The true story of the South Carolina Confederate flag debate

[struggle4progress]

07/12/15 02:16 PM
By Joy-Ann Reid

... a handful of Republicans in the House were determined to amend the bill at all costs. They were led by Rep. Pitts, who threw a barrage of amendments onto the floor, calling for everything from the removal of all monuments from the Statehouse grounds, to flying the U.S. flag upside down on the Capitol dome ... Pitts introduced 54 amendments, at one point withdrawing 27 of them only to introduce two dozen more ... The GOP holds a 77-46 majorly in the 124-member House (one seat remains vacant), and most members hail from districts where a plurality of white residents supported flying the confederate flag ... “That flag needs to come down, but we’ve got to have a little something to take back home, too” ... “I sat and I listened, all day long with great interest, and empathy, for what was said,” said Rep. Joseph Neal, a black elder statesman of the caucus, and a close friend of Pinckney’s, who, like the murdered senator, is also a pastor. “I understand you loving and supporting your ‘heritage.’ But ‘grace’ means that you ought to also love and support mine. It’s not a one-way street. My heritage is based on a group of people who were brought here in chains. Who were denigrated. Demagogued. Lynched and killed. Denied the right to vote. Denied the right to even have a family” ...

http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/the-true-story-the-south-carolina-confederate-flag-debate

[HassleCat]

1. If passion qualifies

A bunch of white people in the south are getting "passionate" about the rebel flag, and feeling all oppressed because they can't fly it on public property anymore. Well, Johnny Reb, take a minute to weight your passion against that of black people, who have pretty much held their tongues while you're wagging yours. Was your family kidnapped from Scotland and brought here in chains? Were they split up and sold as property? Were they beaten or killed when they failed to please their employer? Were they sold and relocated when their masters went bankrupt? Were they denied equal access to public facilities? Were they unable to send their children to decent schools? Did they have to sit at the back of the bus? Did they have to control their emotions when people all around them waved a brightly colored banner in their faces, expressing resentment of their desire for equality?

They did? Really? Your forebears endured all that? Well, OK then. Go ahead and wave that thing around. What? What's that? Oh, you did that stuff to black people, then pretended the flag was a symbol of your "heritage." Well then, suck it up, Johnny. Your time is past.

[3catwoman3]

2. Thank you for posting this.

A most interesting read.

[struggle4progress]

3. I just love Joy Reid!

[3catwoman3]

4. Yes, she is always...

...compelling. I'm glad we still see her regularly on MSNBC even tho her show was axed.