South Carolina Republican Vows To Introduce Bill That Would Remove Confederate Flag From State Capitol
A South Carolina Republican representative has vowed to introduce a bill in the statehouse that would remove the Confederate flag from all state properties.
Doug Brannon, a five-year vet of the South Carolina statehouse, plans on introducing the bill in December. He knows that his stance on the issue will likely cost him reelection, but believes he needed to do something after losing friend and state Rep. Clementa Pinckney in the church shooting last Wednesday.
From CBS:
Republican state Rep. Doug Brannon plans to introduce a bill to remove the flag, which he acknowledges will likely cost him re-election, reports CBS News’ Adriana Diaz.
“The switch that flipped was the death of my friend Sen. [Clementa] Pinckney… I’ve been in the House five years. I should have filed that bill five years ago. But the time is now, I can’t let my friend the senator’s death go without fundamental change in South Carolina,” Brannon said.
Brannon said he plans to introduce his bill as early as he can, which won’t be until December.
Other politicians have said they will wait until after funerals can be held for the nine victims of last week’s shooting before they weigh on whether the flag should be moved.
Other politicians have commented on the flag issue, including former presidential candidate Mitt Romney and current presidential candidate Jeb Bush. Both believe the flag shouldn’t fly on state properties.
Take down the #ConfederateFlag at the SC Capitol. To many, it is a symbol of racial hatred. Remove it now to honor #Charleston victims.
— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 20, 2015
As a Carolina native, I’ve never felt compelled to show pride for a losing cause in a war that happened over 150 years ago. Most people I know don’t have Confederate pride either, and were always irritated by those around us who did. The only people who showed Confederate pride were usually the ones who prefaced racist thoughts with the words “My heritage,” followed by bumbling, incoherent thoughts that were historically inaccurate. Ironically, they were also the guys who showed the most American pride, unaware that they were contradicting themselves at essentially every turn.
Wiping the Confederate flag off the face of the earth isn’t the answer, but it doesn’t belong in front of state capitols. That should be something we can all agree on..
[via CBS]
Image via YouTube
One step closer towards the govt taking our guns away….
10 years ago at 10:51 amHow? How does this article equate to your statement at all?
10 years ago at 10:53 amTry never speaking again…Oh and fuck you
10 years ago at 10:55 amProbably my man. Probably.
10 years ago at 11:18 amI agree
10 years ago at 12:56 pmI may get lapped, but I hate the confederate flag. All it stands for is racism and not equality
10 years ago at 10:54 amCensorship is never the answer. And people who think the confederate flag is racist are just ignorant.
10 years ago at 10:54 amAre you fucking retarder?
10 years ago at 10:57 amAre you fucking retarded?
10 years ago at 10:59 amYou tried.
10 years ago at 11:10 amI could respond with a counter argument discussing how the American flag flew over slavery too and how the flag represents Southern pride and State’s rights yada yada yada. But I wont. I guess the demographic of this website isn’t what I thought it was. Laps being taken.
10 years ago at 11:06 amNope. A bunch of liberal Yankee pussies have infiltrated TFM.
10 years ago at 11:30 amIf you want to promote heritage then fly the actual stars and bars instead of the battle flag, solves the hate symbol and heritage debate.
10 years ago at 10:56 amIt’s what Texas does and it bothers no one just like our 5 other flags, why SC flys the battle flag actually confuses me.
10 years ago at 11:04 amI think the reason they fly the battle flag instead of the actual stars and bars is because the flag in question is located on a memorial to confederate militia in SC. It’s not a memorial to the confederacy as a whole.
10 years ago at 4:27 pmIt is sad how everyone thinks this is a Conservative problem. In 1962 Governor Fritz Hollins was responsible for ordering the Confederate flag flown over the Capitol. He was a Democrat and a segregationist. Bill Clinton’s mentor, Senator Fullbright, was a segregationist and a Democrat who encouraged Governor Bill Clinton to sign an order to fly the confederate flag in Arkansas. All of the Segregationist politicians in the South were Democrats. The Republicans are the ones who championed the Civil Rights Act. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Was a conservative.
10 years ago at 9:36 amIt actually amazes me how many people don’t know the difference between the stars and bars and the battle flag.
10 years ago at 11:08 amComing from the guy who’s profile pic is 2 flags that are neither stars and bars. Ironic
10 years ago at 11:26 amWhat do you think irony is exactly?
10 years ago at 11:44 amFor me personally I like to fly the Confederate battle flag because it was the battle flag of the army of northern Virginia. I had ancestors from Virginia who fought and died under that banner. It’s a matter of family pride for me just like how the Scots in Great Britain still take pride in their family history even after losing multiple rebellions against the British.
10 years ago at 12:02 pmGeorgia does and theres currently a large petition to change it. World’s gone soft and PC.
