Posted on 08/20/2002 5:45:04 AM PDT by aomagrat
Who is really trampling on free speech? Is it a private company that tries to limit its association with a particular viewpoint? Or is it a lawmaker who tries to marshal the power of the state to punish the corporation for its policy?
SCANA, the parent company of South Carolina Electric and Gas announced a policy last week aimed to ensure that the company is not associated with certain viewpoints.
SCANA employees are prohibited from displaying the Confederate flag on their vehicles while on company property. They are also prohibited from parking company vehicles in the parking lots of Maurice Bessinger’s barbecue restaurants.
Bessinger has defended slavery and placed literature defending it at his restaurants. Like the supermarkets that distanced themselves from this viewpoint by refusing to sell Bessinger’s sauce, SCANA also wants to make sure that the public at large doesn’t believe that the company supports Bessinger’s point of view.
All this is within SCANA’s rights. SCANA employees have freedom of speech but not necessarily on company time and property. Any business has a right to limit the message that is sent out by its representatives. If SCANA does not want its associates sending a neo-Confederate message on its time, then it can limit the displays allowed on company property.
But state Sen. Glenn McConnell isn’t willing to accept SCANA’s policy. He says the policy “tramples on free speech.”
Then, as if the state needs an example of trampling on free speech, he proposes a perfect model.
McConnell proposes a law that would punish SCANA for this policy. He wants to deny state contracts for any business with a policy such as SCANA’s. He also wants to change the state’s utility structure so that SCANA’s monopoly is taken away.
McConnell says he doesn’t care whether SCANA would lose millions or go out of business as a result of his bill. He says he will push it unless SCANA changes its mind.
The real threat to free speech comes from McConnell. He doesn’t like SCANA’s point of view, and he wants to use the power of the state to punish the company. It’s inexcusable.
Fortunately, most of his fellow Republicans say they won’t support McConnell in his anti-SCANA efforts. But they say they won’t support him because they don’t want to make changes in the state’s utility structure.
It’s unfortunate that his Republican colleagues won’t publicly rebuke McConnell for attacking the free speech rights of SCANA even as he pretends to protect that same value.
McConnell’s proposal is dangerous to the state’s utility system. And it’s an interference in business. But his efforts at government censorship should be denounced for exactly what they are — an attack on the First Amendment.
There you go again, muddying up their issue with facts. When will you ever learn? < /sarcasm >
LOL!! Good Lord man!! I was just joking with you (well partially). However if you want to get technical, slave trade could be said to only be condoned by the US government, not a direct action of the US government, as the illegal attack on women, children, and property was by the union army. They were working directly for the US government. I say we call it square. I don't want anyone's money, and heck the LAST place I would want it from is the government of these United States. That would in effect continue the crutch of burden that Hamilton and Clay called for, and lincoln instituted.
offhand, i can't think of a major periodical in SC that is PRO-flag! the liars, bootlickers,scalawags & damnyankees who own/manage the newspapers are CRUDS and while they have the right to speak, they imVho, do NOT have the right to either attempt to silence opposing viewpoints or to LIE about the things they print as NEWS. EDITORIALS should be, OBVIOUSLY, so identified.
free the southland,sw
the war was/IS about just one thing: FREEDOM for DIXIE!
free the southland,sw
FYI, i think BOTH groups are NUTS!
reparations are a FARCE, BUT an APOLOGY to the families of MURDERED/TORTURED/ABUSED POWs and for WAR CRIMES committed against innocent civilians (particuliarly against SLAVES!) is definitely in order.
a NATIONAL DAY of REMEMBERANCE & PRAYER would be acceptable to all in the southland. keep your $$$$$$$$$; we do NOT want any dirty $$$$$$$.
free the south,sw
That is a gracious offer, quite out of character for you, but one I respect. OK. Go ahead, apologize. I'll accept.
LOL!! I'm sure you would. Don't hold your breath.
That figures.
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18 of these available now at ABE:
Polanyi, Karl and Rotstein, Abraham Dahomey and the Slave Trade Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1966 Hard Cover. Very Good Plus/Very Good Plus. First Edition. Africa. Bookseller Inventory # 003459 Price: US$ 30.00
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0 of these available now at ABE:
Theophilus Conneau A Slave Trader's Log Book
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37 of these available now at ABE:
Dow, George Francis SLAVE SHIPS & SLAVING Coles Publishing 1980. Very Good-; Softcover; White sticker covering stamp on first pg, pg edges browned a bit. Bumped corners. ; ; 349 pp. Bookseller Inventory # 2928 Price: US$ 12.00
This shows the depth the liberal socialist PC whores will sink to to get our Constitutional rights annhilated.
Well you know what they say "Liberty is founded on 4 boxes. 1st The Soap Box, 2nd is the Ballot Box, 3rd is the Jury Box, and finally 4th being the Cartridge Box!"
If you follow Spartanburg Herald-Journals usual editorials ,you may find they don't love unions either.They've endorsed legislation to actually hurt union organizing.This newspaper doesn't love workers of the right or left.
Only thing this bunch cares about is golf and BMW's.Everyone else can get the heck out of the way.
Grand Quote! Just Capital! TwoBitticus
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