AP BREAKING: SC House Approves Removsl of Confederate Flag, Could Come Down in Days

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Will update with link.

South Carolina House Approved Removing Confederate Flag

Update at 1:04 AM
By: JEFFREY COLLINS

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - The South Carolina House has approved taking down the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds, a stunning reversal in a state that was the first to leave the Union in 1860 and raised the flag again at its Statehouse more than 50 years ago to protest the civil rights movement.

The move early Thursday came after more than 13 hours of at times contentious debate, just weeks after the fatal shootings of nine black church members, including a state senator, at a Bible study in Charleston. The House approved the Senate bill 93-27, and still has one more vote that appeared to be perfunctory since they had met two-thirds approval. The bill would then go to Republican Gov. Nikki Haley, who supports it.

Read more: http://www.wsbtv.com/ap/ap/top-news/confederate-flags-fate-in-hands-of-south-carolina-/nmtHM/

[herding cats]

1. Great news.

That flag doesn't belong there.

Thanks for this. Now I can go to bed finally.

[SCantiGOP]

23. JUST IN:

Governor will sign the bill at 4 this afternoon, and flag comes down at 10 tomorrow morning. I will be there to see it.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

2. !!!

[SunSeeker]

3. Huffpo link:

http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/559e0307e4b05b1d028fb690

[bluedigger]

4. Hurrah!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

5. Take that, racists, neo-Confederates and Freepers!

[Judi Lynn]

9. Outstanding! n/t

[SCantiGOP]

20. scary looking dude

Possibly the closest thing to the devil I heard about growing up in SC during the 1950s.

One thing that wasn't mentioned during all of these debates is the fact that 30% of SC residents were born in other states, many from the North who have retired here. So, right off the bat, you had 1/3 of the state saying "What heritage? My ancestors fought and died in your treasonous war."

[JohnnyRingo]

6. KnR

Thanx for posting, it restores my faith in the judgement of good people.

[calimary]

7. Well how 'bout that.

Son-of-a-gun. Never thought I'd see the day, especially with that republi-CON putz who'd threatened to hang amendments all over it like so many anvils so it'd stay sunk.

I'm pleasantly surprised. I was not expecting this. Mind you, it still hasn't gone all the way.

I understand nikki haley went around during the morning, lobbying her fellow republi-CONS to bend on this one. If so, that's a good thing.

[SheilaT]

8. Good.

I'm old enough to remember the centennial of the Civil War, when all of a sudden it was about States Rights, not slavery. Really? I was only 13, but I recall a lot of confusion about this.

I think what happened back then was that the South was strong enough to push that meme through. Total bullshit, of course. The Civil War was always about slavery, even though most who fought on the side of the South were not slave owners, but understandably wanted to defend and protect their part of the country.

I recently reread Gone With the Wind which was fascinating on many levels. I was horrified at the racism I'd never noticed in earlier readings, but more to the point is the romanticism of the Old South, and how in this novel all of the slave owners were good, never abused their slaves, provided a good life for them. Gag me with a spoon. Chattel slavery is wrong. Period. End of discussion.

Sometimes I wonder what this country might have been like if we'd never embraced slavery, but if black Africans had had the opportunity to come here as all other immigrants had. This would be a very different country, and some of our finest citizens probably would not have existed. Martin Luther King jr is an obvious example. But imagine black Africans as our equals, rather like the Irish, or Italians, or any other immigrant group. What an amazing and wonderful country this would be.

Instead we have the legacy of slavery. It makes me a bit crazy that I notice the skin color or many people. I wish I could overlook it, but I can't. Meanwhile, we need to completely eliminate all the vestiges of slavery and the Confederacy. This is a start.

