Well that was quick. In the end, getting the flag down from the State House grounds went pretty quickly indeed. Just discussing what to call it might take longer than the actual process did. It is not in fact the Confederate flag, as that was three other ones. It isn't the battle flag, strictly speaking, as it's just the Army of Northern Virginia flag. (It isn't the flag of your ancestors then unless they were in the Army of Northern Virginia; apparently 1/8 of that army was from South Carolina, so it's possible. But not what you'd call likely.) I'll just call it the thing in the museum. (Flag supporters probably should have renamed the Confederate Relic Room while they were at it.)
Sure I feel good about it. It's nice that the thing is finally down. However, I don't think I'm going to join in on breaking my arm patting my fellow white South Carolinians on the back for finally fixing a problem we created ourselves that we should have never done in the first place. The fact that nine people including a sitting state senator had to die before the governor and general assembly noticed that "Hey! We might have a public relations problem!" kind of undercuts their heroism. Yes Nikki Haley and Jenny Horne did well. Yes, after members of both houses took advantage of worldwide coverage to show their asses thoroughly, the general assembly did the right thing. But I would feel better and prouder if they could have done it with Senator Clementa Pinckney still alive to lead the fight and vote by their side.
Still and all, it was a great moment. It was fun being there the moment it came down, hearing and joining in on the cheer. Now maybe they can do something substantive, like, I dunno, expand Medicaid.
Tomorrow: Fiction. (Did he say "fiction"? I think he said "fiction." Yes, fiction!)
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