06-22-2015, 08:30 PM
The story of the Confederate Flag over the capital in SC starts in the 60's when a Democrat governor ordered it flown. **Edit** (had dates wrong, thought it happened in the late 90's) in 2000, the SC legislature and Republican governor ordered it removed from flying over the capital, and it was only to be flown at the Confederate Soldiers Memorial that sits on capital grounds. That memorial was dedicated all the way back 1879.
That seemed an appropriate place for the flag to me, as I've commonly seen the Confederate flag flying at many Civil War memorials. In that context it is very difficult to argue it is a symbol of hate or racism in my opinion. It's a historical flag flying at a historical site or site commemorating history.
But, it's for the state to decide. If this brings comfort and keeps people calm, so be it. But someone can just as easily argue the Confederate Memorial should be off-site as well. Maybe that's next.
Remember that same flag was flying at the monument when the SC Governor of Indian descent was elected, then re-elected. It was flying when SC elected a black man to the US Senate overwhelmingly. I'm not saying there isn't racism anymore, but SC has certainly demonstrated electorally that it's made strides against it.
This seems a little knee jerk to me... the flag flying anywhere wasn't what drove that asshole to kill people.
That seemed an appropriate place for the flag to me, as I've commonly seen the Confederate flag flying at many Civil War memorials. In that context it is very difficult to argue it is a symbol of hate or racism in my opinion. It's a historical flag flying at a historical site or site commemorating history.
But, it's for the state to decide. If this brings comfort and keeps people calm, so be it. But someone can just as easily argue the Confederate Memorial should be off-site as well. Maybe that's next.
Remember that same flag was flying at the monument when the SC Governor of Indian descent was elected, then re-elected. It was flying when SC elected a black man to the US Senate overwhelmingly. I'm not saying there isn't racism anymore, but SC has certainly demonstrated electorally that it's made strides against it.
This seems a little knee jerk to me... the flag flying anywhere wasn't what drove that asshole to kill people.