A Few Facts Relating to the SC Confederate Flag Story
Before Nikki Haley and South Carolina Republicans break their arms patting themselves on the back, let’s take a look at the whole story. (And rather than continuing to re-post these comments and clogging various threads, I thought I’d gather them all together in one place.)
Here is a comprehensive look at the history of The Flag in South Carolina up through the early years of the 21st century, put together by University of South Carolina in Aiken
Here’s a good article about when they moved the flag from the dome to the grounds:
Of particular interest:
Almost every business group and religious organization in the state urged that it come down, both on economic and moral grounds. Mayor Joseph P. Riley of Charleston recently led a widely publicized 120-mile protest march
from the seacoast to Columbia. Scores of sports and cultural events, along with many conventions, canceled their plans to come to South Carolina because of the boycott.
For those who are screaming “DEMOCRATS—that’s who supports the flag”—let’s take a look—Current US Congressman, Joe “You Lie” Wilson in 2000 (when he was a SC State Senator during the move the flag controversy)
Republican senator Joe Wilson say it is all about pride and history, and nothing to do with racism and hate. He finds comparisons with Nazis odious.
“That’s offensive to me that they would take my heritage and make it into a Holocaust era type description. I find that very offensive, and it’s not true,” Senator Wilson said. “The Southern heritage, the Confederate heritage is very honourable.”
He said that after the war, the South became the most patriotic region of the United States.
And, delineating directly when southern Democrats became Republicans—Exhibit A—Arthur Ravenel, Jr.—
He was a Democratic member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1953 to 1959. He switched to Republican affiliation in the early 1960s—hmmm, wonder why THAT happened???
During the 2000 fight, state senator Arthur Ravenel — referred to the NAACP as “the National Association of Retarded People” and later apologized to “retarded people” for associating them with the NAACP.
Oh, those liberals and their confederate-flag-supporting-ways!!
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And then we get to “modern times”—less than a year ago, but before Governor Haley had her sudden revelation about the evils of the flag.
Last year, Vincent Sheheen (running for governor) was joined by the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Bakari Sellers and several mayors in calling for the removal of the flag. Sheheen becomes the most prominent political voice to call for the flag’s removal. NOTE—Joe Riley was one of the mayors.
He was slammed by Republicans (such as, guess who—Nikki Haley) Haley’s deputy campaign manager Rob Godfrey called Sheheen’s move, about a month before the Nov. 4 election, “desperate and irresponsible.”
Sellers introduced a bill in 2007, his first year in office, to remove the Confederate flag from the State House grounds, but it died in committee.
“Ask the coaches of the major sports teams, ask the presidential candidates who show up here every four years what they think about the Confederate flag on the front lawn of the State House, and we know the answers,” Sheheen said. “I want South Carolina to be celebrated not for the state that left America, but for the best state in America.”
Nikki’s actual response at the time? “What I can tell you is over the last three and a half years, I spent a lot of my days on the phones with CEOs and recruiting jobs to this state. I can honesly say I have not had one conversation with a single CEO about the Confederate flag.”
Guess all those CEOs must have been burning up the phone lines since last week—why else would Nikki have had such a sudden change of heart? Oh, right—it’s her uncommon sense of morality and righteousness. Um hmm. That must be it…
And, although many media types are lauding Haley and talking about the flag removal as a done deal, just hours before Haley’s press conference…
“Zero Appetite” Among SCGOP Leadership To Take Down Confederate Flag
fitsnews.com
…A third legislative leader warned FITS there were “powerful voices” within the S.C. House adamantly opposed to removing the flag.
Specifically, they referred us to S.C. Rep. Greg Delleney (above) - chairman of the House judiciary committee and a close friend of S.C. Speaker of the House Jay Lucas. Many references were also made to S.C. Rep. Rick Quinn, whose father Richard Quinn is one of the state’s leading neo-Confederates.
“Many members support the flag,” the lawmaker told us. “But many more are afraid of crossing those who do.”
What will happen? Stay tuned—it’s South Carolina, Jake. And in the words of James L. Petigru, shortly after secession, “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.”