Free Republic

Seeking to inject a lofty idea into a new land development plan for Patriots Point, an Atlanta-based group today proposed a male counterpart of the Statue of Liberty to stand guard over Charleston Harbor. Details were scant, but the head of the National Monument Foundation said the Charleston area, with its rich history, is the most appropriate place on the East Coast to "wed" Lady Liberty with an complementary statue in the South. The over-arching theme would be patriotism and freedom, said Rodney M. Cook, founder and of the foundation. A computer rendering showed a statue of Liberty-like proportions, complete...

MOUNT PLEASANT -- The aircraft carrier Yorktown played a heroic role in numerous battles for the Navy, from the time it was built in the 1940s until it was decommissioned in 1970. But as the longtime centerpiece of the floating maritime museum at Patriots Point, the inactive warship has been slowly losing a silent, corrosive and very costly war with nature. Officials at the military attraction estimated Tuesday that it would cost more than $100 million to dry dock and repair the ship's deteriorating steel hull. It's money that South Carolina does not have. Patriots Point USS Yorktown naval museums

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Five dark-suited FBI agents showed up at Patriots Point on Friday with two Civil War-era Medals of Honor. And while the agents had few details about the investigation it took to bring the medals to their new home, they didn't mince words when it came to describing the kind of people involved in the theft of the nation's highest military honor. "I can't imagine anything more despicable than taking away the honor of those people who earned those medals," said David Thomas, South Carolina special agent in charge. The FBI investigates stolen and counterfeit Medals of Honor...