THE SOUTHERN LEAGUE, whichrnwas founded in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, inrnJune 1994, seeks to advance the social,rncultural, economic, and political wellbeingrnand independence of the Southernrnpeople. According to SouthernrnLeague President Michael Hill, thernSouth, though it has been subsumed byrnthe American Empire, remains a distinctrnhistorical entity: “The South has its ownrnculture based on particular folkways,rnheroes, music, cuisine, dialect, religion,rnethnicity, and political philosophy; sincern1860 the South has been the last bastionrnof Western Christian civilization.” Tornleague officials, that is why the regionrnhas come under heavy attack by thernforces of statism. It stands as the lastrnremaining barrier to the triumph of arngodless New Worid Order that seeks torndestrov all such cultural anachronisms.rnAs long as there is a true South—and notrna New South or Sun Belt—there will bernmen and women who demand to be leftrnalone to live their lives as they see fit,rnanswerable only to God and legitimaterngovernment.rnUntil now, efforts to save the Southrnhave been either all head and no body orrnvicc-vcrsa. Southern intellectuals likernthe Nashville Agrarians of the 1930’s hadrnsound ideas but had no means of actingrnon them. On the other hand, mass populistrnmovements have come and gonernbecause they lacked leadership. Unlikernthese previous efforts, the SouthernrnLeague combines some of the country’srnmost original thinkers with a large numberrnof battle-scarred activists. Since itsrninception last summer, the league hasrnswelled from a mere handful of foundersrnto a mass organization with membersrnfrom New Hampshire to California.rnCritics of the Southern Leaguernoften dismiss the organization’s goals,rnasking, “Wasn’t Southern independencerndiscredited by the failure of 1860-65?”rnMichael Hill savs that “The issue ofrnsecession’s legalitv has never been publiclyrnentertained, especially since thernSupreme Court’s decision in Texas v.rnWhite (1867) that the nation was, hadrnbeen, and always would be an indissolublernunion of states. But anyone withrnknowledge of the state conventions thatrndebated constitutional ratification in thernlate 1780’s will see the tyranny inherentrnin such an assertion by the judiciary.”rnSecession, as Jefferson understood, is thernultimate right of a free people.rnThe League’s Confederate ancestorsrnwere bucking the trend of political centralizationrnand nationalism in thernmid-19th century. While they attemptedrnto dissolve the American politicalrnunion, Italy, Germany, and Japan createdrnnation-states, and Great Britain andrnFrance, among others, sought woridwidernempires. Although many Northeasternrnintellectuals have confidently proclaimedrnthe death of regionalism andrnnationalism and the rise of the “internationalrncommunity,” the time may bernright for Southern revival. The SouthernrnLeague believes that it is the newestrnagent of a trend toward political devolutionrnthat has already swept away thernSoviet Union, its satellite empire inrnEastern Europe, and Yugoslavia; fueled arnviolent battle in long-subjugated Chechnya;rnand is now threatening to splitrnapart Italy, Great Britain, Canada, andrnBrazil.rnUnless it returns to constitutional government,rnthe United States cannotrnmaintain its present territorial integrityrnexcept by quelling independent-mindedrncitizens through terrorist violence. Thernabsence of a historical “American” culturernhas made possible various sectionalrn(not to mention racial and ethnic) culturesrnthat have prevented the formationrnof a “nation” in the true sense of thernword. As the nation declined, the governmentrnexpanded its powers. Thosernwho opposed such expansion on constitutionalrngrounds found that a tyrannicalrncourt had used the 14th Amendment torndestroy such safeguards as the Second,rnFourth, and Tenth Amendments. Thisrnempire, like Yugoslavia, was never reallyrnlegitimate and is certain to fall apart, eitherrnby a peaceful devolution towardrnconstitutional liberty or by a process ofrnethnic rebellions and refined revolts. Inrnthe meantime, says Hill, Southernersrnshould remember who they are and defendrntheir cultural and religious symbolsrnfrom political vandalism.rnFor more information about thernSouthern League, write to Michael Hill,rnP.O. Box 40910, Tuscaloosa, Alabama,rn55404.rn—Michael WashburnrnGORDON KAHL was a simple farmerrnwho became famous for not filingrnincome tax returns. Imprisoned andrnhounded by IRS agents who never didrnprove he owed any amount of money,rnKahl and his son were involved in arnshootout with police. The son is stillrnserving a prison sentence, but the fatherrnwas surrounded and shot in Arkansasrnby police officers who mutilated andrnburned his body. How did a decoratedrnwar veteran end up on the FBI’s mostwantedrnlist? The documentary Deathrnand Taxes interviews Kahl’s family andrnfriends as well as police officers, sheriffs,rnand a delightful IRS spokesgirl whornapparently thinks he had it coming. Arnfriend lent me a copy of the film, and Irnwas so impressed with it that we calledrnand told the company that we wanted tornadvertise it in Chronicles (see the fullpagernadvertisement on page 13). DavidrnKoresh was a kook. Randy Weaver wasrnmore than a little strange, but GordonrnKahl was the kind of American whornmade this country, and his death—andrnthe media coverage that vilified him—rnare a national disgrace. Buy the film andrnshow it to your neighbors.rn—Thomas FlemingrnOBITER DICTA: A number of readersrnhave noticed the monthly editorialsrnin this section by R. Cort Kirkwood. Formedyrnan editorial writer at the WashingtonrnTimes, Mr. Kirkwood is now thernmanaging editor of the Arlington Courierrnand McLean Providence journal, twornweekly newspapers in northern Virginia.rnHe will continue to contribute regularrnreports on D.C.-area politics.rnTickets are also still available for thernSouthern Heritage Society’s Fifth AnnualrnConfederate Heritage Conference,rnwhich will be held in Monroe, Louisiana,rnon the weekend of May 26-27. Amongrnthe speakers at this event will be Dr. C.rnGregg Singer, who will address “ThernTheological and Philosophical Foundationsrnof Secession and the War.” Forrnmore information, call the SouthernrnHeritage Society at 318-323-3061.rnChronicles is now available at the followingrnstores in Ohio: Barnes & NoblernSuperstore, 4940 Monroe St., Toledo;rnMedia Play, Franklin Place, Toledo;rnLeo’s Book Shop, 330 North SuperiorrnSt., Toledo; Little Professor Book Center,rn101 Boardman-Canfield Rd., Boardman;rnErieview News, Inc., 1930 East 6th St.,rnCleveland; The Newsroom, 15609 DetroitrnAve., Lakewood; Joseph Beth Booksellers,rn2692 Madison Rd., Cincinnati;rnCincinnati Fount Square News, 101 Eastrn5th St., Cincinnati; Media Play, 4328rnWest Broad St., Columbus; BordersrnBook Shop, 4545 Kenney Rd., Columbus;rnLittle Professor Book Center, TroyrnTowne Center, Troy.rnJUNE 1995/7rnrnrn