Everybody Wins With H-3588

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What’s not to like about H-3588?  It’s awesome; it’s brilliant; it’s perfect.

Why the SCV should decide to support H-3588

First of all, it’s going to get passed sooner or later, so the SCV might as well support it now.  Second, it basically describes an awesome annual celebration of May 10, and the SCV can do whatever it wants on May 10. 

The NAACP puts on a wonderful celebration for all South Carolinians for King Day.  Why couldn’t the SCV, if they are a historical group as they claim to be, put on a wonderful celebration for all South Carolinians for May 10?

The Confederate battle flag (CBF) will fly on May 10 every year, so anybody can get all the pictures they want of it flying on a flagpole on the Statehouse grounds.  They just have to come to the celebration.

And all the rest of the year, the Palmetto flag, which is the official state flag of South Carolina, will fly from behind the Confederate Soldiers Monument.  The SCV knows that the Palmetto flag became the official state flag during the Confederacy, so they can legitimately call it a Confederate flag if they want.

In summary, the SCV gets (1) a flag that can legitimately be called a Confederate flag flying every day of the year and (2) permission for having, encouragement to have, and basically the responsibility of having a huge celebration every May 10.  The SCV can declare victory.

Why the NAACP should decide to support H-3588

The Confederate battle flag (CBF) will be removed from the flagpole from where it flies.  It will fly only one day a year, May 10, and it will be taken down that day.   May 10 is a state holiday, so no one is forced to look at the CBF if they don’t want to; just take the day off.

The NAACP can call their boycott a success, if they want to.  Why not?  They have consistently called for a boycott because the Confederate flag was flying, and it will be taken down.  The NAACP can declare victory.

Need I say it again?  The CBF will no longer fly from the Statehouse.  Every May 10, the NAACP can celebrate the taking down of the CBF.  It will be taken down every May 10, and that’s cause for celebration!

I’ll say it again.  Every year, on May 10, the NAACP can say, “Governor, take down that flag.”  And the Governor will.  Amazing.  I want to say it again, but I’ll wait for the next section.

Why South Carolinians should support H-3588

Good.  Now I get to say it again.  We will get what we want, which is to take down the Confederate flag.  It will fly only one day a year, May 10.  We can put our past in the past and we can celebrate our achievements and learn from our history. 

Every year, on May 10, we can celebrate with the SCV and with the NAACP, and we will probably do both.  Frankly, I don’t know why we couldn’t move towards having a joint celebration that lasts all day long.

On May 10, our country was again united, after a bloody, deadly, and horrific war.  The historian Shelby Foote says that before the Civil War people said, “The United States are…” and after the Civil War people say, “The United States is…”  We are one people.  E pluribus unum.

South Carolinians will have gotten what we want from our government.  This happens too rarely, but it will happen when we get H-3588 signed into law.  South Carolinians can declare victory.

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