The past twelve months have seen a flurry of political activity in the Southern movement as the League of the South and other pro-South groups have become politically mobilized. Southern parties have been formed in some states, whereas political action committees affiliated with the League of the South have been formed in others. This is in addition to the existing constitutional and sovereignty-based movements that take the form of political "third parties" across the South.

On 15 January 2000, the Southern Political Alliance (SPA) was formed to serve as a unifying agent for the Southern political movement. Represented at the inaugural meeting were representatives of various independent state Southern parties, the Constitution Party of Mississippi, the Sovereignty Party of Louisiana, and our very own Georgia Party. With the SPA, there is finally hope that a viable and unified third party movement for the people of the South can arise. For this reason, the SPA has received the endorsement of the League of the South, and League members are asked to join their own local SPA affiliate. It is expected that, through the vehicle of the SPA, the differences between the various independent third party movements will be alleviated, and that a strong, unified, regional, third party will soon arise to lead the South back to a governing structure based on the principle of States rights.

The united States presidential primaries have shown clearly why the South needs a political alternative. Democratic front-runner Al Gore has demonstrated his hatred of the Southern people (and of his own heritage) by denouncing the Confederate battle flag as a symbol of bigotry. Republican hopeful John McCain has criticized his rival for speaking to "Southern fundamentalists." Meanwhile, neither side has demonstrated any interest in reducing the federal government to its constitutionally mandated level of authority.

Of course, this predicament is nothing new. Secession of the Southern states in 1861 came about precisely because the federal government did not respect the South, its culture, or its institutions. Since the end of the War for Southern Independence, the two major parties have both, from time to time, courted the Southern vote by appealing to the values of the Southern people.

Upon taking control in Washington, however, both parties have betrayed the South and contributed to the growth of a federal government that is always looking for new boundaries over which to illegally expand.

A number of third parties have been formed over the years in response to what is seen as a "two-party system" that has effectively taken control of all governmental power. But the last new party to make any significant headway and have any lasting impact was Lincoln’s Republican Party. Every other effort has either disappeared or remains hopelessly ineffective. Why will the SPA thrive where all other efforts have failed?

The SPA will succeed because its agenda of state sovereignty is unassailable. An honest reading of the U.S. Constitution, particularly the Tenth Amendment, makes it clear that the SPA is right, and the two major parties are wrong. It is rare for a political party to hold a position of such clear moral high ground, and that will be noticed by voters starved for moral leadership that reflects their own Southern values.

One of the many strong points of the SPA is that it governs itself by that very principle of States rights. The state affiliates receive only support, and not mandates, from the central body. The only requirements of the state affiliates are that they be Southern, and that they work honorably toward reclaiming their own State’s lost sovereignty from the federal government. The SPA does not receive money from its affiliates, so all state party funds stay within the individual state. Each state party has sovereign control over its own fundraising, campaigning, and other operations, making this a true grassroots effort.

The focus on grassroots growth and local sovereignty is a unique political approach with strong potential for success. Most third party movements expend their resources trying to obtain statewide ballot access, in order to run candidates for the highest political offices. Those that actually attain ballot access have only unproven and unknown candidates. However, because SPA affiliates know that true authority resides at the state and local level, we are more likely to concentrate on local elections, where there is a higher potential for success and greater ease of ballot access. Statewide ballot access will come over time, as we gradually build local bases of support. When statewide ballot access is achieved, we will already have a large number of locally elected officials from which to select our candidates for statewide office.

Interested observers are invited to attend the next regional meeting of the SPA in Vicksburg, MS on 8 April 2000. The meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn in Vicksburg from 10am to 4pm. The hotel is located at 3330 Clay St. in Vicksburg, across from the entrance to the Vicksburg Battle Park. This is an opportunity to get involved in the Southern political movement while at the same time visiting an important site in the history of the South.

The local affiliate of the SPA is The Georgia Party (www.southernparties.net /users/Georgia), chaired by Steve Conner (stevec155@aol.com). The Georgia Party has an exciting plan for growth for the next twelve months, and plans to have five locally elected officials after the end of the November 2000 elections. If this concept of a Southern party based on the principle of state sovereignty, within the confines of a loosely confederated regional support group, appeals to you, then you are encouraged to become a member of The Georgia Party today. One-year membership dues are only $20, and can be mailed to The Georgia Party at 1543 Highway 138 SE, Suite S-141, Conyers, Georgia 30013.

