Senator wants Legislature to punish SCANA for Confederate flag rule

Sen. Glenn McConnell wants Legislature to punish the company
By JOHN MONK
Staff Writer

Angered by SCANA's new policy prohibiting employees from displaying Confederate flag bumper stickers in company parking lots, South Carolina's top state senator said Friday he wants to strip the company of state contracts and allow other utilities to compete with it.

Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, the Senate president pro tem, said he would propose legislation to do so - if the company does not reverse course.

"People around the state are just outraged at the audacity of those people," said McConnell, who is known for his ability to kill or pass laws.

If SCANA and its subsidiary S.C. Electric & Gas lose millions or even go out of business because of his bill, McConnell said, "That's their choice."

SCANA, the state's only Fortune 500 company, with $3.4 billion in revenues, is one of the state's largest employers. It has about 2,200 workers in the Columbia area. It owns the electric utility SCE&G, which provides power to much of the state.

McConnell said he also resents SCANA's banning its employees from driving company vehicles into the parking lots of Maurice Bessinger's barbecue restaurants.

"They (SCANA) have a monopoly that is guaranteed, and then they turn around and try to hurt a restaurant's business!" said McConnell, who runs a Confederate memorabilia store.

SCANA said employees could patronize Bessinger's stores if they parked company cars off-site.

Bessinger is controversial because he has distributed pamphlets at his stores saying slavery was God's will and that many blacks liked being slaves. Such views were prevalent in South Carolina before the Civil War and were used by white leaders as justification to keep slavery.

"If the Bible teaches that there is biblical slavery, then one must accept that or be against God," Bessinger said in a 2000 interview with The State.

Bessinger's views on slavery - as well as his prominent display of the Confederate flag - have prompted major national food stores to stop carrying his barbecue sauce.

McConnell said he doesn't agree with Bessinger's views on slavery, but said Bessinger has a right to hold unpopular opinions.

As for the flag, McConnell and other Southern heritage supporters say it stands for the sacrifices of Confederate soldiers in battle.

McConnell sent SCANA chief executive officer William Timmerman a letter Thursday saying, "Apparently, the lack of competition has intoxicated your corporation into a sea of arrogance. .‘.‘. "

• Deny state contracts to any company that "tramples on free speech" or discriminates against firms like Bessinger's;

• Deprive SCANA of the noncompetitive, monopoly status it has and open its territories to other utilities.

A company spokesperson had no comment. She said Timmerman was out of town and had not received McConnell's letter.

In his letter, McConnell said, "Our ancestors were willing to give their lives to defend freedom. The legislators should be willing to give its attention to that same struggle."

McConnell's use of the word "freedom" in describing Confederate soldiers was criticized by Columbia NAACP president Lonnie Randolph.

"They fought for the freedom of whites - not for blacks," said Randolph, adding that South Carolina kept 400,000 blacks in slavery during the Civil War.

Sen. Jake Knotts, R-Lexington, who is white and supports the Confederate flag, said he hasn't seen McConnell's specific proposal but looked forward to backing it.

Sen. Darrell Jackson, D-Richland, who is black and whose ancestors were S.C. slaves, said, "The Civil War continues. There's no end to it."

Jackson said McConnell's proposal would allow government to meddle in a private business and may seriously hurt SCANA.

Noting that he took no action when Bessinger distributed slavery tracts, Jackson said, "I didn't introduce a bill designed to put Maurice Bessinger out of business. .‘.‘. In this time of laying off state employees, we ought to be talking about whether we can get the Legislature to agree on a cigarette tax."

Gov. Jim Hodges, who helped engineer a controversial compromise that moved the Confederate flag from the State House dome to the State House lawn, said McConnell's bill was inappropriate.

"I don't think we should spend our time and energy telling private businesses how to do their jobs," Hodges said.

Bessinger faxed a statement to The State. It said in part, "If the people of South Carolina cannot have freedom to honor one's heritage, then we are not free but are in fact slaves of these powerful groups and their lackeys in the government."

In recent days, the story has been the most-talked-about topic in South Carolina.

