The following piece was sent to us by Glen. Our response follows. -News 12

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Dear Editor,

I just watched a story of which you were covering a proposed march by the KKK in Aiken and I am not happy with the way you distort the truth. As you talked about this group wanting to have a rally in April you showed a flag display that appeared to be one of the memorials to the Confederacy that are located near one of the highways in Aiken County.

Number 1: Why did you include this picture while referring to this group?

Number 2: The memorial site has nothing to do with this group but is a memorial to the Cause for which it stands.

Number 3: Your coverage in this manner only propagates the lies that have been told over many years as to the truth of what the war was about.

Number 4: I have included a link to an actual Klan rally (one of the largest ever) in Washington, DC that shows what flag they really stand behind.

Number 5: This group began using our beloved Confederate Flags with no approval from the majority of ancestors of this event.

Number 6: If you will check history you will find that the only flag on any ship that imported slaves to this country was the American flag and NO Confederate flag ever flew over any of these ships.

Number 7: Slavery before the war was going to end even if the war hadn’t happened because the people of the South knew it wasn’t right, its time was coming. Lincoln himself said that it was to keep the Union intact and only later used the issue of slavery to further the cause of keeping the Southern states in the Union and to bring about a quicker end to it all.

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause." The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume V, "Letter to Horace Greeley" (August 22, 1862), p. 388.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYh8MOnAgv8

Please tell the truth and do not associate the Confederate memorials or the Confederate States of America to this group.

Thanks,

Glen

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Thanks for that, Glen. You make a good point that the Confederate Memorial on the Aiken-Augusta Highway has nothing to do with the Klan march. But obviously, the Klan started carrying the Confederate flag in their parades years ago. They'll probably carry it again in April. We'll try not to confuse Confederate Memorials with Klan rallies. But you have to agree not to blame us if they hi-jack the flag and you see it on TV.

Richard Rogers, News 12

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