I guess dimwits are always a Lost Cause:
[Bertram Hayes-Davis, head of the Davis Family Association and great-great grandson of Jefferson Davis,] says his ancestor is a victim of political correctness and of people's insistence on looking at historical events from today's perspective.
He believes, as Davis did, that the Southern states had a constitutional right to secede. When asked if he thinks secession is viable or legal today, he is noncommittal.
"I think the issue is not so much the country splitting. I think the issue is federal control over the states. And I think that you see that even today, when federal mandates come from Washington that, `You will do this, whether you want to or not...,'" says Hayes-Davis, who has represented Davis' family at more than 100 functions over the years.
But what's interesting is not that some banker from Colorado Springs is running around defending the honor of a traitor who fought to keep humans enslaved, it's that they hold a beauty contest: The Miss Confederacy Pageant, along with related events, the Wee Miss Confederacy, Little Miss Confederacy, Junior Miss Confederacy, and - new for 2008 - the Ms. Confederacy Pageant.
There are rules (warning: pdf) for these contests. For example, Wee Miss Confederacy contestants must be at least 2 years old but no older than 5. The Ms. Confederacy Pageant has no upper age limit, but is "open to women 18 and over that are married, divorced, or single that do not qualify for the 'Miss' category", which is quite a genteel way of saying single moms.
As for who wins, the application says:
Judging will be based on costume (dress, period fabrics, hat, accessories, etc.), overall appearance, and stage presentation. In case of a tie, Miss and Ms. contestants may be asked questions during the pageant to determine the winner for each category.
Remember that there are no hard and fast rules. However, the judges will be looking for contestants that portray the typical Southern girl, lady or woman of the Antebellum Era.
"Girl, lady or woman." Hilarious. And since slaves made up one third of the population of the Confederate States, I submit that a "typical" Southern woman could include an African-American woman in ragged clothes and bearing evidence of abuse, but I bet that's why they require a picture with the application.
Comments