White callers have flooded conservative radio talk shows with pro-Confederate flag and anti-SCANA sentiments. At WIS-TV, more than 200 people e-mailed reactions to the station's Question of the Day - most against SCANA.

McConnell said the company's stand is now a major state issue. "This is not going to go away. This is like bubble gum on a boot."

"My mother said, 'Good for SCANA. Now I don't feel so bad about paying these high light bills.'"

McConnell's Letter to SCANA
http://www.thestate.com/mld/state/news/local/3882087.htm

Aug. 15, 2002

Mr. William B. Timmerman

Chief Executive Officer

SCANA Corporation

1426 Main St.

Mail Code 192

Columbia, South Carolina 29218

Dear Mr. Timmerman;

I was extremely disappointed and equally outraged to read of SCANA's policies in The State newspaper today. In my opinion the actions of your corporation not only are a disservice to the future relationships in this state but are a slap in the face of the people of South Carolina. Your policy and Ms. Love's remarks, in my opinion, demonstrate a deep disdain for the history and heritage of this state and display an arrogant attitude toward the feelings of many people in this state who love and cherish the memory of the Confederate soldiers. Your actions amount to an attempt to stererotype the Confederate flag and those who support the heritage it represents. This, inadvertently or not, results in the display of the flag communicating some unsavory or racist message. This flies in the face of the settlement of this issue in the Heritage Act that passed two years ago and which firmly and squarely protects these emblems of heritage and honor unless used for other than some noble purpose. Despite this, you and your company have decided to hoist upon your shoulders a monopoly on morality, thus allowing you to negatively brand the flag and forbid its presence in a parking lot for employees. A parking lot for employees is a quasi-public place and does not directly communicate some message about your business. Instead, you have apparently over-reacted to the complaints of a few intolerant people who have not extended a charity of understanding to others who proudly display the emblem. Appeasing intolerance serves neither a business interest nor the rights of freedom of expression in speech. Even more shocking is your attempt to tell your employees where they can eat on their lunch breaks when they are in a SCANA vehicle. Your company's actions will undoubtedly, in my opinion, damage the business of Mr. Bessinger and have now created the stigma that his flying of the flag is for divisive reasons.

It is incredible that you would try to tell an employee, who is on their lunch break where they can pull in for a barbecue. A broadminded person would not be bothered but even if they were, they would allow for the fact that the person just might like the taste of the sandwich. Instead, you cater to the narrow-minded concept that if somebody might not like it, it's better to ban it. I am deeply offended, personally, that you would single out a man's business when he has exercised his right to free expression.

Your company enjoys a monopoly in South Carolina due to the government of South Carolina allowing you to compete on a non-competitive basis, because it is believed that it was in the interest of our citizens to deliver electric power at the cheapest price by avoiding duplication. As such, you operate in an almost quasi-public way with your rates, etc., governed by the laws of South Carolina through the Public Service Commission. For SCANA to malign the Confederate heritage of this state and to attempt to stereotype flag supporters and engage in political correctness is wrong when you hold that special status. The consumers and citizens of this state are powerless to stop this discrimination or to show their displeasure with your policy because the government locks them in to you. Equally, it is wrong to allow a monopoly to discriminate against a South Carolina business because someone at that monopoly believes that Mr. Bessinger's exercise of his rights over his business is divisive. I thought that South Carolina Electric & Gas was in the business of generating and delivering power, not political lessons, to the citizens. It is quite revealing to find out now that where SCANA vehicles are allowed to park communicates what the monopoly's top brass thinks is politically correct for the average citizens of South Carolina. Since SCANA has decided to become a political communicator, they have now made themselves vulnerable to political re-examination as to any future role in this state.

