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Haley. Gov. Nikki Haley spread her leadership wings this week by embracing the sentiment that so many have had for so long — that the Confederate flag should be removed from the Statehouse grounds.
Legislators. State legislators, who sidestepped the flag issue in recent years, are to be commended for supporting, in large part, the bipartisan push to take down the flag. But the devil is in the details and we hope they’ll follow through in two weeks.
McConnell. Former Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell, who brokered the compromise that put the flag on the Statehouse grounds, is also to be commended for moving beyond the 2000 compromise and agreeing the flag should be moved.
Obama. First, thank you, Mr. President, for returning to South Carolina to say the eulogy at the funeral of Sen. Clementa Pinckney. Second, congratulations on a good week in Washington that saw high court approval of Obamacare health insurance subsidies.
Flagmakers. Hats off to Valley Forge Flag company and other manufacturers who said they would stop manufacturing and selling the Confederate flag. Perhaps cutting the supply will help curb some hatred.
In the middle
Stopping the violence, hatred. Seemingly lost in the debate about taking down the Confederate flag is the larger debates about doing something significant to stop gun violence and curb racial hatred. Let’s get the flag stuff out of the way and then focus on promoting unity.
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High temps. Boy, has the heat been something or what? Whew.
Maintenance? We noted that the state put up black curtains over windows at the Statehouse so that mourners paying last respects to slain Sen. Clementa Pinckney wouldn’t have to see the flag. But they had to walk by it. Seems like there was some way bureaucrats could have taken in down temporarily for cleaning or something until the law is changed so that mourners didn’t have to be reminded of the racial violence that has plagued the state.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!