Sorry Jim, I guess some of us just got carried away. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to all law enforcement because of the statement I made about no one takes the time or no one cares to follow up on the vandalism in cemeteries. That was unfair to any and all police officers. I understand that with the economy like it is, most police agencies are working short on man power due to cut backs. But when you spend as much time in cemeteries doing research as I do, you see things that just really turns your stomach.
I have seen cemeteries way off the beaten path, miles down long, narrow, dusty dirt roads, that are very well maintained, thanks I am sure to the SCV and UDC, I have seen cemeteries in much the same remote locations that appear as though no one even knows they are there. I have also seen cemeteries along a highway, with grave markers that have fell over, the grass has not been cut in years, and it is in need of a lot of help.
But that is all neglect not vandalism, and as I said maybe for every vandal there is a good samaritan out there that just takes it upon his (or her) self to repair the damage and not ever expect any rewards or acknowledgement for what they did. There is nothing we can do, unless we actually see it happen, to stop vandals and their lack of respect for the ones that are buried there and their families. It is just a shame that our ancestors fought for a cause in which they believed and some gave their lives for, cannot be honored in peace and their markers, or monuments, be left alone for all to see and honor for years to come. I am afraid the day will come that no one will remember what a Confederate soldier stood for, what he believed, where he came from, where he went, the hard times of battle, hunger, and the long walk home to find all he ever owned was destroyed by an enemy that came into his homeland and destroyed it in the name of war. Our Confederate Flag has been practically banned from display, the song DIXIE has been banned, my granddaughter is a freshman in high school and she did not even know what it was or where it came from.
So to end this, our song and our flag have became politically incorrect so the one way we have to remember our ancestors is their grave markers, head stones, and monuments which left unprotected or not maintained will eventually disappear as our song and flag has.