I hope you weren't directing these last statements to me. I have affirmed the first many times. And I am a resident of SC who has been following the events for the last week with a passion. I have posted a number of times about the good things that are happening here. I am fiercely proud of most of what has taken place in SC this week. I am grieved by the few truly negative acts, which unfortunately include people defacing Confederate monuments. Those actions are not geared toward reconciliation.

I, too, am afraid that this could spiral out of control. Do you have any idea how many schools, roads, bridges, etc. would need to renamed in the South? (edited to remove a sentence that was here. I don't like what I said.) I think there are better ways to spend the state's money. However, to me there is a huge difference with the flag: When it flies at the statehouse (even not on the dome), it says to the world: "This is SC. This what we are proud of." And that flag does not represent me, nor many, many people I know. I may not like it, but I defend the rights of people to fly it on their own property, display it on their own vehicles, fly it at Confederate cemeteries or museums, etc. Perhaps the bill to remove it needs to include a clause that protects that right on private property.

Let me see if I can find a link to the article I read about one of the actors from that show who has a couple of stores that specialize in Dukes merchandise. He made a very defiant statement about how they will continue to sell merchandise with the flag on it. Because, he said, there was no racism in Hazzard County. Nevermind that Hazzard County was fictional ....

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I'm with you on this. I truly don't believe that the vast majority of those who support the flying of the flag are racists who believe slavery was a good thing. They have been fed a distortion of the truth for so many years that they truly believe it. I have tried numerous times to engage flag supporters (on Facebook) in a discussion so that I can understand their point of view. However, it quickly deteriorates into dodging my questions, repeating the same tired phrases over and over again without substantiation, and numerous logical fallacies. I did just see an IRL friend post on FB that he can argue both for and against the issue, as well as why it really doesn't matter at all. I have asked him to engage in a discussion with me or point me to a resource that will articulate the other side. I will report back what I hear from him.

I was reading these to ds, and I think we're ready to have salmon every night for a week now.

Once again, this young man demonstrates great wisdom. I think he has a future in public service when he's done playing football. If you're on Facebook, you should be able to read the whole thing. http://www.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/new-orleans-saints-benjamin-watson-charleston-shooting-confederate-flag-facebook-062215

WOW -- Strom Thurmond's son has said it's time for the flag to come down. From the Charleston Post and Courier: "State Sen. Paul Thurmond on Tuesday became one of the first lawmakers to officially call for removing the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds, denouncing a past that his father, segregationist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond, was identified with most of his life." http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20150623/PC16/150629748 (ETA link)

I found out today that I have been married to a black man for almost 27 years, and I didn't even know it. ....... According to the Mississippi declaration of reasons for secession, "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun." My husband has stories to tell about picking cotton when he was growing up. So I guess he must be black.

We ended up in the ER last Summer because my dh had such a serious case of Vertigo that he couldn't move without puking. The ER doctor explained about the ear crystals, prescribed some meds, and told dh to drink lots of water and see our family doctor the next day. The family doctor prescribed more meds, but dh was still sick. I took him to ds's chiropractor, who did the "maneuvers" to dislodge the ear crystals, and it was pretty much instantaneous relief for dh. I had never heard of the ear crystals thing before.

This afternoon, after an appointment, my son read aloud the "cornerstone" statement from the inaugural speech of the VP of the Confederate States. You know, the one where he very clearly, very specifically places slavery as the central issue in the Civil War, and delineates the inferiority of blacks. I watched the chiropractor's face go through some amazing contortions as he recognized what had been said. He was actually surprised as he concluded, "Wow, that sounds like racism to me." I'm not sure we "converted" him, but at least he realizes things aren't exactly as he was taught. It's a small step.

I am so proud of the governor of SC today. In case you missed it, she has said the time is NOW for the flag to moved to a museum. She went so far as to say that she is willing to enact her executive powers to force the state legislature to reconvene this Summer if necessary to get this issue under vote.

Do you have any colleges in your area? Many times colleges will allow community members to have a free library card. Maybe you can access some audio books that way. Also, can you search your library catalog by type of item? If so, maybe rather than looking for specific titles, you can find something that looks interesting among the titles that are available.

