THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

YOU WANT TO TALK CATASTROPHE? LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT A CATASTROPHE! | 2004-08-21

In 1865 we South Carolinians had lost the Civil War, big time. Our young manhood, a whole generation, had been decimated. Former Confederates were denied the right to vote. The majority of South Carolina's population was black and they had been given the vote.

"All is lost!"

On top of that we were occupied by the Federal Army under the Radical Republicans. That occupation lasted twelve years. Thousands of Yankee carpetbaggers came South with a license to steal and Federal bayonets and black votes to work with.

"All is lost!"

Seeing that all was lost for the South, thousands of Southern scalawags joined the majority black vote and the Federal occupation troops and the carpetbaggers.

"All is lost!"

Not only that, but we faced the majority of the ruling Yankee vote that was against us.

You see, the Yankees had their Greatest Generation, too. Millions of Yankees had Saved the Union just as the Greatest Generation Saved the World. They and their families hated us.

"All is lost!"

Looking at that situation, I would not see any hope either. But my grandfather, who later became a Methodist circuit riding preacher, joined the Redshirts anyway. The Redshirts took on the hopeless task of taking South Carolina back.

Not only did we take it back, but South Carolina became a bastion of white supremacy.

My heritage is NOT the heritage of whining the Greatest Generation left behind.

Maybe you should stop listening to the conservatives and the sophisticates and the Prophets of Doom.

Maybe you should start listening to Old Bob, a man who says, "This is familiar territory. We have been here before. Now let's get to work."