South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley announced today that she wants the Confederate flag out of the State Capital and she wants it out as soon as possible. In fact, she warned the State Legislature that, if they don't pass a bill approving the removal in the present session, she will call them back for a special session just to vote on the flag's removal (State law dictates that two-thirds of the South Carolina general assembly will have to call for the flag's removal).
Standing in front of a crowd that included key South Carolina officials, members of their House of Representatives delegation, Senator Tim Scott, and GOP Chairman Reince" Priebus, Governor Haley spoke about her pride in the way her state reacted to the tragedy in Charleston and the proud heritage of South Carolina represented by the Confederate flag.
That brings me to the subject of the confederate flag that flies on the state house grounds. For many people in our state, the flag stands for traditions that are noble. Traditions of history, of heritage, and ancestry. The hate-filled murderer who massacred our brothers and sisters in Charleston has a sick and twisted view of the flag. In no way does he reflect the people in our state who respect in and in maybe ways revere it. Those South Carolinians view the flag as a symbol of respect, integrity, and duty. They also see it as a memorial, way to honor ancestors who came to the service of their state during time of conflict. That is not hate. Nor is it racism. At the same time, for many others in South Carolina, the flag is a deeply offensive symbol of a brutally oppressive past. As a state, we can survive and indeed we can thrive as we have done, while still being home to both of those viewpoints.
A few moments later, Gov. Haley came out with what was rumored to be the purpose of her speech:
Today we are here in a moment of unity in our state, without ill will to say it's time to move the flag from the capitol grounds.
But, the governor does not have the power to remove the flag, even by executive order, so Haley told the legislature that they had to take action and take it now:
The General Assembly wraps up their year this week. As governor, I have the authority to call them back into session under extraordinary circumstances. I have indicated to the House and Senate that if they do not take measures to ensure this debate takes place this summer, I will use that authority for the purpose of the legislature removing the flag from the Statehouse grounds. That will take place in the coming weeks, after the regular session and the veto session have been completed.
Addressing the national figures calling for the removal of the Confederate flag since last week's horror, the governor made a point to remind everyone that this was a South Carolina decision, not a national one:
There will be time for discussion and debate. But the time for action is coming soon. I want to make two things clear. First, this is South Carolina's Statehouse. It is South Carolina's historic moment. And this will be South Carolina's decision. To those outside of our state, the flag may be nothing more than a symbol of the worst of America's past. That is not what it is to many South Carolinians. This Statehouse belongs to all of us. Their voices will be heard, their role in this debate respected.
Whether one agrees with Haley's call for the flag removal or not, one thing she said is irrefutable: what gets put up on the grounds of the South Carolina capital is the decision of the people of the state through their elected representatives.
Watch Nikki Haley's full speech below: