Yesterday I was kicked out of the People's House in Hellanta in front of 400 of my compatriots and the hierarchy of our SCV. My terrible crime was my display of the 3X5 '56 Georgia flag that I refused to either leave outside or to surrender to the fascist gestapo. It was a very sad day when I was forced to SNEAK the REAL Georgia flag into the Capitol building like it was something terrible or a piece of trash to be thrown aside. I refused to surrender MY colors! I refused to cast them aside like trash! I borrowed the flag I had to sneak inside from a compatriot who had been told to take it off the pole and then was refused entrance unless he laid it aside also. During TN. Div. Commander Shelton's speech I unfurled the flag up on the steps behind our color guard and after about 10 minutes I was approached by a compatriot with "orders" to fold it up. I folded it with the blue field and state seal showing and draped it over my arm which was followed by another order to come down off the steps and be escorted to the front door. My first thought was to unfurl the flag and shout, "Hell no I won't go" but I thought of what kind of altercation might follow when they physically removed me from the building. I refused to go meekly to the guard so I headed to the front door on my own and he caught me at the entrance to the rotunda. He "escorted" me to the front door and told me if I threw the flag in the corner then I could come back in but if I were to go "outside and display that flag" I could not come back in. I told him I refused to surrender the flag to him or anyone else in THAT building and I went outside. I gave it about 5 minutes and after he left I walked back in and went to the other side of the rotunda and sat down with a 12"X18" '56 flag and displayed it.      I found it hard to believe how many folks were so eager to just cast aside their colors, many just lay them on the floor inside the door or left them outside. After I quite loudly plead with folks not to just throw their colors aside and surrender them, a fellow came up to me and asked my name and where I was from, I told him and then heard someone say that he was Ben Smith from the AJC so I told him the "interview" was over and to go talk to Dan Coleman and I left. I found a fellow compatriot outside who refused to give up his colors and asked him to keep mine outside so that I could go inside with the hidden flag.      If anyone criticizes those who stayed outside and refused to surrender to the Capitol Nazis then you are the ones who should be ashamed that you so quickly and quietly just tossed aside the flag that we were all there to support. Yes "they" succeeded in dividing us but all they gained was giving the media another scab to pick off our butts. What we accomplished was far greater than what little we lost, we turned out over 400 pissed off Georgia voters (not to mention those from other states who came in to support us) and showed them that the issue is far from dead. We learned another hard lesson and we will go on from here and do better next time, but if you tell me or one of my men to throw aside our colors you better watch closely for that thumb to the nose "cause it ain't gonna happen brother!      It was a great day to spite our temporary set back at the front door and inside and was thoroughly enjoyed by all who I spoke with afterward. We look forward to doing it again and using these lessons to come back stronger and more organized next time. God bless all who attended and I hope all got home safe and without incident. God save the South. DEO VINDICE!

With Confederate pride and blood, Sam Lyons, Commander #2022