[LiberalArkie]

16. My grandad told me about how it was at the plantations he knew in Louisiana.

Last edited Thu Jul 9, 2015, 11:26 AM - Edit history (1)

He described the slave owners as people who raised cattle and other animals. You had most who treated their "property" with respect and took care of them, and then you had the ones who like to abuse their "property" because that was how they were. Because back in those days the blacks were property and the smart ones took care of their property. Usually it was the small farmers who were barely getting by who were the worst, But not always. My grandad told me of a friend of his dads had a slave who lived in the house with in. And when they were freed, the black man stayed because they were friends. In the south back in those days a black person was either slave or dead.

He like most people never understood how people could own another person. But it went on after it with tenant farmers. I guess you might even see the H1B visas as slavery today since a person is really the property of the company who employs the person.

[NOLALady]

26. Actually,

there were free blacks in the South in those days, gens de couleur libre.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. K&R

[jtuck004]

11. They mean, again? lol

[lovemydog]

15. great photo!

[merrily]

12. DAYS? wtf? Awesome Bree Newsome can do it in ten minutes. Take it down already.

[SCantiGOP]

18. word is within 24 hours

Last edited Thu Jul 9, 2015, 02:25 PM - Edit history (1)

The Governor will sign it today, and it requires the flag to come down within 24 hours. Word is that they will likely do it low-key, maybe at midnight or very early in the morning.
My office is across the street from the Statehouse, and there are still 50-70 people milling around in front, but, unlike recent days, you don't see the 5 or 6 rebel flags. Guess the civil was might finally be over.

ON EDIT: see my post near top: comes down at 10am tomorrow.

[onehandle]

13. Clearly the vast Republican majorities in the South no longer represent 'true Southerners.'

If I were them, I would vote third party or not vote at all.

[lovemydog]

14. Great photo and story:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33457169

[Calista241]

17. I worry that people will view this as "the victory" and just assume everything is alright.

We still have major racial issues in America, and who gives a shit that we took 1 flag down in 1 location in South Carolina?

I just don't want everyone to lose sight of the fact that racial equality sucks in this country and needs to be addressed.

[SCantiGOP]

19. the scary thing, Calista

Is that my Governor, who is really just a savvy, intelligent version of Sarah Palin, has now transformed from 'Tea Party favorite" to, according to the New York Times, "the Voice of the New South."
She is still as hard core right wing as you can get, and very, very ambitious. She wants a national stage, and this may have given it to her. Couple that with the inordinate impact SC has on the GOP primary and how every candidate is courting her favor, and it adds up to a scary situation.

[heaven05]

22. thanks for the real

truth and reason behind this governor's kubuki theatrics, and that's including 'mourning' for the victims that precipitated this tragedy.

[heaven05]

21. quit the show

after nine murders of innocent unarmed people worshiping in church, with their murderer. Now if we could only lower the confederate flags in the hundred of thousands of hearts in that state that will continue the Civil War and their hate for POC. Then this may be counted as a final victory over the confederates in S.Carolina. Need another symbolic 'March to the Sea'. After 150 years, if they ain't down now in those hundreds of thousands of hearts, they WILL NEVER come down. Great symbolism, this show of a possible lowering of a flag of treason from a state capitol grounds.

[benld74]

24. I'll believe it when I DON'T see it

[Kalidurga]

25. I just saw this story when I went to check my email.

I came by to see if it was posted already and I am very happy it was already posted, cuz as usual I don't have the words to express how extremely happy I am this is happening. It's a historic moment and I am going to make time to see it happen if it's going to be broadcast.

[SCantiGOP]

27. I'm on the Statehouse grounds now

Maybe 1,000 people, a LOT of police, and just a few confederate flags. Almost all of the crowd are there to enjoy seeing the flag come down.
Understand that it will be a quick ceremony; they don't want to look like it is a celebration of the flag.

[bigworld]

28. what's the occasional chanting about?

[SCantiGOP]

29. "take it down" and "USA"

There were probably in the neighborhood of 10,000 there, and the huge roar when the flag started coming down clearly showed the feelings of the crowd. I think there were maybe 4-5 confederate flags but nobody engaged those die-hards.
One guy said they probably didn't want to give up because they were only behind 2-0 at this point.
Glad its over. Wasn't sure I would see this in my lifetime.