Continuing with our countdown of Confederate heritage follies, let’s look at two more amazing stories:
5. Where’s Susan?: For years Susan Frise Hathaway has been the very visible face of the Virginia Flaggers, eager to make her case about the foolishness of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts’s decision not to display Confederate flags on the exterior of the Confederate War Memorial Chapel. It was all about returning the flags and restoring the honor.
Lately, however Susan Hathaway hasn’t been returning to the VMFA. Why hasn’t she been flagging the chapel? Why? Simple: Susan works for a firm that is charged with designing the renovation of the Robinson House, another VMFA property on site. Flaggers and their supporters were furious when this information was revealed, even though they have gone after other people by contacting their place of employment and harassing them. However, they expressed no qualms about the notion that the VMFA and Susan’s employer held Susan’s fate in their hands, while this blog said that Susan should be allowed to continue her protests without fear of retaliation. So much for the Flaggers and their friends supporting each other in a time of need. All we know is that restoring the honor has a price that someone’s unwilling to pay.
4. And the Law Won: The Virginia Flaggers have long sought confrontations with others, then released videos of the confrontations as evidence of their ceaseless courageous activities. It was left to Tripp Lewis, however, to cross the line when local authorities arrested him. The Flaggers raised money for his defense, and eventually Tripp was given a rather easy means of restitution. That some people saw this as a victory spoke volumes about the Flaggers’ commitment to the truth. Note the the Flaggers have fallen silent about their threats to countersue. All we know is that once more restoring the honor has a price that someone’s unwilling to pay.
Of course, someone ought to have punished Tripp for wearing sunglasses with his uniform.
Three to go … we know you’ll return.
Crossroads 
You mean Confederate soldiers did not have sunglasses to help shield their eyes when aiming on the damn Yankees?
These folks have more embarrassing moments than the Kardashians. Seriously between the fake monument vandal incident, to Tripps arrest and SCV disbarment, to the ‘invisible’ I95 flag and stolen excavator it’s a comedy of errors. No wonder the MOC is closing. It’s the only way they can avoid public association with these yahoos. I’ve actually spoken to several REAL honorable SCV members who are horrified by the Connie Chadtains of the world representing their ancestors. They feel they have been hijacked by tea bagging, flag waving, nutjobs.
5. Given the job market in Richmond is not quite what it is in Northern Virginia or the Hampton Roads area, Susan was smart not to bite the hand that feeds here.
6. I still say if they are really true to their beliefs, they should wrap themselves in their flag and protest the Buddhist monk way with a can of gasoline. People will have no doubt about their sincerity (or perhaps sanity too) then. The ultimate symbol heritage deserves the same sacrifice their ancestors were willing to make.
I think Susan should have been able to express her views freely and without fear of retribution. The Flaggers disagree.
I don’t think your proposed protest solution would show much.
Burning monks always got my attention…
I agree Ms. Hathaway ought to be able to speak her mind without fear of retaliation, but the company has to maintain a good relationship with its customer and it also has to protect its public image. If she was, for example, getting arrested for trespassing every weekend it would reflect poorly on the company’s image, depending on her position in the company. In that case the company might terminate her employment, but they’d best be ready to settle a lawsuit. Alternatively, if she was a huge pain in the side for the VMFA, the VMFA could let it be known that it couldn’t do business with a company that employed someone trying to make them look bad. In that instance, the company would most likely terminate her employment if it couldn’t appease the VMFA by reassigning her to a different part of the company. She might be successful in getting a settlement from a lawsuit against the company and the VMFA, but since we’re talking about Virginia, that’s an iffy proposition. The company could claim it had no choice in the matter because keeping her would lead to a loss of business. She would no doubt then try to paint the VMFA as the bad guys, but their counterargument could be that she was trying to damage them economically and having a position with that company gave her access to information she could potentially use in her crusade against them.
All this is to say that if she is too visible in protests against the VMFA, and if those protests cross a line into illegal activity or harassment, then she may find herself in trouble with her employer.
Ultimately, then, I think it’s a wise choice on her part to remain out of the limelight at the VMFA, especially when she has another member who is more than willing to get himself arrested for trespassing, and who may not have the best self-control in the world.
It may be a wise choice, but it is also a telling one. Clearly there are limits to restoring the honor.
Given the behavior we’ve seen from at least one member of the group, I think she made a good choice not to put the fate of her livelihood in his hands. I can’t say that I blame her for setting her priorities that way.
Yes … but now the members of the VMFA are on notice that a Flagger tactic is to conduct background checks, and that the person conducting them is Susan’s “heavy hitter.”
Somehow I don’t think that will go over well, especially as people who work on the grounds there read this blog.
While investigating another matter I found this little ditty on the Neo-Nazi forum “Stormfront” .
http://www.stormfront.org/forum/t1012134/
It is a call to action from the League of the South for an anti-Immigration rally in Florida on March 8, 2014.
For shits and giggles I decided to check out who is on the going, the maybe and the invited lists.
https://www.facebook.com/events/377907609021644/?source=1
I found some very interesting folks on the invited list, such as “Susan Frise Hathaway” and ”
Grayson Jennings”.
I just thought I would share this little trail of lulz which always seems to lead back to the familiar faces…
I don’t find it a surprise. I can’t wait for the denials to follow.
I am sure it will come in the form of howling from the “Swamp Thing”.
She is almost obsessed with me as she is with you.
But, you are still her #1…I don’t want to take that from you. 😉