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By a vote of 94 – 20 the South Carolina state House voted to remove the Confederate flag from state house grounds.
Earlier this week, the state Senate had passed the same measure. The bill now goes to Gov. Nikki Haley who supports the measure.
By a vote of 37-3 the South Carolina state Senate voted to remove the Confederate Flag from the State House grounds.
The issue now goes to the state House where it must pass by a two-thirds vote, then be signed by Gov. Nikki Haley.
This flag’s presence became a national story in the aftermath of nine African-Americans were murdered during a Bible study at a historic church on June 17.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley (R) ordered the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state Capitol Wednesday morning, saying it was simply “the right thing to do.”
According to AL.com, two state workers “with no fanfare quickly and quietly took the flag down.”
In a statement, Gov. Bentley said his decision was based in part on the recent shooting in South Carolina.
“Yes, partially this is about that,” said Bentley. “This is the right thing to do. We are facing some major issues in this state regarding the budget and other matters that we need to deal with. This had the potential to become a major distraction as we go forward. I have taxes to raise, we have work to do. And it was my decision that the flag needed to come down.”
According to CNN, both Walmart and Sears – two of America’s largest retailers – have issued statements saying the companies will no longer sell Confederate flag merchandise in light of the recent church shooting in Charleston.
“We never want to offend anyone with the products that we offer. We have taken steps to remove all items promoting the confederate flag from our assortment — whether in our stores or on our web site,” said Walmart spokesman Brian Nick. “We have a process in place to help lead us to the right decisions when it comes to the merchandise we sell. Still, at times, items make their way into our assortment improperly — this is one of those instances.”
Walmart’s statement came in response to a CNN inquiry Monday.
Sears Holdings Corporation, which operates Sears and Kmart, also said it would remove confederate flag merchandise sold by third-party vendors online. It does not currently sell confederate flags at its stores, Sears Holdings spokesman Chris Brathwaite told CNN.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley says, “Today, we are here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will to say it’s time to remove the flag from our capitol grounds.”
Bravo, Gov. Haley for an excellent speech and for stepping up.
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| Pic via Facebook |
According to Salon.com, Gov. Nikki Haley may have had a change of heart over the weekend regarding flying the Confederate Flag near the state house’s ground.
The governor has announced a 4pm press conference for today where she will reportedly call for the flag’s removal.
Controversy erupted around the flag that has flown on South Carolina’s State House grounds since 1962, when it was put there in defiance of the civil rights movement, after it flew at full mast the day after the gruesome murder of nine African-American churchgoers by an apparent white supremacist.
Pastor and South Carolina Senator Clementa Pinckney was one of the victims of the church attack. His body will lie in state in the Capitol rotunda where the flag flies right outside.
After pictures of the alleged shooter, Dylann Roof, posing in front of a Confederate Flag surfaced calls for the flags removal grew quickly.
A MoveOn.org petition demanding Haley “Remove the Confederate Flag From All Government Places” has already garnered over half a million signatures.
Removal of the flag would require a two-thirds majority in the state legislature where Republicans outnumber Democrats 106-64.
Over the weekend 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney called for the removal of the flag as a symbol of racism.
In the aftermath of the horrific Charleston church shooting, the Confederate flag – long a symbol of racism to many in the US – still flies over the South Carolina capitol.
In a rare moment of unity, both President Obama AND 2012 GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney call for the the flag to be lowered.
Current GOP presidential candidates were not so brave.
Sen. Marco Rubio derided such calls as ignoring a “states rights” issue. While Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal sought to divert to a false “religious freedom” angle.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush still isn’t sure if the attack was racially motivated although the shooter has admitted to wanting to start a “race war.”
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