Presented at the 2007 League of the South National Conference,
Chattanooga, Tennessee, 5 October 2007 AD
Experience shows us that life is hard. It is hard for each
individual in his day-to-day affairs. It is doubly difficult when men must act
together to accomplish a corporate goal. Inevitably, problems will surface that
threaten to rip apart an organization committed to any sort of serious
accomplishments. How we handled these difficulties—as individual LS members and
as an organization--will go a long way in determining whether we will win or
lose.
Remember, if you expect things to be difficult, it will always
be easier to solve the problems that confront you.
My first question to you, as a League member, is “how badly do
you want to succeed?” Winning at anything really important is never easy. There
is always competition standing in your way. In our particular case, it is very
powerful competition. In the game we play, one side will win and the other will
lose. It’s as simple as that. There will be either an independent Southern
Republic or an American Empire.
To overcome the odds arrayed against us, it is, I believe,
crucial to get our minds right about one fundamental issue: where to place
our focus. Should it be on the outcome we desire (our ultimate
objective)? Or should it be on the process by which we will be successful? While it is
natural for us to envision the ultimate attainment of our objectives—Southern
independence and the establishment of a Southern Republic—we must not fall into
that temptation and thus overlook the tactics and strategies, the ideas, and the
day-to-day practices necessary to take us successfully to the end of that
journey.
Have you ever experienced a painful loss or setback? Sure you
have. I’d like for you all to close your eyes for a moment and remember just how
badly it felt. But more importantly, try to remember how you reacted to it. Did
you rededicate yourself to doing the little things correctly? Did you
determine that you’d never be outworked again? Did you renew your sense
of optimism and commitment to your work? Did you refuse to let
up until you overcame the obstacles that led to your setback? If you can
honestly answer “yes” to these questions, then you more than likely have not
suffered a similar setback or loss again.
If each one of us, as individual League members, will do the
little things correctly, refuse to be outworked by any adversary, be optimistic
about and committed to our work, and refuse to ever let up, then we will be a
long way toward winning our independence.
But there is more we need to do as an organization. First, we
must be a team. There must be no selfishness on our team. We have to check our
egos at the door, as it were. We must share a purpose—doing what is necessary to
accomplish our goal of Southern independence. We must together be relentless in
the pursuit of attaining that goal. That means being resilient in the face of
adversity and thus overcoming our own errors and mistakes. We must never let our
opponents determine who we are and what we do. We are responsible for setting
our own agenda and following it until we reach our objectives. This means being
proactive and not
reactive. We must know who we are and never let ourselves be defined by our
enemies. We must not fall into the trap of getting too excited about our
successes or too distraught by our setbacks. Always approach each task for the
League as if it were the one that will determine our ultimate success or
failure, no matter where we stand as an organization at that particular moment.
If we do these things regularly as an organization--and refuse to allow
ourselves to get caught up in the “end game”—then we will be able to take the
step-by-step journey that leads to where we want to be—a free and independent
South.
Our conviction, character, commitment, and attitude will allow
us to reach that objective. If we develop and cultivate these traits, then we
will have what we need to achieve the results we desire. Conversely, if we
neglect them, daydreaming about some distant (or not-so-distant) day of
deliverance, then we will fail. Remember, for both an individual and an
organization, the plan you have for reaching your goal is much more
important than the goal itself. If the former is not sound, the
latter will never be reached, no matter how much you long to see it.
The key to making that step-by-step journey to our goal is
perseverance, both in the face of adversity and in the glow of success. On the
one hand, adversity often causes despair; on the other, success can breed
complacency. We must succumb to neither.
You can be a winner only if you decide you want to be a
winner. No one else can make that decision for you. And if we have enough
individuals in the League who have decided to be winners, we will have a winning
organization. And a wise man once said, “There is no substitute for winning.”
But the price of winning at anything worthwhile is high. It
requires all the things I’ve outline above and more. In sum, what will it take
for The League of the South to win its objectives? 1) Having the courage
to keep doing what we must do to succeed in bringing about Southern
independence; 2) Having the ability to visualize where we are headed and to
implement the process to get there; 3) To react to both adversity and success
with a spirit of perseverance and determination and to overcome the fear of
failure; 4) To take advantage of every opportunity, both great and small,
presented to us; 5) To do everything we do with a sense of Southern grace and
class; 6) To commit ourselves to doing the small things correctly so we will be
able later to do the big things; and 7) To never be outworked or outsmarted by
our opponents again.
Finally, I want you all to take great pride in being
members of The League of the South. This is your organization. Take
possession of it and make it into an indomitable force for the restoration of
our independence and liberty. There are many other organizations that
Southerners could join if they are interested in preserving our heritage or
honoring the past. By our attitude and action, let us show them that the League
is the organization to join if you are committed to the present, to the
future, and to a free South. Let us show them that we are winners and
will settle for nothing less than achieving our honorable goal of a Southern
Republic. Let us not be merely interested in the South; rather, let us be
committed to her well being and independence. And ask yourself the
following question each day: “How badly do I want to win this battle?” Then, if
you’re the type of person I think you are, you’ll act accordingly.
May God bless you all, and may He save the South.
Thank you.
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