ALL SOUTHERNERS SHOULD BOYCOTT COKE - Commentary by Dr. William H. Swann 

To All Brothers and Sisters of Confederate Heritage:

There is ongoing talk about boycotting Gettysburg [over the "Confederate flag lynching" incident] and it is a very worthy goal. I will never go back there after the desecration of our beloved and justly honored Confederate Battle Flag. I am the proverbial elephant in that I never forget, and I'm willing to face GOD with my sin of not forgiving the craven coward who is so hatefully abusing our Noble Confederate Battle Flag.

Therein lies the problem though. Most of your readers are familiar with our ongoing Southern Boycott of Coca-Cola. For those late coming to that party, Coca-Cola was founded by a Confederate Veteran. Since its inception until 1998, Coca-Cola never hesitated to promote their Southern Roots, and Southern Base. In return it was considered almost sacrilege among folks in the South to ever drink anything else.

Like many Southerners, I would even scold someone for drinking a Pepsi Product, such was my loyalty to Coca-Cola. I even had a few shares of stock in Coca-Cola, more to support the company than any return I received. Coca-Cola in their own words and written in their corporate policy seldom contributed money to Georgia Legislators. Yet when Georgia Governor Roy Barnes sneaking like a thief in the night, changed the Georgia State Flag; Coca-Cola joined with other Georgia Based companies TO PAY EVERY LEGISLATOR A MINIMUM OF $1,500.00 FOR THEIR VOTE TO CHANGE THE GEORGIA STATE FLAG.

I started a boycott, my family joined in, my church joined in, friends from all over the US joined in, and then most of the Southern Heritage Organizations joined in. We started a petition campaign informing Coca-Cola Management of our boycott and I received over 40 pounds of signed petitions from as far away as Germany and Alaska. I informed Coca-Cola management of our boycott and how far it had spread; at its peak well over 400,000 names were submitted to the Coca Cola President Douglas Daft. President Daft had a public relations flunky write back to me, and to Southerners everywhere.

"Dear Rev. Swann: Thank you for providing us with this information. Coca-Cola is always willing to make contributions to Government Officials to help promote good government.

As to your boycott, we aren't concerned in the least about a Southern Boycott. The history of Southern Boycotts is to rant, rave, bluster, threaten, and stay committed for a month or so, then forget about the boycott entirely. As for Southern Heritage supporters there are neither the numbers of people to make a difference, and as I stated above, nor the ability to focus long enough to make a difference."

It is going on 3 years now and sure enough the Coca-Cola prediction has proven to be largely correct. I haven't purchased a Coca-Cola Product since the Boycott started, and many other people have done the same; but a lot of people who love their Confederate Heritage have gone back to buying Coca-Cola products. Isn't it ironic that our ancestors were willing to fight and die when they were (pardon my french, pi$$ed on), and the current generations of Southerners (with notable exceptions to be sure) quickly forget not to support the enemies of our Ancestor's Memories.

Coca-Cola Enterprises who distributed the Coca-Cola syrup in the US has reported 3 straight years of declining sales of Syrup. If everyone who loved the South, the Confederacy, and just honest government would just stop buying Coca-Cola Products FOREVER, we will get the attention of our enemies.

Even though there are still more Southern boycotter's of Coca-Cola than Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton could raise in 5 years, Coca-Cola fears them more than us. That is also true of the other "Southern" Companies like Home Depot, Southern Bell, Cingular wireless, the Southern Company, Georgia Pacific and the whole corrupt Atlanta Chamber Pot of Commerce. All it takes is our successfully boycotting one company into submission and we will have the respect of the other companies. The other side of the coin is that every time we say, yell, or write "boycott" and don't follow through in noticeable numbers, the less companies will take us and our movement seriously.

So I urge, plead, even beg all you Southern Patriots to renew your personal boycott of Coca-Cola Products. If you haven't signed the Boycott Coke petition on line at www.spofga.org/petition/petition.phtml?PetitionID=4.

The anti-Southern, anti-Confederate companies have no respect for you, they don't like you, but they do think we are always going to be gullible, or will forget their treachery. Isn't it time they found out we are the Great Great Grandchildren of heroes, and we have their blood flowing through our veins? Like the little old Confederate on the Bumper Sticker, HELL NO, I AIN'T FORGOT.

In the Service of Christ and preserving our GODLY Southern Heritage, I remain.....

Dr. William H. Swann
billswann@yahoo.com