Story Submitted By Save Southern Heritage
On Monday, Dec. 5, in a unanimous vote, the Lake City Council voted to adopt an Ordinance to protect monuments to Florida veterans in the City.
"We are so pleased that Lake City has decided it is time to respect monuments to those who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice," said David McCallister, Save Southern Heritage - Florida ("SSH FL") spokesman.
In the last year, dozens of monuments to American Veterans have been threatened around the country, and several have been moved. Recently, the WWII Monument in the mall in Washington, DC was vandalized.
"Americans understand the significance of the monuments for the service of our Veterans and they believe they should be protected. In many cases, these monuments take the place of an actual grave, as many veterans' final resting place is unknown" said McCallister.
In the aftermath of the presidential election, some Veteran monuments were vandalized by being used as a billboard for social protest. In Richmond, Va., monuments were painted with the words "your vote was a hate crime." In New Orleans, the Gen. Robert E. Lee monument was painted with multiple messages including "F%&* White People."
"We commend Lake City for taking this step, but they can do more. Floridians expect stricter penalties for vandalism, and stronger protection for these Veteran Cenotaphs," said McCallister. "Florida is a pro-veteran state and Floridians understand how we treat yesterday's veterans. Today signals how today's veterans will be treated tomorrow" added McCallister.
SAVE SOUTHERN HERITAGE Inc. is a 501 c (4) public welfare corporation that educates & advocates on behalf of Southern Heritage & History. It was started in 2015 in response to the knee-jerk Anti-Southern institutionalized bullying and “eracism” levied against the people of South Carolina by Governor Nikki Haley, after she broke all previous agreements about how South Carolina’s historical veterans and their symbols should be treated and respected.
The Florida branch was activated in mid-January 2016, in response to three initiatives in the Florida Legislature that are part of a hate campaign led by extremists, who refuse to respect the various cultures that make up the fabric of Florida’s society. Since that time, it has grown in membership and has been active in heritage battles throughout Florida.