Someone recently sued the state of Texas because they were unable to purchase personalized license plates with the Confederate flag on it. It became a free speech issue that made it all the way to the Supreme Court. I was pretty happy last week when I read that the Supreme Court had backed up the state of Texas’ right to censor content on state issued license plates. It won’t bother me not to see those flags all over the streets of our state.
The words and action of Mayor Riley and other Charlestonians has been admirable and I am glad to say, unsurprising The fact is that Charleston, while undeniably possessing a history of racial oppression, has since been a relative beacon of enlightenment in South Carolina, much different from the Midlands, Upstate and elsewhere. Riley ran for Governor years ago and lost. Charleston figuratively is a island surrounded by South Carolina. I don’t suggest that Dylann Roof would find intellectual sanctuary in those other areas of SC, but the politicians from those other regions will not likely vote to remove the Confederate flag.
No, the only thing that will motivate them is their pocketbook, which is why I plan to fire off a letter to the Boeing Company, a corporation that has recently made controversial billion dollar investments in SC. I don’t know if Boeing will fall on its sword, but I tend to believe that the SC legislature would carefully listen if Boeing expressed concern.
Roof was arrested without incident. Call me cynical, but I can’t help but wonder how the arrest would have gone down if this had been a black shooter of white victims.
His friends say he was planning on shooting up College of Charleston, too. I’ve no idea if this is credible or not.
BMW also has its US production plant in SC.
I haven’t seen/heard much news today, so I just saw this:
It’s interesting that he didn’t think the Stars and Bars was a problem until it affected him personally, but OK. Better late than never, and it undoubtedly took a lot of courage for Mr. Brannon to say it while his brethren in office have been stoutly defending the flag for the last 4 days. So I applaud him.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/sc-republican-will-introduce-bill-to-take-down-confederate-flag/
Thank you for the reminder about BMW, NovaDad. I have passed the BMW building many times driving through and to SC over the years.
Relevant to your point, KKmama; I received an email from a friend with a photo attachment, depicting the arrests of Dylann Roof and the late Eric Garner with the caption; ‘this is how we arrest a white man accused of murder, juxtaposed to how we arrest a black man for selling cigarettes.’ I trust that the satire and sarcasm was not lost on most observers.
Great photo of thousands in supportive march in Charleston. Maybe there will be enough multi-racial support to put the C. flag in a museum where it belongs.
I think that the way the people of Charleston have behaved in response to these murders has been very inspiring to watch. The family members of those killed and the members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church have been wonderful examples of the ideals of their faith and their response reminds me strongly of the Amish community in Nickel Mines Pennsylvania, following the horrible shooting of school children there.
The killer in Charleston hoped to provoke a “race war” and has achieved the exact opposite. Perhaps other twisted souls who might have followed in his footsteps will be discouraged from doing so as a result. The Confederate flag has sadly been used by screwed-up racist misfits and will probably be banned as a result, but it’s delusional to hold this flag responsible for evil acts and it won’t save a single life to have it relegated to a museum. Does anyone really think that Roof did what he did because the flag is flown in the capital?
I’m not from South Carolina but I don’t get the eagerness of some posters to tear the people of that state down when their response to this incident has been exemplary, from law enforcement to the average citizens and friends of the shooter. In spite of the desire of so many to blame the usual suspects, the information has done nothing but show that this lone shooter was not brought up to hate black people, didn’t seem to have friends who shared his beliefs (they were the ones who identified him immediately), and seems to have self-radicalized with the help of the internet. That’s the scariest part of this saga because if that’s true, then any screwed up individual can be empowered without any real-life support.
The calls for the removal of the flag and the usual slams against South Carolina problem are simply a distraction, IMO.
Relegating the flag to a museum isn’t about saving lives…it’s about removing a noxious symbol of white supremacy and Jim Crow from an honored position in a state’s capitol. Like it or not, having it out there in a highly visible, prominent place makes it a statement about the state of South Carolina.
Roof didn’t “self radicalize” in a vacuum…the internet sites he visited were replete with hate screeds against blacks and they gave him a standard of colors to rally behind, a symbol of the segregation and apartheid policies he believed in. As for real life support, he lived in a state and a community with no qualms about flying that symbolic flag ---- probably giving him what he considered tacit approval to take action on his views. And of course, as far as getting a weapon for his mission to kill people, he had plenty of real life support for that as well.
I personally find the Confederate flag repugnant. Nonetheless, I view it a lot like asbestos. As much as I might want it relegated to the museums, I worry about the unintended consequences of trying to remove it.
I want the Confederate flag to be taken down. I was talking with some friends and one mentioned that if the shooter didn’t get his civil war, he sure would get it by people removing the confederate flag.
What are the unintended consequences of the removal of the Confederate flag?
So the entire US will be held hostage by threat of violence by those who want to display the confederate flag?
Just as every time there’s a gun massacre in this country the gun crazies all go out and buy MORE weapons, I worry that forcing its removal right now will be a rallying cry for white supremacists throughout the county. If the people of South Caroline want it taken down, they need to speak up and act. I think people outside the state forcing them to do so could unleash more crazies. Perhaps the safest time to remove it would be when there’s a Republican sitting in the Oval Office?
And let’s be clear. No one is talking about taking away the rights of PRIVATE individuals to fly their little Conf flag that makes them feel so proud of their heritage on their own property, from their own flagpoles, on their own pick-ups, etc…
So it’s either:
Option A: Appease the white supremacists in fear of being attacked, although the fear is ever-present so the fear shouldn’t be anymore than the usual fear of supremacy groups and tip-toe around their threats.
…or…
Option B: Stand up to the white supremacists and relay a message that intolerance will not be tolerated.
I would love to see the South Carolina confederate flag taken down. However, I understand I can’t do much about that situation. What I can do is support having the confederate flag that flies above I-75 taken down (although that has it’s own rules and whatnot) and similar moves across my state, which I just might…
“What are the unintended consequences of the removal of the Confederate flag?”
Some people will get their panties in a twist over it but otherwise nothing much will happen. If it’s put to a vote in the SC legislature I assume some people will try to primary their R State Senator who voted for it with an even more right wing nutter.
I would also assume there will be more people in SC who will fly it in the own yards and plaster then damn thing all over their bumpers or wherever they choose on their own personal property.
“What I can do is support having the confederate flag that flies above I-75 taken down…”
Where the heck is that?
I believe the same would happen, as well.
It is in Tampa at the junction of I-4 and I-75…supposedly. I haven’t seen the “World’s Largest Flying Confederate” flag in person which is odd considering I’ve been there before, but then again I don’t notice many things. It is said they changed the flag to a more historically accurate confederate flag, but there’s still petitions going about to remove it or at least decrease it’s size.
We have confederate flags mounted on the civil war veterans’ graves in our PA church cemetery. They honor the sacrifices that they made (one died in the war and was brought here to be buried with this parents).
I have no issue with that. But on public lands and especially state buildings it raises a specter of racism for me.