inexperienced seamstress she required several drafts. She was told to include the colors red, white, and blue. The flag would also need to contain thirteen stars to stand for each of the colonies.

The first flag concept presented by Betsy Ross.

The first flag concept presented by Betsy Ross was received with lukewarm reviews by the Colonial Flag Committee. The largest complaint was that it provided little room in case more colonies were created in the years to come. There were those in the committee who were happy with how it met the required colors and number of stars. In the end the draft was put on file, and as we know, used in the Civil War to represent the Confederate States of America.

For Betsy, the second time was a bit better as her second concept was met with mixed but mostly positive opinions within the committee. Like the first concept, the second flag featured the required colors and number of stars, but it did provide more flexibility than the first concept.

Betsy Ross presenting the finished flag.

When asked after the final meeting about the flags, George Washington said, "I really liked the first concept, and I wish we could've used it. I voted for it, but we've got some politicians in here looking to make their mark on history. It's a shame that the first one wasn't selected. Mr. Franklin and I, among others, were disappointed in the final decision, but we'll move past this."

General Washington and the colonies did move past the flag controversy and won the war over England.

CPL. George Washington Kelley, 12th Georgia Light Artillery Regiment, C.S.A.

Msgt. George Washington Kelley, USMC. WWII

The name George Washington Kelley has been a popular name in my family. A quick glance at my family tree shows several men who've worn the name. Both of the G. W. Kelleys listed above were born in Georgia and served with honor during two of the bloodiest wars in American history. Both were one of only a few men to survive from their respective units.

The first G. W. Kelley was my 3rd Great Grandfather. He fought for all four years of the War Between the States. For the majority of the time he served in a Light Artillery unit, which basically meant they fought as infantry unless they managed to capture a Federal artillery position and spin it around. CPL. Kelley was at many notable battles, including Cold Harbor, and was also at Appomattox when General Robert E. Lee surrendered. As far as I know, after the war, CPL. Kelley returned to his war ravaged hometown (thanks to Gen. Sherman!) and continued to raise a family.

The 2nd George Washington Kelley is my late grandfather; the great grandson of CPL G. W. Kelley above. He joined the USMC as a cook (probably underaged) and fought the Japanese. One of the notable battles he was a part of was Iwo Jima. Like his great grandfather before him, he narrowly survived the war and experienced some intense fighting in the Pacific campaign. After the war, he continued to served in the USMC until he retired.

From what I gather, both of these men had their units ravaged during their respective wars. CPL. Kelley's 12th Georgia Light Artillery is said to have hardly had enough survivors to encircle a campfire. My grandfather, Msgt. Kelley, was one of only a handful of men in his unit to surivive the fighting on Iwo Jima.

I realize that Memorial Day is about honoring those who died in battle. Though my two grandfathers above survived the respective wars they fought in, most of their comrades did not. So as I honor the memory of these Kelleys who served and survived, I also want to honor the memory of all those that laid down their lives and did not return.

May God bless and protect our troops.

The Truth At Last
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 411
Kennedy Suffers Seizures, Has Brain Tumor

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It wont be long until the media here in the UK fall over themselves to pay tribute to Kennedy so the truth will set us free

Life-long enemy of White Race likely to suffer slow, debilitating death.

by James Buchanan

One of the most evil liberal politicians in US history has come down with a brain tumor. Ted Kennedy betrayed White America with the 1965 immigration reform bill, which is responsible for flooding America with Third World people. In 2007, Ted Kennedy tried to further destroy America with the McCain-Kennedy Amnesty Bill which would have made citizens out of 20 million Third World illegal aliens. The presence of millions of Paki, Indian and Arab immigrants in the US since 1965 has caused wages for White workers to drop. The incompetence of these Third World workers has lowered quality in all our high tech industries. "

For the rest of the story they left a link. I don't want to leave the link and just have people click on the website so I will just comment on the first paragraph of the story posted. I don't need to read to read the rest of the article to know you did an attack job on Senator Ted Kennedy.

I wonder if we will ever move beyond this as a country. I hope so, because America has to many problems to be divided. We have to find a way for all Americans to come together and fight the battles that have to be fought to save this country.

The Battle of Perryville

On October 8, 1862, Watkins and 18,000 Confederates clashed with 20,000 Union troops on the hills outside of Perryville. Nearly 7,500 soldiers were killed and wounded in Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle.

Click To Read More

Tampa, FL - The Florida Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans has stated today that the world's largest flying Confederate Flag will fly for good come April 2009. The Confederate Flag, which has become known as the Tampa Flag or Tampa I-75 Flag, is owned by local resident and SCV member Marion Lambert which has donated his private land for use as the first Tampa Confederate War Memorial.

The property of Marion Lambert borders the heavily traveled I-75 / I-4 junction and will be seen by around 100,000 to 350,000 travelers each day. The Tampa Confederate Flag will be visible for up to 7 miles depending on obstructions of course; however the flag can be seen from the roof of the near by Westfield Brandon Town Center which is about 8.7 miles from the Memorial.

After a week and a half of mud slinging, anti-Confederate hate speech, and political posturing by both the City of Tampa and County of Hillsborough the flag remains flying safely atop its 180 foot flag pole. Despite the negative press it garnered in the local and yankee media whom attacked it with out mercy, the Tampa Flag Project of the Tampa SCV has gained immense support from local and neighboring Southerners whom have rallied around the flag.

By the end of last week, a mere 4 days after the flag project was leaked to local media, Southerners began to strike back against local and Yankee media. From local am talk radio stations all the way up to major cable network news channels Southerners united behind the Confederate Battle Flag and fought back with a never say die ferocity that has not been seen since the South took up arms in defense of its liberty from the Federal Empire in 1861.

In addition to defeating for the time being the anti-Southern media, the Sons of Confederate Veterans made their purpose clear for flying the flag. Tampa Flag Project leader & property owner Marion Lambert during numerous interviews with various news outlets made it clear that the Confederate Flag was not a racist symbol, that Southerners have been "marginalized" and have had their rights ignored as an ethnic people, and most importantly that the Tampa I-75 flag was not being flown in support of racism, and in fact stood in opposition to it.

A little known fact that has been covenantly over looked by the media and the NAACP has been that the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy have both went out of their way to not only denounce any form of racism, but have also long ago excommunicated the Ku Klux Klan and any one that does or has belonged to it. You see the modern Confederate Movement, or "Cause" as we like to call it down here in the South, has been very progressive in combating racism and radical elements that support racism or supremacy of any kind, and this applies not only to the SCV and the UDC but to all allied Confederate groups from the SPFL to the LoS.

Hurrah! Spurn the Northern Scum!

ANALYSIS:  The lovely wife and I have been lackadaisically house-hunting down in Virginia's Northern Neck, the Athens of America and the cradle of our democracy. The Neck is the birthplace of George Washington, the Lee brothers (the revolutionary patriots about whom John Adams used the phrase, "This Band of Brothers," among them Declaration of Independence signers Richard Henry Lee and Francis Lightfoot Lee, not to mention their later nephew Robert E. Lee), James Monroe, John Ballentine, etc. etc. 

Anyway, recently we toured the historic 1859 house at Braehead, an 18-acre estate actually located within the Civil War battlefield in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The house is for sale, and while it's likely overpriced (like everything else on the market these days) [this observation has been energetically and somewhat persuasively disputed by the listing agent, who read the post], but we enjoyed the tour.  I've posted many (too many) photos of our little tour here.  My interest in the house is the historic angle: it's actually where Robert E. Lee visited and took breakfast on the morning of the Battle of Fredericksburg in 1862, one of his successful efforts against U.S. forces.  Here's an article about Braehead's history and historic preservation.

