|
CIC Wilson
Suffers GEC Defeat In an unexpected defeat for CIC Ron Wilson, the SCV General Executive Council (GEC) overturned the suspension of Army of Northern Virginia commander Charles Hawks during the weekend of March 21-22. Hawks had been relieved of command for revealing details of sensitive GEC discussions. Save the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SSCV) has learned that the information Hawks supposedly revealed was that the North Carolina Division had been given a specific period of time to discipline a North Carolina camp commander, Gilbert Jones. Jones had appeared in a television interview and publicly condemned extremists within the SCV. Jones’ interview resulted in the passage of the "Memphis resolution" at the SCV national convention in August of 2002. That resolution forbids the public criticism of any SCV member by any other member and forbids making critical statements to the media. Jones subsequently co-founded the Save the SCV movement with Hugh Harkey of North Carolina and Walter Hilderman of South Carolina. All three men were interviewed by various newspapers, the Associated Press and the Southern Poverty Law Center. These interviews violated the Memphis gag-rule. Hawks’ failure to silence Jones and their involvement with Save the SCV made them primary targets of the same extremist faction within the SCV that Jones had criticized: the League of the South and Council of Concerned Citizens (LoS/CCC); a faction of which CIC Wilson is a part. On November 16, 2002, CIC Wilson telephoned Hawks during a Save the SCV meeting. When they met two hours later, Wilson suspended Hawks. Wilson’s purge of SSCV supporters was broadened in late January, 2003 when Gilbert Jones and his camp, four brigade commanders, and seven additional camps and their commanders, were suspended. Wilson’s actions were devised to reduce SSCV voting power at the N.C. Division meeting in mid-February. While under suspension, camps and individuals may not vote. SSCV had planned to introduce several resolutions at that meeting. Jones later resigned from the SCV but Hawks continued to fight his suspension. The victory for Hawks was gained by a one vote majority on the GEC: nine votes to reinstate him, versus eight to sustain the suspension. All but two former SCV Commanders-in-Chief voted in favor of Hawks, as did current army commanders and council members from both the Army of Trans-Mississippi and the Army of Tennessee. GEC members have made few statements regarding the vote, perhaps concerned that CIC Wilson would take action against them. Behind-the-scenes efforts by Save the SCV and others have been credited with helping turn the GEC in favor of reinstating Hawks. Former CICs and current army commanders represent the majority of rank-and-file SCV members, while most of those who voted with Wilson are in current staff positions. The GEC vote pattern is consistent with the fact that Ron Wilson’s and Kirk Lyons’ attempt to radicalize the SCV is a movement at the top of the organization and does not reflect the attitudes of the national membership. (It is no mere coincidence that Wilson supports an on-going effort to amend the SCV constitution to deprive past CICs of their GEC voting rights. Wilson was present and supported a resolution to this effect that was passed at the recent South Carolina Division reunion.) In a related development, SCV members Ron Holland, editor of the Dixie Daily News, and Terry Crayton, Camp Commander of the Maj. Ross Camp in Charlotte, N.C. have violated the very same Memphis gag-order that got Hawks and Jones suspended. In publicly criticizing the GEC on the Internet, Holland refers to GEC members who reinstated Hawks as "Grannies" who sold-out to the Southern Poverty Law Center. He declares that these GEC members are supporting "the enemies of Dixie." Holland provides a link to where Crayton criticizes the GEC for caving-in "to the left-wing media and the Southern Poverty Law Center." He refers to the GEC members as, "Nine Misguided Souls." Crayton also condemns Walt Hilderman, commander of a suspended camp in Matthews N.C.; and Hugh Harkey, a suspended N.C. brigade commander. Crayton calls for the expulsion of SSCV members and urges the membership to bombard the nine GEC members with negative mail. GEC members who supported Hawks are now being subjected to the same lies that have been used against SSCV for several months: alleged ties with the liberal media and being, "in bed with Morris Dees" and the SPLC. The LoS/CCC gang uses this tactic to divert attention away from their take-over of the SCV. There is certainly no connection between GEC members and the media or the SPLC; nor is there any alliance between these groups and Save the SCV. The connection that should concern SCV members is Ron Wilson’s position as a front-man for racists and neo-secessionists and the power he allows them to have in the SCV. Holland’s and Crayton’s public website remarks are in obvious violation of the Memphis resolution. CIC Wilson did not hesitate to suspend 350 SCV members for publicly criticizing him. Will he suspend Ron Holland and Terry Crayton for criticizing other SCV members? We think not. Those who oppose Ron Wilson, Kirk Lyons and the LoS/CCC gang, are being purged from the SCV. Those who support the League of the South and the Council of Conservative Citizens are appointed to staff positions. CIC Wilson, Kirk Lyons and their LoS/CCC faction are worried about the SCV national convention that will be held at Asheville, N.C. They should be worried. Not only has the GEC overturned the Hawks suspension, but Save SCV has organized support in Florida, Virginia, Alabama and North Carolina, plus networks in the other divisions. Wilson’s closest ally, Kirk Lyons, has been forced to maintain a low profile during the current FBI investigation into his connections with extremists groups. As a result, Lyons has been forced off of the SCV’s Long Range Planning Committee. Terry Crayton ends his Internet rantings with this comment: "It looks like the grannies still have more power than we thought." That is true. The membership can still regain control of the SCV’s destiny. But to do so, we must realize who the actual enemies of the Son of Confederate Veterans are. |
