A Question For My South Carolinian Readers

What the heck is wrong with your governor? First, refusing to recognize Pope John Paul II and now, Rosa Parks?
I don’t believe that the South is inherently more racist than the North, as many of my fellow Yankees seem to. (It did strike me as a bit weird when I visited S.C. that the central tourist attraction in Charleston seemed to be the market where slaves were traded…) There’s actually a lot of racism here in the North, but it’s generally of the passive-aggressive, underhanded, “soft bigotry of low expectations” variety (recent attacks on conservative African Americans notwithstanding). I’m left scratching my head over Sanford’s actions, though.
Anyone care to explain what the heck is going on?

8 Comments

First, I can’t read the specifics on your problem with our governor due to our internet security, but yes, he is an idiot.
Second, the market was a fresh market. Slave trade took place at the Old Slave Mart-a small corner on a nondescript road in Charleston. It also took place at the Exchange and Provost Dungeon on East Bay, which was probably pointed out to you. The common misconception about the market is used as a sales technique by the sweet grass basket makers. Did you buy a $400 sweet grass change basket? Oh, you got it for $200. Well, bravo then. Also, the market happens to be in the center of the downtown night life. So, it would seem like that’s where everything is happening.
You didn’t go to Fort Moultrie? You didn’t go to the Yorktown? You didn’t appreciate the Battery while we were golfing at Patriots Point? The Huguenot Church? Dock Street Theatre? Folly Beach? IOP? Did you notice the carriage tours that gave historical accounts of each stop? Being a devout Christian, you did of course realize you were in the Holy City? Althought the recent influx of baggers has moved to change this fact, no building is higher than the highest church steeple.

Well apparently my tour guide was lacking.
/me glares in Brad’s general direction
(The article I linked to was referencing Sanford’s refusal to lower S.C. flags to honor Rosa Parks.)

I also enjoyed the view of the new bridge from the golf course. The shot I took of it is my current background on my PowerBook.
My pics of Ft. Sumter didn’t come out too well, though, alas and alack.

It seems the whole state legislature should also be shouldering the burden for this. If When it became apparent that the current law was inadequate, they should have spent less time overriding the governor’s vetos of pork barrel spending and some time fixing this piece of legislation.

you are, after all, dealing with a state that would not remove the confederate (history not hatred) flag from the capital building and ended up getting the entire state boycotted by the NAACP. If that is a bad thing I don’t know, we haven’t seen Rrreverand Sharptunn or Jessie Jacksuhun down here in a while so take it as you may. But as a yankee I am told that I will never understand the ways of Dixie.

Sanford criticized again for not lowering flag
The Greenville News ran this cartoon by their staff editorial cartoonist today: They also ran an editorial critical of the decision by Sanford not to half-staff the flag for Rosa Parks: It’s true that state law (Section 10-1-161) spells out…

Echoing what Lawtonfunk said, the city market that gets called the “Slave Market” was the farmers’ market originally. Slaves were allowed to shop there and it got the name Slave Market in some corners because of that at the time – every time I’m in Charleston and hear a guide use that name for it (usually it’s on a carriage riding by) I want to run them down and tell the people on the carriage their college frat boy driver is an idiot.