It was in fact at Fredericksburg that Lee spoke the words which would sum up the entire war, nay all wars, as he witnessed thousands of Union soldiers falling in battle to Confederate guns on the hills above the Rappahannock River: "It is well that war is so terrible, lest we grow too fond of it."  

In the words of historian Robert McNamara writing online at About.com, "The Battle of Fredericksburg in mid-December 1862 was a major Confederate victory, but it wasn't so much a turning point in the Civil War as a gruesome confirmation that the war was going to be long and very costly."  And you can read a succinct summary of the tragic context of the battle on this National Park Service page.

What to do today, with technology, to address the horror of war?  Many ways of course, and here's a small one. I just read a very interesting commentary in WIRED magazine online by Clive Thompson, in which he points out his surprise at playing the newly released Xbox 360 software game Ninja Gaiden II, which was released on Tuesday. The article's title sums it up: "Killer Gamer Asks: Where Have All the Bodies Gone?" To quote Thompson, as he played the game and successfully killed dozens of enemies onscreen, he noticed something:

Unlike in [the game's] prequels, the bodies hang around. Indeed, they hang around for a good long while. After I'd killed my way through about seven battles, I experimentally backtracked all the way to the beginning, and sure enough -- every body was still lying there, every blood fleck on the ceiling intact. I peered off the edge of a promontory to spy a battleground far below and, yep: There's that guy I disemboweled. Still dead.  Now, did this change the emotional, or even moral, timbre of the game?  In some ways, yes. You really do get a better sense that you're a sociopath when the evidence of your crimes is stacked around you."

Microsoft has been working on some modeling & simulation (or M&S) ideas with several DoD partners about better immersive environments and realistic training using advanced software, in some cases inspired by gaming and virtual-world approaches.  You can see examples using some of our current line of software here, describing the ESP simulation platform and over here is a quick look at ESP in some detail.  You can also see some of the more advanced stuff we're doing with Microsoft Research here or over here in the Social Computing Group, all of which will play a part in ways we can help governments.

Hardcore gamers would not be surprised at current DoD simulation platforms, just disappointed at their rudimentary nature. Great work is already done at Camp Pendleton and other places by DoD training elements, and yet there's enormous room for improvement.  And these days, you certainly can't argue the importance for the military of improving its ability to prepare for war more realistically.  Gen. Lee himself would, I believe, agree that doing so may even help prevent and avoid wars in future.

[Note: Wikipedia has a solid summary of the Battle of Fredericksburg including battle-line maps. But if you want an excellent and engrossing study of the gut-wrenching battle, I think the best book is "The Fredericksburg Campaign" by Francis Augustin O'Reilly.]

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I was particularly troubled by County Commissioner Rose Ferlita's suggestion that the County try to use setback requirements to have the flag removed.  She explained on WFLA-970 this morning that, if the flag pole were treated as a structure, then it would violate setback requirements.  Of course, a flag pole is NOT a structure, and no one believes that she would suggest treating it as a structure if the American flag were on the pole instead.  So, Ferlita is just trying to perform an end-run on the First Amendment.  That is a scary and dangerous approach to govenrment. 

The flag is only going to go away when the owners decide to take it away, and the more attention they get, the longer they are likely to keep it up.

(By the way, my understanding is that the flag was flown yesterday for Jefferson Davis's 200th birthday, then removed.  But, the group plans to put it up again next year when they open some monument to Confederate soldiers on the site.  So, it is currently down, but will be back.)

Tampa, FL - Despite the best efforts of the Florida Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans and their allies, which included the Southern Party of Florida among others, the secretive Tampa I-75 Confederate Flag Project has been leaked to the local media and has kick started a whirl wind of controversy which will most likely be a hot topic for months to come.

According to records obtained from the Florida SCV, Mr. Marion Lambert of Tampa, FL began to raise money for the Tampa Flag Project with the blessing of the Florida and National SCV in late 2002. The Tampa Flag project at the time was slated to be the Florida SCV's 3rd massive Confederate Flag monument in Florida. The first site is located just north of Tallahassee, and the second is located just south of the Florida / Georgia border along interstate I-75 in the town of White Springs.

