Thursday, November 19, 2009

Mullins McLeod ready to take Confederate Flag down

Posted by Greg Hambrick on Thu, Nov 19, 2009 at 9:52 AM

As the topper on a job proposal, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mullins McLeod said Thursday that the state needs to bring down the controversial Confederate Flag on the Statehouse grounds and put it in a museum where it belongs. The whole debate sends the wrong message about South Carolina, McLeod said.

"The Confederate Flag debate continues to hold our state back," he said. " We are not going to compete in a 21st Century economy by prolonging 19th Century arguments."

The flag debate has been on the back-burner for nearly a decade after the flag was removed from the Statehouse dome and placed in front of the building. Some have argued that the move, which was pitched as a compromise, placed the flag in an even more prominent spot. The flag was first placed on the Statehouse in 1963 in the midst of the Civil Rights movement.

But the flag resolution is a novel accessory for a larger jobs-creation pitch. McLeod is also calling for an impartial analysis of state jobs data, middle-class tax relief, improved training resources (particularly in rural areas), and a focus on green jobs.

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The Confederate Monument and the appropriate flag that flies by it is not there to prolong 19th century arguments. It is there to honor the men of SC who fought and died defending her. The compromise has settled the issue. Get over it. With a mindset like this, it wouldn't be a surprise if into the future, other groups offended by WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War right up to Iraq and Afghanistan War memorials wnat them removed.......think about it.

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Posted by patriot61 on November 19, 2009 at 11:41 AM

McLeod is out of touch with the majority of South Carolinians who want to see their heritage preserved. In elitist circles his rhetoric will no doubt play well, however, the majority of us are want to see our heritage and culture preserved. McLeod doesn't have a chance in this race anyhow, thankfully. With statements like this, he's going to do even worse than he would have otherwise.

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Posted by RedShirtSC1670 on November 19, 2009 at 12:14 PM

And by "majority of South Carolinians" you don't mean black folks, which make up 30 percent of the population, plus the 26 percent of white residents who voted for Obama, right?

Also, when you speak of heritage and culture, exactly whose culture are you referring to? The one jointly created by whites and blacks or the one imagined by Margaret Mitchell?

That said, the flag is perfectly fine where it is. The Civil War happened. South Carolina seceded. Good men died. Good men served honorably. And the South suffered more than it should have during and especially after the war. It's what happened, and should not be forgotten.

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Posted by chrishaire on November 19, 2009 at 12:29 PM

McLeod is wrong and his argument will hurt his cause in the long run. The flag is where it is as the result of a compromise where flag defenders argued in good faith. If the flag removers did not argue in good faith (as appears to be the case), what incentive will there be to negotiate in the future?

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Posted by Jsmith on November 19, 2009 at 12:50 PM

Well said Jsmith

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Posted by patriot61 on November 19, 2009 at 1:21 PM

The flag did not prevent Boeing from selecting SC over other states for the lacation of its plant.

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Posted by Southron on November 19, 2009 at 1:49 PM

He won't get my vote.

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Posted by myloffriskie on November 19, 2009 at 1:52 PM

The opinion that the flag is not on the State House grounds to prolong an argument is true.
The flag is on the State House grounds to honor the service of the men called upon by the State to defend the State.
Black or White, Republican or Democrate State officials are duty bound to honor these men.
For more information regarding this issue, visit www.CSAHPS.com and click PRESS RELEASES. We do intend to fight the ignorance of those that would seek to change the status of the monument on State House grounds.
Charles Parks, CSA
S.C. LET US VOTE CAMPAIGN
www.CSAHPS.com

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Posted by Charles Parks, CSA on November 19, 2009 at 2:15 PM

As someone alluded to, someday another group is going to complain about other American monuments. I see Guats and other hispanics being the next generation of whiners because they are excluded from monument row. And/or they get their itty bitty feelings hurt because of this.
And to think if the dictator lincoln had of had his way, we would have been rid of the American Blacks, who are amongst the most vocal whiners in history, and we would not be faced with all this silly nonsense.

