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
These are two very different things.
10 years ago at 11:57 amJust another knee-jerk reaction that won’t solve or prevent anything.
10 years ago at 11:59 amAny flag can be seen as oppressive. The Eagle, olive branch,and arrows of the U. S. is modeled after the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire enslaved millions. The confederate flag stands for much more-heritage, states rights,
10 years ago at 12:01 pmEtc. But, no politician dates defend it on its positive merits.
The flag inherently stands for states rights and i will concede that point. But the right they wanted to defend was the right to own slaves. There was not a bigger issue during this era, and the legal continuation (via share topping) after slavery ended in all of the states shows just how much the south wanted their states rights not to be violated otherwise known as their right to have slaves.
10 years ago at 12:27 pmAt the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what you think it stands for, people find it offensive and if they ask you to stop, be fuckin respectful. If you care more about your “right” to be offensive than the people you’re offending, you’re probably a bad person.
10 years ago at 12:32 pmIf I stopped doing something every time I offended someone i’d probably be doing nothing.
I didn’t realize people had become such huge pussies.
10 years ago at 12:46 pmTits or gtfo
10 years ago at 7:55 pmFuck you TFM. All you’re trying to do anymore is save face for your sponsors and make sure no one is offended by the website.
10 years ago at 12:40 pmI believe America is freedom, therefore I believe you should be able to fly whatever fucking flag you want, doesn’t matter if it offends anyone. If you want to fly it, fucking fly it.
10 years ago at 12:55 pmIts a government entity not a fucking individual, guy.
10 years ago at 2:29 pmIt’s on the STATE House grounds not a guy’s front porch it shouldn’t be up there regardless, tho taking it down might not make a difference. The flag was put up 100 years after the end of the war during the civil rights movement another time when many racist old southern men where in power and wanted to retain it by controlling the colored population. Raising it during such a period in time correlates (maybe not directly but come on it just so happens to go up in the middle of the civil rights movement?) that they were against the movement, which we know they were. If you want to argue that the flag as a symbol means heritage fine, but this particular flag stands for something different.
TL; DR : this particular flag is actually racist.
10 years ago at 4:25 pmSo it’s cool to fly a flag with a swastika or the isis symbol? Those things might offend people I think.
10 years ago at 10:59 pmFor those saying, TFM is trying to get ad money these days- Start a business.
10 years ago at 1:22 pmThat aside, we as Fraternity men have always boosted about producing leader. Hence, we need to get with the times. We all say here, as Republicans we have the solution, which I believe and maybe TFM is subliminally telling us is that we have the power to change the world for the better. It’s telling us be degenerates, but be degenerates that have gotten with the times and want to steer the world in the right way. It’s our time, Let’s take it.
Look around, our dear country is falling apart and it seems like we are residing. Think about it.
I have been an avid reader of tfm for some years and now is the only time I felt I should make an account to comment.
So if I view something as racial hatred, I can just bitch and moan til someone gets annoyed enough to fix it for me?
10 years ago at 2:16 pmThe “Confederate flag” that has become popularized is actually a battle flag, rather than the official flag of the Confederacy. Which means that the flag was originally flown with the purpose of war against the Union. That is treason, and anyone that supports the continued application of this flag supports war against the United States of America, which is the most un-American thing I can think of. Any “proud Southerners” that defend the usage of this flag as a part of their heritage should not be allowed to call themselves Americans. They wanted to split from the real USA back then, and if they wish to continue to praise their ancestors with this flag, then I believe that they should be viewed in the same way by true, loyal Americans.
10 years ago at 2:20 pm