This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------DB5178109A4719A7342F17D5 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I feel this is something everyone should hear about some bad reporting.. Have a happy Thanksgiving and God bess. Ronald Sandidge --------------DB5178109A4719A7342F17D5 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: <commander@beaufort-hyde.org> Received: from auth1.infoave.net (auth1.infoave.net [165.166.8.55]) by Sprite.viptx.net (8.9.1/8.9.1) with ESMTP id XAA11074 for <rons@viptx.net>; Wed, 25 Nov 1998 23:32:24 -0600 Received: from vonnegut (dial-38.r2.ncsdny.infoave.net [204.116.82.168]) by auth1.infoave.net (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id FAA00927; Thu, 26 Nov 1998 05:28:08 GMT From: "Joel Raupe" <commander@beaufort-hyde.org> To: "SCV DISPATCH" <scvdispatch@polaris.net> Subject: Confederate Families Denounce Reporting Date: Thu, 26 Nov 1998 00:29:37 -0500 Message-ID: <001901be18fd$c28a7940$a85274cc@vonnegut> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook 8.5, Build 4.71.2173.0 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.3155.0 Importance: Normal Confederate Families Denounce "Unethical Reporting" Regarding College Course (c) 1998 BeaufortCountyNOW.com By Piazzi Smyth Archdale, NC - Nov. 26: The entire leadership of the Sons of Confederate Veterans joined instructor Jack Perdue in denouncing writer Ethan Feinsilver for "unethical reporting," Wednesday, in Archdale. Perdue defended a series of non-credited college lectures he organized which was cancelled hours prior to its last scheduled meeting last week. "North Carolina's Role in the War for Southern Independence" was abruptly shut down by Randolph Community College officials following complaints from NAACP officials and inquiries from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. Sons of Confederate Veterans members joined Perdue Wednesday in denouncing the cancellation and pointed to one newspaper reporter as the source of the misunderstanding. In the Greensboro News and Record Ethan Feinsilver wrote "the course teaches that the vast majority of black people were satisfied with their lives as slaves," according to Perdue. Perdue, however, insisted on Wednesday "no such statement was ever made in the class." The series of stories was picked up by the Associated Press and reprinted throughout North Carolina and as far away as Arizona. "Mr. Feinsilver asked for and was provided a course schedule," Perdue said, "and expressed a particular interest in the session entitled 'The Role of Blacks and Native Americans.' In spite of his interest in this session and the fact that most of his defamatory accusations deal with this topic, he did not attend this session and does not have any first hand knowledge of what was said." The Archdale news conference at Randolph Community College was attended by representatives of more than fifteen North Carolina newspapers and radio and television outlets who listened as North Carolina S.C.V. Commander Larry Beeson took the opportunity to defend the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Perdue is Commander of a regional S.C.V. Camp in High Point. "There are those in our society," Beeson said, "who have taken upon themselves the job of finding everything that in any form or fashion is in some way considered offensive to some portion of the public, and then attempting to use it as a means of dividing the community. "We strongly denounce the unethical practice of reporting Mr. Feinsilver has displayed," Beeson said. "Everyone should be proud of their heritage and allow others the same right to be proud of theirs. Those who take exception with our position to meet in open forum and discuss these issues so that the public can be properly informed of the entire content of this class..." "Articles written by Ethan Feinsilver...made false and misleading statements," Perdue told reporters. "In preparing this statement, I have reviewed video tapes made of the classes to be sure of the accuracy of my statements. Mr. Feinsilver reported the course 'teaches that most black people were happy under slavery.' No such statement was ever made in any session of the course." In reports Feinsilver quoted UNC-Chapel Hill historian Harry Watson and his preported surprise 'that anybody is defending slavery in this day and age.' "No defense of slavery was ever made in any session of the class, Perdue told reporters. "Mr. Watson has never attended any of our sessions and was probably just reacting to misinformation provided to him by Mr. Feinsilver." Feinsilver, Perdue continued, wrote the Randolph County NAACP labeled the course 'offensive.' "Mr. Richie Everette, the chapter president," Perdue said, "attended one hour of one class and spoke with me at the break. He made no reference to finding the course offensive. He inquired with some interest about the Sons of Confederate Veterans and how he might join. I gave him information on the SCV and offered to help him find out if he had any Confederate ancestors. "I think his statements are a reaction to race baiting misinformation given to him by Mr. Feinsilver," Perdue said. Regarding the interest shown in the course by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Perdue said Feinsilver's reports quote Wyatt Kirk, commission chairman in North Carolina, as asking, "How is the college letting this happen?" "How is it letting what happen?" Perdue asked. "No ones civil rights have been violated by this course except those of the students. Mr. Kirk has not attended a single session and Feinsilver attended one complete session and parts of two others." One student, Perdue said, "wrote a two page letter of complaint to his supervisor" regarding Feinsilver, "and one week prior to the first article... "As a result of Mr. Feinsilvers inaccurate articles being picked up by the Associated Press," Perdue continued, "Randolph Community College and the Sons of Confederate Veterans have been subjected to adverse publicity, harassment by the press from all over the U. S. and abroad and vilification by people who have no idea what was taught in the course. "In summary," Perdue said, "it appears the media was duped by an over zealous young reporter who is apparently relishing the publicity as he takes care in each subsequent article to point out the major networks covering his story. This was just an adult continuing education history course which included guest instructors including an associate history professor from an area university, a retired professor from an area four year college and an author and writer from Mr. Feinsilvers own paper, none of whom would have participated in a course such as Mr. Feinsilver has described. All instructors donated their fees to fund an essay contest for eighth grade students in area schools." Beeson added in defense of the 102-year-old S.C.V. "Facts should never be distorted to create controversy. "We are a volunteer organization today just as we were when founded in 1896.Virginia. Our constitution renders us a patriotic, historical, civic, education, benevolent, non-political, non-racial, non-sectarian organization. We are a non-profit tax exempt entity recognized by the U.S. Government. "Today the Sons of Confederate Veterans is preserving the history and legacy of the Confederate soldiers so future generations can understand the motives that animated the Southern Cause. We are dedicated to insuring that a true history of the 1861-1865 period is preserved." --------------DB5178109A4719A7342F17D5--