TRAITORS TO THE U.S. HONORED WITH YOUR TAX DOLLARS

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- Confederate flags waved and cannons boomed Monday at the state Capitol as Gov. Bob Riley and several hundred others used Confederate Memorial Day to celebrate the restoration of the Confederate Monument.

Federal funds covered the $231,600 cost of restoring the monument that stands alongside Alabama's Capitol, where the Confederate States of America was organized and had its first seat of government....

"We are the caretakers of their memory and their reputation. The restoration of this monument is part of our duty to them," Riley told an audience that included people dressed in Confederate uniforms and period clothing....

The restoration comes at a time when the governor and Legislature are eliminating state funding for several other historic sites and historic parks, such as Tannehill Ironworks, which was severely damaged in 1865 when the troops of Union Gen. James Wilson raided Alabama industrial sites.

Riley said the state must set priorities during lean times....

--AP