What sets the Tampa Flag site apart from the other 2 existing sites is that the Tampa one will be, according to Wikipedia, the 3rd largest Confederate Flag in the world, and will be the largest one that is flown at a measurement of 50 feet. To those of you that are not familiar with the scale ratio, that is about the size of a small house and it makes it the largest flag in Florida.

News of the Tampa Confederate Flag has been a top story in the Bay Area all day, local media outlets from local network news casts and radio shows have given there opinions on the flag and hardly any of it has been supportive.

To those that do not live in Tampa allow us to explain, you see Tampa over the last 15 years has changed from a sleepy Southern city like Asheville, Columbia, or Nashville into a over populated concrete hell hole that has abandoned its Southern heritage and culture in favor of a fake Cuban one. The culprits behind this massive culture shift is none other then the Northern Scum themselves whom have descended upon the Bay Area like Flys on you know what since 1984 when the City and County first began to sweep Southern heritage and culture under the rug.

For example pre-1984 the County seal was a Confederate Battle Flag, and both the City and County honored all Confederate holidays from Lee-Jackson Day to Confederate Memorial Day; however in 1986, just 2 short years later, both the City and County government began to posture for an end to its proud history and voted to not only remove and change the County seal, but also refused to honor any Southern holidays while at the same time they bent over backwards to kiss the rear end of Northerners such as George Stienbriener and his New York Yankees, and the droves of Northern transplants that are for the most part anti-Southern bigots.

By 1990 the City removed any literature or evidence that Tampa was a Confederate city and was host to 4 pretty large scale battles which the boys in Gray won; instead the City focused on its post war history and began to over promote the ghetto of Ybor City and its insignificant Cuban history and the Cubans minor impact upon the City. The City of Tampa also redacted its seal to cover up Tampa's true founding date which was 1841, and instead replaced it with the later date of 1898 to coincide with their claim of Cuban history.

Given the yellow turn coat efforts of both the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County to appease the transplants and cover up its native history it is no wonder that the local media has chosen to attack the SCV Tampa Confederate Flag instead of embrace it as a proud symbol of defiance to tyranny and symbol of pride and honor that it is. The most out spoken of Tampa's local media has been liberal network channels such as ABC 28, and Bay News 9 that would rather spew liberal opinion rather then report the news. In addition both the St. Pete Times and the Tampa Tribune have taken up arms against the flag and have done a poor job at reporting the facts, frankly we are shocked at the Tribune's lack of journalistic integrity normally they are fair. However it does not surprise us that the Times has done what they have done, what else should you expect from a news paper that supported N.A.M.B.L.A. (North American Man Boy Love Association), the legalization of Mariana, the banning of all firearms, and regular attacks upon Christianity.

The Southern Party of Florida and the Florida Patriot encourage all Southerners and Flag supporters to donate money to the SCV Flags Across Florida Project and help them get the memorial built as soon as possible. By our count we Confederates are out numbered by the enemy 10 to 1 on our own soil and need as much help as possible. Also do not forget to call into local radio shows and write letters to the editors, the Southern voice must be heard loud and clear if we are to come out of this with the upper hand.

God Bless the CSA!

Tampa, FL - Since 2004 when gas prices began to soar, due to hurricanes and refinery closings. Then after the storms were history and the refineries were back open gas kept climbing for no reason what so ever. Currently gas is driving us all to the poor house and people on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line have been scratching their heads in search for answers to why, who, and what.

Well currently the state of the economy is in the gutter and were are staring down the barrel of a major recession that may develop into a depression if things do not improve soon. For example with gas prices currently hovering just shy of $4.00 here in Tampa the local economy is collapsing as consumers exhaust what little bit of "disposable income" the had remaining to pay for essential staples such as food, clothing and shelter. When you combine the gas crisis with the over inflated and bottomed out housing market we are on the verge of a big calamaty.