The actions of SCANA Corporation have energized me to author and fight for legislation which will prohibit companies that trample on free speech or discriminate against South Carolina corporations or companies. Therefore, I urge the passage of legislation to disqualify companies from doing business with the state government or its political entities who treat people as aforesaid or who punish them because of the exercise of their civil rights. Without deregulation of the utilities market, the consumers, many of whom I suspect are outraged, have no choice but to patronize your corporation thereby tacitly endorsing what they believe is a reprehensible action. However, if you are ineligible to deliver power to public entities, then obviously you will lose your monopoly to deliver it to the private citizens, and they again can be serviced by a company which engages in utility generation and distribution rather than in one that double doses lessons of political correctness. I cannot stand idly by and allow a monopoly operating in an almost quasi-public capacity to inflict harm on a South Carolina business and negatively stereotype our heritage and those who are proud of that heritage.

George Orwell warned us about big brother, but the actions of SCANA now warn us about the threat of big power. The disdain that your company has shown toward the feelings of the overwhelming majority, the heritage of this state, and the rights of its citizens cries out for the General Assembly to either give the people a choice or to ensure that you do not benefit as a monopoly in this state with them appearing to sanction your conduct. Apparently, the lack of competition has intoxicated your corporation into a sea of arrogance which separates you from what is good for the people of South Carolina. I hope that other legislators will join the effort to ban corporations which engage in discrimination like this from flourishing in this state under monopolistic laws and that each of us, whether pro-flag or not, will stand up for the civil rights of your employees and Mr. Bessinger. Our ancestors were willing to give their lives to defend freedom. The legislature should be willing to give its attention to that same struggle. Otherwise, your conduct unchallenged, invites the intolerant to prevail in other venues across the state, thus creating resentment and division rather than respect and understanding. It is what is in a person's heart and mind that says what they arenot stereotyping through a symbol.

Thank you, and with warmest regards, I am

Sincerely,

Glenn F. McConnell

I am an Army veteran - served in Desert Storm - and my children will all learn and be taught to be proud of their Southern Heritage, our Battle Flag and their ancestors who fought for South Carolina.

I teach college level 'real' American History and I am surpirsed how much spin has been put on top of the Civil War. I am more surprised by how may 'educated' people believe the revisions to history that began to be taught by the North within one generation of Lee's surrender.

Like it or not, the end of slavery in this nation was an UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE of the Civil War.

Until January 1863 slavery was LEGAL on both sides of every battlefield - supported by the Dred Scott decision by the United States Supreme Court. (I elaborate on this in my classroom, but for the sake of space will save a more detailed post for later....)

Anyway, as far as those who insist on defaming our Southern patriots who fought against the aggression of the Federal Government - I suggest they re-read the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution - both provide the right of the people and the States to abolish or establish the type of Government they choose to live with. Has everyone forgotten the 10th Amendment?

Anything not specifically stated in the U.S. Constitution belonged to the states and the people - this would included the right to EXIT the Union for the simple reason that there was no prohibition against it. Read some of the primary documents from early 1860 - 1861 and opinions on the constitutionality of forcing states to remain with the Federal Government actually ended up supporting the states right to leave.

In truth, there was actually a quite orderly and civil transfer of governmental functions, property etc. between the repective states and the federal government while James Buchanan was president .

It was not until Lincoln took over the Oval Office and chose to raise federal troops to force the states back into the union fold - against the consent of the 'governed' peoples of those states through their elected state assemblies - that the Civil War began.

Abraham Lincoln, in fact, began the Civil War. North Carolina and Virginia both voted to leave the Union only after Lincoln revealed his intentions to force the people of the South back into the Union.

Fort Sumpter was a preemtive strike - taken after Lincoln took action to use the Fort as a base of aggression against the peaceful South - much like what Pres. Bush is planning for Iraq.

My past, present and future is about our rights under God, the right's of individual self government ....by the people and our U.S. Constitution and it's preservation for my children's children as it was intended by the fouding fathers.

Southern and Proud! - Katherine Jenerette

P.S. - I hate to think that in the future, long after I am gone, that some revisionist historians could say that the American soldiers who fought in Desert Storm fought to preserve the rights of women to have abortions; because that is what they have done to the thousands of honorable Southerners who fought for the Constitution as it was framed and adopted by the founding fathers. For extra credit - read the Constitution of the CSA....

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