10 years ago at 4:50 pmFact of the matter is the battle flag has become a symbol of hate and there’s no going back. By displaying the official flag of the confederacy you give mention to your past, hell you don’t see Texans bitching about the French and Mexican flag in front of our Capitol.
10 years ago at 5:18 pmIt’s been hijacked by rednecks and racists. Lina sad
10 years ago at 8:50 pmThe Flag didn’t kill all those people, A crazed racist did.
10 years ago at 10:57 amYeah, and the swastika didn’t kill all of those people, Hitler did. What’s your point?
10 years ago at 11:03 amI think his point is that this is a law that’s being passed simply to look like they’re doing something instead of actually solving the problem.
10 years ago at 11:07 amYou’re right lets outlaw all Confederate symbols just like Germany outlawed all Nazi symbols, fuck free speech amirite. Censorship it’s a TFM.
10 years ago at 11:17 amThe Confederacy, and the Confederate flag, largely stand for slavery, and by an extension of that, racism. The Confederacy is different than the South. The Confederacy was a group of states that seceded primarily to continue slavery, the “states’ rights” issue was the secondary reason. Good on Brannon for taking a stand on what he believes is right, instead of seeking reelection like most politicians.
10 years ago at 11:01 amThanks for clearing up what the confederacy was for all of us, that word confused me
10 years ago at 12:19 pmTLiberalM
10 years ago at 11:01 amLace em up, guy
10 years ago at 11:07 am“A South Carolina Republican representative has vowed to introduce a bill in the statehouse that would remove the Confederate flag from all state properties.”
Did you read the article?
10 years ago at 12:00 pmFor the record, banning a flag won’t do anything to solve the problem. The Confederate battle flag didn’t cause Roof’s massacre. Roof was mentally screwed up, and that’s what caused the massacre.
10 years ago at 11:03 amThey’re not banning the flag, they’re just taking it down from government buildings.
10 years ago at 3:03 pmTo me, and I may be an idiot, but the confederate flag is not some banner for racism, it is not a symbol of injustice. The civil war was not fought over the slaves, slavery was merely a contributing factor. The civil war was not fought for equality, it wasnt fought to better help the condition of blacks. It was fought because of states rights, southern states didnt care so much about the slaves as much as they cared about keeping the federal government in its proper place and from taking the states control and power. Slavery cane to forefront only because A. It happened to be the dominant issue at the time and B. Our modern day over sensitivity and focus on minorities teaches the war as a war for the blacks and against equality. Thats not true and you cant ever make it true. Before the war blacks were slaves after they were sharecroppers who were in some ways worse off than previously (im not vouching for slavery merely making a point, slavery is horrendous). But I say all of this to say that the confederate flag is not rascist. It is the flag of a revolution and a symbol of anti-total federal control. Conservatism. If you want to condemn a flag for the actions taken place beneath it then shit, take down the stars and stripes to, because blacks were enslaved for over 100 years under Old Glory, but ony 3 under the stars and bars. Really this entire issue is because the general populus has been taught to believe that the civil war was fought for the blacks, with their eqaulity the entire goal. It wasnt. And blacks condition stayed the exact same for many many years to come until the civil rights movement of the 60’s. The Confederate Flag, is hated based on false pretenses.
Also the fucking KKK using it alongside a swasticka really fucks the image.
10 years ago at 11:06 amare you just trying to make a point because ur avi is Robert E. Lee?
10 years ago at 11:09 amRobert E. Lee was quoted as saying slavery was one of the biggest evils of humanity.
10 years ago at 6:15 pmSo far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained.
– Robert E Lee
10 years ago at 8:01 pmSee this is what I was trying to say. And I believe the guy in charge of the KKK issued a letter a while back asking the entire organization to discontinue their implementation of the Confederate flag.
10 years ago at 11:11 amTL;DR
10 years ago at 11:16 amThe Abraham Lincoln brought slavery to the forefront for purely strategic reasons with the Emancipation Proclamation. If he did not issue this, there is a good chance England would have aided the South to protect its interest and leveled the playing field. Combing aid from England with Southern battle tactics, the North might have lost. However, England could not support a pro-slavery nation having already abolished it along with the rest of Europe. Not to mention, the Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in the South and not the North. Lincoln did this because as the executive leader, he did not acknowledge the Confederacy as a sovereign nation and simply as a rebellion.
10 years ago at 11:26 amI know better
10 years ago at 11:28 amWell you mentioned the swastika, but by your own logic does the swastika NOT stand for anti-semitism and the evil that was the nazi party? The nazis flew the spider and identified their ideologies with it. Similarly, the CSA flew the confederate flag and identified their ideologies behind it. While that certainly includes states rights, it also includes slavery, racism and bigotry. You can’t have one without the other.