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Posted by Jimmy6165 on November 19, 2009 at 7:19 PM

I don't know if he took a video professor course on writing, but I keep finding myself agreeing with Chris Haire lately. The confederate monument is a memorial to hundreds of thousands of American war dead. They fought under that flag... regardless of their leaders intentions, they represented the general population and not the aristocracy. We have a large Vietnam War memorial in DC, representing the our fallen warriors from a lost war and a lost cause. There is nothing wrong with honoring your fellow citizens' sacrifice on public land, even when the politicians of the time failed them.

However, if the reactionaries in the 60s hadn't used the confederate flag's placement atop the state house to champion against civil rights, then it wouldn't continue to carry that message in this context. This symbol was co-opted not by fringe groups but by our very own state as a symbol of oppression, a mere generation ago. And as you can see in this thread, there are still those that follow that beacon they lit in the 60s.

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Posted by factoryconnection on November 20, 2009 at 10:32 AM

THE MEDIA AND NAACP LIE ABOUT THE CONFEDERATE FLAG
The gentleman above (Factory Connection) has bought into the NAACP lie that the Confederate flag was placed on the SC State House dome in the 60's to "champion against civil rights".
This is pure NAACP krap ! Investigated by the media and NAACP dieing to find some evidence to support that argument - the evidence has never been found.
Visit www.CSAHPS.com and read the Civil War Centennial Proclamation - a 4 year centennial (thats right 4 years) approved by President D.D. Eisenhower AND Congresss to honor the 100 year centennial of the war.
The media and the NAACP have promoted this falsehood in an anti flag effort for many years, but never mention the Centennial to any degree.
Visit www.CSAHPS.com and click CENTENNIAL for the details - and know the truth of the matter.
THIS IS A MEDIA AND NAACP BLATANT LIE !!!
Charles Parks www.CSAHPS.com
SC LET US VOTE CAMPAIGN

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Posted by Charles Parks, CSA on November 21, 2009 at 3:14 PM

Someone stated that the flag did not keep Boeing from coming to SC. Neither did it stop Mercedes Benz, but the lie promoted by the NAACP and the media back then is that Georgia and SC lost the Mercedes Benz contract to Alabama due to the flag. This was promoted for almost a year in the paper, then faced with the truth, the media barely mentioned it, and many papers did not mention it at all.
Visite www.CSAHPS.com click MEDIA to find out more about this stinking lie promoted by the media and NAACP.
Charles Parks
www.CSAHPS.com

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Posted by Charles Parks, CSA on November 21, 2009 at 3:24 PM

Mr. McCleod needs a reality check. Agreeing with an organization who insists in cutting off its nose to spite its face just to have its way is not very wise. If the NAACP devoted as much time and money to helping GET more jobs, industry, tourism, etc. to come to our area rather than discouraging it, their actions would make much more sense. There are many homeless, hungry, sick, they could help rather than feeding on negativism. The men, ancestors of many of us, who fought and died defending their homes and families from agressors deserve all the recognition we can give. Not enough now. Why should we who choose to honor them fail to do so just because a misinformed minority objects? We who choose to recognize our true history should not be the ones forced to deny it. If this is an example of how McCleod reaches decisions about how to vote on issues, uninformed, not agreeing with the majority of voters, we don't need him. We already have enough of them now.

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Posted by telit likit is on November 21, 2009 at 10:19 PM

A governor with a name like mullins mcleod - would set the State back further than anything else I can imagine. Sounds like someone that crawled out from under a rock, and maybe he did LOL !!!

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Posted by Charles Parks, CSA on January 9, 2010 at 12:43 AM

OK, let's get this part out of the way right now - I'm a transplant from the north. But...I live, pay taxes, vote (usually but not always Republican) and work in South Carolina...and I'm proud to call this my home. And while I'm all in favor of remembering our history and honoring those who fought and died for their beliefs, I still think the reality of today's economy should at the least compel everyone to think about this and other much more important issues. Still, if the NAACP was really concerned about the quality of life in South Carolina, they might remember that preventing various activities here hurts African-Americans as much as anyone else. Jobs are needed by EVERYONE, regardless of skin color. It's not too late to learn the benefits of compromise, not on principles but on practicalities. Mullins SEEMS to recognize some of these points but I'd still like to hear more and on issues that truly matter to ALL South Carolinians.

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Posted by YepImAYankee on January 10, 2010 at 10:19 AM
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