Editor, The News-Herald:

I understand that the paper’s policy wisely limits the domination of the Letters to the Editor section by a few vociferous contributors, but I hope that you will be kind enough to pass on my thoughts to Robert Pockington.

My dear Robert:

Blinded by political correctness, you failed to grasp the point of my recent letter to the editor. It had nothing to do with pro or con The Confederacy. It had to do with FREEDOM. The freedom to march or not to march. The freedom to publicly express one’s views or not to do so. You and Mrs. Birdsong have chosen to avail yourselves of that freedom by publicly speaking out against others who would exercise it. The Sons of The Confederacy and I have chosen to speak out in defense of that precious freedom. I have dedicated my life to defending that freedom, not by word alone but by example and deed.

Yes, Robert, I know you were in &uot;The Big One&uot; and both God and America have blessed you for that, but it’s not enough. The defense of freedom is a life-long endeavor. Be on guard against those who would steal that freedom from you under the guise of patriotism. The suppression of free expression is Nazism and Communism, not Patriotism.

By comparing my family to the Japanese & Nazi of WWII, you have done nothing more than expose your ignorance, but I forgive you. Personal attack is a favorite weapon of left wing radicals as recently demonstrated by Hollywood proponents of creeping socialism and political correctness. They are the ones who would suppress your freedom of expression if it’s for a cause they are too ignorant to understand.

I am an eighth-generation Suffolkian and quite proud of my ancestors, two of whom were Officers in The Confederacy. One returned home penniless to find his land and home had been seized by carpetbaggers.

Starting from scratch, he became a business leader who helped bring Suffolk up from its knees. He also erected the Confederate Monument in Cedar Hill. The other went on to become governor of Alabama and was subsequently appointed a federal judge by Theodore Roosevelt. He was praised by the President & the widow of General Grant for his efforts to bring about the healing of our post-war nation. In your eyes they and General Lee may have been Nazi. Ike kept General Lee’s portrait in the Oval Office during his tenure as President so it is unlikely that he shared your opinion of him. By the way, wasn’t Ike your Commander-in-Chief? Well, enough of my thoughts. Thanks for listening, old man. May God continue to bless you & America. United we stand.

Tom Cohoon

Suffolk