The culprit behind this economic pitfall is not OPEC, Iraq, Hummers, oil or Iran, but is right under our noses and its name is the Federal Reserve Bank. For those that did not know the Federal Reserve has the power to raise and lower the value of the U.S. Dollar at will depending on a practice that is known as "Fractional Reserve Banking", which is also known by its generic term "Inflation". I bet y'all also did not know that the "Fed" as it is called does not answer to any branch of the American Government, and no one in the Government from the President, Congress or the Supreme Court has authority over it or what it does which in itself is a major crisis.

The Fed and its "Board of Trustees", which is a who's, who of American Billionaires uses this unchecked, dictator like power, to raise and lower the value of money by a series of countermeasures. For example for every brick of gold in its vaults the Fed gives bank notes, or money, to member banks; they typically give triple the amount of money then what the gold is worth. Then the member banks then loan this diluted cash to lower banks by once again giving them triple the amount they originally got from the Fed. Then this money is then passed on to us the consumer in the forms of salary, student loans, credit cards, home loans, auto loans, etc.

So basically you now have an up side down pyramid, with one brick of gold at the bottom, which lets say is only worth $1,000 dollars, which was then turned into $10,000 by the member banks whom then loaned this fake $10,000 to lower banks and credit unions to the tune of $100,000, which we then use, and which really has no real value any more, thus which is why our economy is beginning to fall apart due to this criminal activity.

The SPFL believes that until the economy returns to the Gold Standard, and abolishes the Federal Reserve System, we (Both Americans and Southerners) will continue to loose wealth and stay firmly entrenched in the Rat Race that we will more often then not loose.

Since the Federal Reserve system was signed into law by Woodrow Wilson the U.S. Economy has steadily declined and was the victim of its only Great Depression. Prior to the Federal Reserve System, during the era of the Gold Standard, the U.S. and C.S. economies were prosperous minus of course during the latter years of the War. However following the War of Northern Aggression and the end of the Reconstruction era, the new U.S. economy repaired itself in matter of 3 years and started an era of un presidented growth and prosperity which lasted until the Federal Reserve was created, and has not been duplicated since.

We urge all parties that want to learn more about this hidden truth to check out the "American Empire - Part One" series which can be found in the e-pages of this here news site; the video is about 50 minutes long and covers everything we attempted to explain above in absolute and crystal detail.

Odessa, FL - In response to current economic conditions, namely out of control gas prices, the leadership of the Southern Party of Florida has decided to save some money by moving its temporary field HQ from Odessa to Tampa.

The move had been proposed at the last month at a meeting of the Executive Committee by Chairperson Floyd as part of the Chairpersons new "Lead by Example" initiative to save party funds by aggressively cutting back on expenses; Chairperson Floyd sited the out of control gas prices as the sole issue for the move.

Initially the proposal to move the party almost 30 miles to the east of its current location drew some minor flak from some Committee members whom were opposed to the move; however with gasoline on the verge of $4.00 a gallon any opposition to the move had been eliminated by today's announcement. At 10am this morning Chairperson Floyd notified the Executive Committee of the SPFL via e-mail that he had signed Executive Order #004 which authorizes the move and the closing of the Party's Odessa U.S. Post Office Box.

Under the current terms of "Marshall Authority" which has been granted to the Chairperson by the current Party ByLaws and Charter, he or she, has the right to use Executive Authority to carry out any and all basic, non-politically binding, decisions in the best interest of the party with or without the approval of the Executive or State Committee.

Per the Executive Order agents of the SPFL have 25 calendar days to open the new PO Box Tampa; however Party Leaders expect to have a new box open by no later then Friday - June 13th. In the mean time until the new box can be opened the Party asks that all correspondence intended for the SPFL or its agents, officers, and leaders be sent electronically to their contact e-mails which can be found on the Party's website.