"We are here, whether by God, fate or circumstance, we are here. I am a descendant of soldiers from Virginia and North Carolina who served in defense of their rights as citizens of Virginia, North Carolina, the Confederate States and United States of America. The Confederate descendants here, such as myself, stand before this council in hopes that you will reconsider the petition presented before this city and community banning the display of flags in Lexington.
This petition suggests no flag other than those which solely represent the city, state and national government will be permitted to fly. This has only become an issue recently because of prejudice against Confederate Americans who are being selectively ostracized from community participation by certain individuals and groups.
This petition banning flags is an act of intolerance and racism, and infringes upon the freedom of expression of Confederate Americans. It infringes upon all others as well, which have been able to share in peaceful harmony in community spirit for past celebrations without any such petition or ordinance. I stand here in defense of honor for Confederate Americans, including my ancestors, my family and myself. For over 150 years, we as Southerners have suffered equally the injustice of prejudice, malice and continued offense of unfair misrepresentation as any other group.
We petition the council to consider that we be allowed to share equally in the bounty of benefits and privileges within this community. We, as a whole, have had no malice towards anyone, other than that which has been provoked by our opposition and in our righteous and justifiable defense. Even during the war for Southern Independence, we stood only in defense to maintain the freedom bestowed upon us by our forefathers. The petition has been brought forth to deny citizens of Confederate descent the right to share in equal representation within the community of Lexington VA, but this is only one of a multitude of thousands of offenses enacted by individuals and other ethnic groups throughout the country and the world... factions stained with hypocrisy, that they alone stand for diversity, tolerance, civil liberties, and civil rights. They purport they believe in equal rights while they have persisted in denying other people their equal rights of existence to be able to work and live together without malice and bigotry.
Liberty cannot exist one sided. It must be free to coexist with the complexity of diversity to be diverse. We can keep it only if we have acceptance and tolerance for our differences. We are not the enemy of diversity. We are champions for freedom, from hypocrisy. We implore our opposition to open their minds and realize it is they who are offensive. We, as a group, stand in perpetuity for our defense by our opposition's offense. The result only deepens our resolve to be seen and heard equally, as any other group of citizens in the United States of America.
We will not concur with what our opposition want us to be. We will not relinquish our banners as much as our opposition may wish us to, for they represent our fight for freedom and existence. They are not symbols of hate, but of honor, integrity, independence and freedom. Our hearts are open. We have empathy for the suffering of all, which we have equally suffered as a people. We will defend our honor from the despotism, prejudice, malice and bigotry cast upon us by the ignorance and arrogance of those who only see what they want to, for their own selfishness... proof we are righteous is in our defense, because we do not exist to offend anyone. We will carry our banner, our cross, as our forefathers did.
It is within our hearts and will be always. We are inclusive we are open to diversity, and equality. We are who we are as Confederate Americans were good citizens as our forefathers were good soldiers. We implore our opposition to be observant that our objectives for life, liberty and pursuits of happiness are one in the same. The only way to end hate is to not hate and that weight is upon our opposition, with whom we would gain more together and rather be friends."
- Michael C. Lucas
This petition banning flags is an act of intolerance and racism, and infringes upon the freedom of expression of Confederate Americans. It infringes upon all others as well, which have been able to share in peaceful harmony in community spirit for past celebrations without any such petition or ordinance. I stand here in defense of honor for Confederate Americans, including my ancestors, my family and myself. For over 150 years, we as Southerners have suffered equally the injustice of prejudice, malice and continued offense of unfair misrepresentation as any other group.
We petition the council to consider that we be allowed to share equally in the bounty of benefits and privileges within this community. We, as a whole, have had no malice towards anyone, other than that which has been provoked by our opposition and in our righteous and justifiable defense. Even during the war for Southern Independence, we stood only in defense to maintain the freedom bestowed upon us by our forefathers. The petition has been brought forth to deny citizens of Confederate descent the right to share in equal representation within the community of Lexington VA, but this is only one of a multitude of thousands of offenses enacted by individuals and other ethnic groups throughout the country and the world... factions stained with hypocrisy, that they alone stand for diversity, tolerance, civil liberties, and civil rights. They purport they believe in equal rights while they have persisted in denying other people their equal rights of existence to be able to work and live together without malice and bigotry.
Liberty cannot exist one sided. It must be free to coexist with the complexity of diversity to be diverse. We can keep it only if we have acceptance and tolerance for our differences. We are not the enemy of diversity. We are champions for freedom, from hypocrisy. We implore our opposition to open their minds and realize it is they who are offensive. We, as a group, stand in perpetuity for our defense by our opposition's offense. The result only deepens our resolve to be seen and heard equally, as any other group of citizens in the United States of America.
We will not concur with what our opposition want us to be. We will not relinquish our banners as much as our opposition may wish us to, for they represent our fight for freedom and existence. They are not symbols of hate, but of honor, integrity, independence and freedom. Our hearts are open. We have empathy for the suffering of all, which we have equally suffered as a people. We will defend our honor from the despotism, prejudice, malice and bigotry cast upon us by the ignorance and arrogance of those who only see what they want to, for their own selfishness... proof we are righteous is in our defense, because we do not exist to offend anyone. We will carry our banner, our cross, as our forefathers did.
It is within our hearts and will be always. We are inclusive we are open to diversity, and equality. We are who we are as Confederate Americans were good citizens as our forefathers were good soldiers. We implore our opposition to be observant that our objectives for life, liberty and pursuits of happiness are one in the same. The only way to end hate is to not hate and that weight is upon our opposition, with whom we would gain more together and rather be friends."
- Michael C. Lucas