I just had an extended discussion on Facebook with a friend of a friend. We had hijacked our mutual friend's thread (which she appropriately did not appreciate), so I took it private. She first got me riled by insisting that the Civil War had NEVER been about slavery, that it was all about states' rights. She later shifted gears and said that it was the North that had made slavery an issue. I admit that I slipped and referred to what she was saying as "garbage". I provided sources to back up my stand on several specific issues. She continued to make her unsubstantiated claims. And then she said this: I have studied my history extensively and know the truth. I actually heard this history taught correctly (for the 1st time) in my Freshman history class at Bob Jones. It's no wonder I was doing this: :banghead: When I politely (really, politely) asked her on what basis she believed that her professor was able to discern this "truth" when others could not see it, she responded by saying that my words could only lead her to assume that I am not conservative, and that the discussion was therefore pointless. I guess we're done. I did send a few final words, but won't say anything more unless she responds. I don't want to get reported for harassing.

Bummer -- I wish I had seen this earlier. Ds and I would have been there. I hope it goes well!

Yes!!! When is / was the rally? This is something that I would drive to participate in. I would also drive to Charleston if it looks like the Westboro "church" is really going to make good on their threat of picketing the funerals in Charleston. That makes me ill.

Well, here in SC, there is at least one high school which has the mascot "Rebels". Thankfully, they do not incorporate the rebel flag into their logo or anything of that nature as far as I've ever seen. The official explanation is that they are called the "Rebels" because their namesake, James F. Byrnes, was considered a political rebel. Here is what the Byrnes High School website says about its namesake: "Our school honors him specially though because as Governor of South Carolina, he fathered an educational renaissance in his native state, the benefits of which will endure as long as South Carolina itself." The people who want to honor James F Byrnes for his contributions to our public school system tout the positives of what he did -- and either willfully or ignorantly ignore the underlying motivations for what he did. For example, he said that South Carolina "will not now nor for some years to come, mix white and colored children in our schools." And he also said, "If the Court changes what is now the law of the land, we will, if it is possible, live within the law, preserve the public school system, and at the same time maintain segregation. If that is not possible, reluctantly we will abandon the public school system."

Exactly! The "rebel" or "battle" flag wasn't a part of SC's history until it became a symbol of the battle against segregation. That is why it is seen as a symbol of racism and hatred.

I am also a transplant to SC (from northern CA), and I can honestly say that I have seen more friendships between blacks and whites here than I ever did there. And I am talking about among older people as well as the younger generation. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen older black / white friendships renewed in doctors' office waiting rooms, parking lots, gas stations and grocery stores. They will recognize each other, greet with warm hugs, and stand (or sit) talking for quite a while, catching up on what's taken place since they last saw each other, sharing pictures of the grandchildren, bragging about what the kids are up to these days, etc. I also see more interracial couples than I ever did in CA.

I love this! Can I quote it on FB? I would introduce it as "something I saw on another message board".

A friend of a friend posted on Facebook: In the book of Philippians, Paul says, “in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.†He then goes on to call on "white, Christian, heritage-loving South Carolinians" to place the interests of their African American brothers and sisters above their own interests. He asks them to think about those to whom the flag represents years of violence and oppression. And he concludes that it is far past time for the flag to come down. And then he concluded with a link to an online petition requesting that the flag come down. I will drive to Columbia and dance in the streets when that happens.

When my oldest son was about 16yo, he had two buddies that he hung out with quite a bit. One buddy's family had a nice big house with fully functioning AC and a big swimming pool in the backyard, so that's where they spent a lot of their time in the Summer. I knew the parents and brothers, and I was fine with him being there. One day, I received a tearful phone call from the young man who lived there. He was -- at his father's urging -- confessing to me that he and the other guys had gotten into his parents' liquor cabinet one night. The father then got on the phone and told me how sorry he was that this had happened in his home, and that he was implementing steps to make sure it didn't happen again. When I asked my son about it, he told me that he had taken a few sips of something, thought it was awful, and was done. The other two guys got seriously drunk, and then "puked their guts out". My son cleaned up after them, and swore he would never drink. He is now 25yo, and maintains a straightedge lifestyle.

When I was a kid, gift bags weren't a thing. We did lots of homemade gifts, so we recycled boxes for wrapping our treasures. We learned at a young age to never trust that the box revealed what was in it. I remember my little brother beginning to open a present and saying, "This box has been in the family for years."

Some people ought to just not speak ........ An aside: I live and attend church in SC. Some time ago, one of the announcements in our church bulletin was about letting a particular elder of the church know if you had a concealed carry permit and wished to be on a list of those who would be carrying at church. SC state law allows for those with permits to have a concealed weapon at church if they have the express permission of a church official or governing body.

The local news is reporting that the Confederate flag flying at the state capital cannot be removed without a vote by the state legislature. What are they waiting for? A highly respected member of that body was among those killed. By the way, not only is the Confederate flag still flying tonight, it is at full height while the U.S. and state flags have been ordered to fly at half staff for nine days. Again, it required an act of the state legislature to even lower it. Sad. Sad. Sad.