An Open Letter: Florida UDC's Ginger Rudiger Must Go!

April 1, 2018
Florida UDC President Ginger Rudiger Must Go

Dear Ms. Lunelle,

The harmful statements made by UDC President Ginger Rudiger in the State of Florida to Fox News sanctioning the movements of Cenotaphs of the Confederate soldier continues to gain momentum as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in Ft. Myers has seized the opportunity to make its agenda of sacrilege justifiable by not only playing back those statements, but also by having the audacity to reach out to the United Daughters of the Confederacy for help to carry out this carnage.

After being made privy that Ms. Rudiger has made a statement of apology to the UDC ; I can only concur wholeheartedly with the Florida Sons of Confederate Veterans Heritage Defense Chair (see forwarded message below), and the UDC members I have spoken with that an apology for her actions do not go far enough. That apology should be accompanied by a letter of resignation from her office, and possibly from the organization.

Her resignation will reputiate her statement and be the Florida Division's only hope in ending the snowballing.

God bless you!
Your brother,
HK

David R. McCallister
Chief of Heritage Defense
Florida Division
Sons of Confederate Veterans

President Bryson
UDC President General
Richmond, Virginia

Please review the following media items:

https://www.news-press.com/story/news/2018/03/29/confederate-group-asked-join-effort-move-robert-e-lee-statue-fort-myers-street/470728002/

https://www.fox4now.com/news/local-news/naacp-seeks-partnership-to-relocate-confederate-statue

This broadcast and article, and others like them, would not be a problem,
but for the action of the President of the Florida Division of the UDC,
Ginger Rudiger.

The UDC President of Florida has again been used as a pawn
to reopen an attack on a UDC monument in Florida. The fact that it is a
monument to General Lee himself, in Lee County, is even more egregious and
hurtful. The NAACP is again claiming, in very public media, television and
newspapers, that the UDC is willing to countenance removal of hitherto
public monuments to secluded locations - the virtual "skeleton closet" of
the civic landscape: museums and cemeteries. The tactic of "seeking
cooperation" of the UDC, is clearly posturing cant; but it is there
nonetheless, and needs to be addressed.

Not only was President Rudiger's poorly thought out interview used as an
argument by public officials to remove the Hillsborough County Monument,
"Memoria in Aeterna", last year, but her remarks as President of the Florida
Division of the UDC, notwithstanding her claim that they were personal, are
obviously still being used (and will be used over and over again in the
future), against the efforts of the Southern community to preserve our
heritage in its public manifestation of cenotaphs, statues, monuments and
memorial markers in prominent locations in courthouse squares, and parks.

The attack on Gen. Lee's bust Ft. Myers and portrait in the Lee County
Commission chambers is only the latest outrage of a perennial problem there.
The UDC President of Florida needs to immediately respond and repudiate the
implication that the UDC will cooperate in the removal or relocation of such
Confederate imagery, and there should be a call from the UDC National
President, as well as the other national officers, as there has been in
Florida, for her resignation from office. Her recent letter of apology to
the members of the UDC in Florida is insufficient to prevent the continued
public attacks which use the impression she has given of capitulation and
cooperation, personal and statewide, with the bitter enemies of our Southern
heritage. Her public silence betokens consent.

In the wake of events in Florida specifically, as well as around the nation,
The Sons of Confederate Veterans passed a resolution at the 2017 Memphis
Reunion last summer calling upon all of us in the Southern Heritage
Community, including the UDC, to refuse to agree to removal and relocation
of monuments.

As the SCV Florida Division Heritage Operations Chief, I ask you on the UDC
National level, to help correct this unfortunate situation with the
perception of the UDC in the State of Florida. Ginger Rudiger needs to
respond, repudiate, and then resign.

It is the honorable thing to do.

Deo Vindice,
David R. McCallister,
Chief of Heritage Operations,
SCV Florida Division

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