Dear Supporter of Southern Heritage, Its time to start Operation "PUSH BACK HILLSBOROUGH" to protect "Memoria in Aeterna" in Downtown Tampa. Other Southern Heritage organizations have already started a calling campaign to the County Commissioners, so its time for us to 'pile on'. The precedent has been set in Florida now with the Alachua Co. Memorial in Gainesville, and the dominoes are starting to fall so we must PUSH BACK HARD to prevent a purge in Tampa. HOW TO HELP: 1. Call the County Commissioners - Tell them "Keep your hands off the Confederate War Memorial. if you live in Hillsborough County, make sure to mention it. Comm. Les Miller (D) - 813-272-5720 (he is driving the purge) Comm. Al Higgenbotham (R) - 813-272-5735 (possibly influencable) Comm. Sandy Murman (R) - 813-272-5470 (possibly influencable) Comm. Victor Crist (R) - 813-272-5452 (hopefully with us) Comm. Ken Hagan (R) - 813-272-5725 (hopefully with us) Comm. Stacy White (R) - 813-272-5740 (hopefully with us) Comm. Pat Kemp (D) - 813-272-5730 (likely against us now) Read about them here - http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/government/board-of-county-commissioners 2. Email the County Commissioners - Tell them you oppose the Mayor's plan to move the War Memorial - keep the Veteran's Memorial honoring Hillsborough County Confederate Veterans right where it is! Email them all here - https://webappsnet.hillsboroughcounty.org/Forms/BOCC/ContactCommissioners 3. Sign & Share the Change.org Petition to keep the Memorial Link here - https://www.change.org/p/commissioner-sandy-murman-saving-confederate-war-memorial-in-tampa?recruiter=28887230&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition 4. Send and eraser to Commissioner Les Miller - Yes an eraser!!! The old fashioned kind you can get at the dollar store - write on it - "don't erase History". Imagine if he has 500 erasers landing in his office! Great fun for us... big angst for him! And don't stop at one...mail a couple every other day!!!!! (they come in 2-3 packs) Mail it to him at: Commissioner Les Miller Hillsborough County Commission 601 E. Kennedy Blvd. Tampa, FL 33602 5. Make Plans Attend June 7th County Commission Meeting - Good speakers, who live in Hillsborough County, especially ones involved on county politics are needed to speak in opposition of any possible consideration of moving the War Memorial at 9 a.m. Email us at: floridasshe@gmail.com for more info. 65. Make a Donation Any amount will help - $1 - $5 - $25 - $50 - $100. We are developing a plan to amplify these efforts, but it will depend in what funds can be raised. Donate here: www.sshfl.org 7. Write a Letter to the Editor - Are you a writer? Consider a letter to the editor. Our position is that the Commission should let the people decide - put it to a referendum. Polls around the Florida and the country routinely show that the majority don't want war memorials moved - even if they are Confederate. ​ Info for submission to the Tampa Times here - https://www.tampabay.com/letters/ BACKGROUND In 1911, Hillsborough Co., FL acknowledged the memory of her fallen sons by dedicating the "Memoria in Aeterna" at the 1891 Courthouse. The monument cost $3,000, most raised from citizens of the County by the Tampa Chapter 113, United Daughters of the Confederacy, including a $500 contribution from the City of Tampa. The dedication speech acknowledged "the heroism and courage of those who wore the gray". In 1952, a new courthouse was erected, and the County re-located the memorial to its current position there. There have been efforts to 'erase' the Memorial from Tampa's civil landscape before, but they were strongly rejected by the citizenry. In 1996, the Memorial was restored, and in 1999 when vandals damaged the statue, Hillsborough County repaired it. Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller is a recognized #heritagehater. He used the tragic Charleston Church murders and faux tears to break the 'agreement' that Commissioner Jan Platt bartered regarding the County Seal, that erected a historical 3rd National CSA flag from an innocuous display in the County's center. He had the flags taken down and now he is demanding the 1911 War Memorial MUST GO! In opinion polls across Florida, the overwhelming number of voters oppose removal of these historical veterans memorials - but Les Miller doesn't care...he says the War Memorial is "divisive" and must go. In an "ISIS" - like purge, New Orleans has ripped down its most prominent War Memorials, and they are falling like dominoes...Orlando, Gainesville and how here. "The opponents say they are 'symbols of 'White Supremacy'". We say they are no more or no less "white supremacist symbols" than is the United States herself. Memorials to Confederate Veterans are just low hanging fruit in the current War on America. Let's stand strong and tell the Commission: "Keep Your Their Hands off the Confederate War Memorial". Veterans Monuments, even relating to unpopular wars, should be RESPECTED and PROTECTED. If the Commission can't decide - LET THE PEOPLE ACT - put it to a referendum! Please participate in any and all ways you can. #rally ________________________________________​ ABOUT US SAVE SOUTHERN HERITAGE Inc. is a 501 c(4) public welfare corporation that educates & advocates on behalf of Southern Heritage & History. It was started in 2015 in response to the knee-jerk Anti-Southern institutionalized bullying and “Erase-ism” levied against the people of South Carolina by Governor Nikki Haley, after she broke all previous agreements about how South Carolina’s historical veterans and their symbols should be treated and respected. The Florida branch was activated in mid-January 2016, in response to three initiatives in the Florida Legislature that are part of a hate campaign led by Anti-American extremists, who refuse to respect the various cultures that make up the fabric of Florida’s society. Since that time, it has grown in membership and has been active in Heritage battles throughout Florida including the “We’ll Remember in November Campaign” that resulted in #heritagehater candidates to loose elections in Florida. More info: www.sshfl.org. _________________________________ The time is NOW. Our heritage won't last another generation if we don't "just say "NO"'! Together, we can... Save Southern Heritage Florida www.sshfl.org