Saying its a ‘part of the southern culture’ is the same as saying the Swastika is part of German culture. Both happened, but neither should ever be lauded. There are SO many other ways to express your independence than the stars and bars. The Gadsden flag comes to mind. Use that. Not the one that the CSA used.
10 years ago at 12:01 pmThis is a red herring. Understand that the swastika was explicitly used for racial and national supremacy, whereas the battle flag was in revolt of government control and maintaining statehood. Understand that the reasons for war in both situations are different. So no, it’s not the same argument for the swastika.
10 years ago at 1:42 amNot to mention that tens of thousands of Americans died defending the Confederacy and therefore the Confederate Flag, banning it would be disrespectful to all of those who died.
10 years ago at 12:04 pmDelts4bush thousands of Americans did not die defending the confederate flag. Because in my America you can protest, petition, even step on the flag (not condoning I hate you if you do) but as soon as you physically take up arms and start killing your fellow Americans, regardless of the cause* you are no longer an American.
10 years ago at 12:56 pmWhile the north’s primary purpose in fighting the civil war was not equality and freeing the slaves, the confederate states primary purpose for seceding was to maintain their right to own slaves. If you read The Declaration of Causes of the Seceding States slavery is mentioned or referenced in every paragraph for every confederate state.
10 years ago at 12:45 pmGood points. People forget that Lincoln and the Northern states were just as racist as anyone in the South. The Republicans of the day wanted to stop slavery from spreading to preserve new territories for “free white labor.” Lincoln was ready to amend the Constitution to guarantee slavery forever in the South and, to his dying day, wanted to deport all blacks to Africa. If you need to show anyone the truth on Lincoln and his tariff war against the South, see Thomas DiLorenzo’s books on Lincoln.
10 years ago at 12:50 pmYou obviously don’t know history. Those dudes straight up said it was only about slavery.
10 years ago at 1:19 pmI mean yeah you could make that argument but then you could also do the same to the swastika. The swastika was originally a symbol of good luck LONG before Hitler used it. Try using that flag somewhere and arguing that point, it won’t get you very far. As a black guy, I see the Confederate Flag as a symbol of discrimination and white supremacy because it’s been used that way by a lot of people since slavery ended, like the KKK as you mentioned.
I’m all for people being able to hold whatever flag they want, as this is America, but for it to be hoisted on government property as a symbol of the intentions of the state rubs me the wrong way. Is the flag racist? Nah, probably not. But it is seen that way by many people, people who hope that the state represents their interests. They have a right to be upset with it on government property
10 years ago at 3:16 pmBut there again to all you “swasticka is the same people” the Nazi Third Reich’s goals were intrinsically horrid. World domination. Destruction of all inferior races and peoples. Fascism. Everything. Every part was evil, was tainted and so it makes sense for the swasticka to be infamous. But the South? Really? What did the south do be wiped completely from the annals of history? To be treated so despicably as if we were the only racists in america at the time, as if we gathered the blacks in death camps and murdered them? Do those really equivalate? And despite what you say, the civil war was not about slavery. And The Last Beer is right, the only reason it became an issue in the war is because they knew the Brits wouldnt do anything if slavery got brought up. I may not agree with slavery, but I am still fucking proud that we stood up for ourselves. It was a tradgedy, a learning experience, and a scar on our great nation. But it is a scar we must wear with pride or we will look weak.
10 years ago at 3:39 pmAnd I agree with your statement in some regards HouseofFrats, having it on a government building is a little strong and unique. But I like to think it was there as a symbol to the people of the state and the people of the government, that SC has power and it will protect its statesmen and women. You see the huge difference between today and then is that their wasnt this overbearing allegiance to the United States. There was allegiance and pride im each ones own state. Totally different way of thinking, they loved their states the way we love this nation.
10 years ago at 3:45 pmIf you want to use the argument about how the klan and other racist organizations have used the battle flag as a symbol of oppression and racism then you must include Old Glory as well. Look at every picture of a rally and you’ll see the American flag right next to the battle flag
10 years ago at 5:55 pmPeople who contend that the civil war was fought solely for slavery are saying that hundreds of thousands of southern men died just so that less than 5% of the population could own slaves.
If that were the case many, including my own ancestors, would have just stayed home.
Abraham Lincoln paying citizens from america’s north to invade the country’s south had a lot to do with stirring up the average southerner.
10 years ago at 7:53 pmI don’t understand why people are talking about changing the flag instead of talking about changing people. Making a big deal about the flag is just a fuckin cop out and it’s gonna amount to 0 change. Do you think people are gonna forget about slavery and racism just because a flag got lowered?
10 years ago at 11:08 amTo me you’re partially correct. Nothing is solved but it’s a step in the right direction. What you do in your own home or what you want to display on your private property is one thing but public buildings should have the National or State flag. It’s a matter of principle.
10 years ago at 12:56 pm