SC Gov. Signs Flag Law
With a stroke of the pen Tuesday evening, the Confederate flag was ordered down from atop the state capitol dome in South Carolina.
Gov. Jim Hodges gave a rare live televised speech to talk about the flag and then signed a bill removing it from the Statehouse.
In his brief talk, Hodges referred to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peoples boycott of the state over the Confederate flag.
"Their call for removing the Confederate battle flag was supported by many civic, religious and business institutions. Tonight, I am pleased to report that the long debate over whether to remove the flag is over," Hodges said.
"We must now heal the wounds of this divisive debate," the governor said.
Hodges said the compromise bill accomplished his goal of moving the flag from the dome to a place of historical significance, and said that, "in South Carolina, history is more than just dates in a textbook," and is an integral part of family tradition for blacks and whites.
The flag was not expected to be lowered Tuesday night. The law Hodges signed doesn't take effect until July 1.
After months of sometimes bitter debate and demonstrations, the General Assembly last week approved removing the Confederate flag from atop the Statehouse dome and legislative chambers, but flying a similar flag at the Confederate Soldier Monument in front of the Statehouse.
However, NAACP, which began a tourism boycott of the state Jan. 1, has vowed to continue and expand that until the flag no longer flies on Statehouse grounds.
"This is more of an insult," the NAACP's James Gallman said Friday. Gallman and others want the flag removed from the capitol grounds entirely, adding flag supporters "got exactly what they wanted. They have not given anything."
Lawmakers say any further changes are unlikely because the legislation Hodges signed now requires a two-thirds vote from both chambers to move the flag again.
"It's a closed question. You'll never get a two-thirds vote to undo what was done," said state Sen. Glenn McConnell, a Charleston Republican who runs a Confederate memorabilia store.
"We will not revisit the issue next week, or next year," House Speaker David Wilkins, R-Greenville, said.
State Attorney General Charlie Condon said Tuesday he was investigating the NAACP's boycott to see if it was illegal.
The Confederate flag—also called the "Stars and Bars"—was raised above the South Carolina statehouse in 1962 to commemorate the Civil War centennial, though critics suggest it also was done to defy the civil rights movement. Flag supporters say the banner is an important part of he Palmetto State's heritage.
The flag, one of several battle flags used during the war between the states, is technically called the "South Carolina Infantry Battle Flag of the Confederate States of America."
The controversy over the flag, sparked in part by the NAACP boycott, spilled over into sports and politics. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) called for its lowering, and prominent coaches, like University of South Carolina football coach Lou Holtz, marched against the flag.
Recently, Sen. John McCain, R.-Ariz., said he regretted not taking a firmer stand on the flag during his aborted run for the presidency.