The Georgia League of the South now has an email list which allows all on-line Georgia League Members to share information and receive up-to-the-minute updates from the State and National League Leadership.

This list will allow us to stay current on League business, and other Southern matters that are too often suppressed by "The Press." By forwarding critical information you receive from the list to other interested, Pro-South persons, you can help defend "The Eternal Cause." This can be in the form of information supporting the Southern Cause, or information about the movements of those trying to "tear ol’ Dixie down."

If you are a Georgia League Member and you are not presently subscribed to the list, email James Garner at james@georgiacsa.com and he will add you to the list. To post to the list send an email to GeorgiaLOS@onelist.com. This will send an email to everyone who is subscribed to the list.

Presently, there are 57 Georgia League Members on the list. As more Georgia League Members are added to the list, it will become increasingly important to minimize the number of messages posted to the list. If several hundred members are on the list and someone posts a good newspaper article, then each member of the list posts a message to the list, agreeing with the newspaper article, you will have several hundred messages in your in box. To keep everyone’s in-box from getting overloaded, please observe the following guidelines when posting to the list:

Please only post information relating to League activities or newspaper articles or other written material related to Southern Heritage, or attacks on our Southern Heritage.

If you want to thank someone for posting a message or comment about the message, reply to them privately _ to their individual email address _ this address will appear in header of the message that they posted to the list.

If you do reply to a message because you have additional information that everyone on the list should know about, after you click on the reply button, or arrow and type your message, delete any unneeded portion of the original e-mail message that you are replying to, this also will minimize the size of the message you are sending everyone.

A ten day radio campaign in Macon, Georgia has produced the greatest harvest yet for the Georgia chapter of the League of the South.

From March 13^th to the 24^th, radio station WMAC 940 AM in Macon ran 50 one-minute spots five times per day. About halfway through the campaign 18 calls had been received from Georgians who wanted information on joining the League. Most callers indicated they had friends who were also interested in joining. One caller stated that he had over 20 people in his re-enacting unit who wanted to join.

To increase the number of new members, an informational meeting is planned at Wesleyan College in Macon on 1 April, 2000. All callers are being asked to come to the meeting and bring as many friends as possible. Ray McBerry, the producer of our current radio commercial, and Jim Arp, our Georgia State Chairman, will speak to the group.

Thank all of you who contributed money for this radio campaign! The generous contributions from you Georgians are what made this campaign possible.

The Northwest Georgia chapter of the League is going to air 30 second radio ads for their chapter beginning in April. This will be on AM WRGA, a talk show station featuring conservative hosts. Three ads a day for two weeks is going to "blow our wad." Contributions are requested. Cheques should be made out to: Northwest Georgia League of the South and sent to: POB 1222 Silver Creek, GA 30173 (David Beckmann, Director)

Photo and Caption by Jack Cowart

When I lay down on my deathbed and have only a little time left to wonder how I spent my life, I do not want to find myself regretting that I lived "just another life." I do not want to come to that final conclusion that I only visited this world, and wasted precious opportunities to do something of value. I want my time, talents, energy and passion to have been for something noble, even valorous. Let my monument be not in stone, but written in broad letters across the hearts of free men and women everywhere as they carry on the eternal work of safeguarding the culture and heritage passed on to me and that I pass on to them. Let me be a strong, trustworthy link in the most beautiful civic and cultural chain ever forged by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit on the souls of men and women. For I would rather be a dollar well spent than a fortune squandered. And this time I have now, I only have now; and the choice of how I use it must be made now.

The Georgia Southron is a publication of the Georgia Chapter of the League of the South. Senior Editor is Jack H. Cowart. Comments, criticisms, corrections and other pertinent remarks may be sent to stonelion@mindspring.com. Articles from Georgia members of the League of the South are solicited. Letters to the Editor are also appreciated, and may be used in whole or in part. Opinions expressed herein belong to the Senior Editor, who takes full responsibility for them. Anyone wishing to express an anti-South point of view must first carefully read the book, The South Was Right by J. R. and W. D. Kennedy. Then if you can muster the gumption to say anything bad about the South or the Confederate government you’d best just return to the Goebbels School of Yankee Ideology for a good brain washing before you tell that big lie.