Sunday, February 28, 2021

Beloved Businessman and Community Leader Bill Mooneyhan Passed Away

Bill Mooneyhan. Sr., who owned and operated Mooneyhan’s Auto Service in West Columbia passed away Saturday evening (Feb. 27.) 

(Bill Mooneyhan in feature photo on the right
with friend Steve Cohen.)

Bill Mooneyhan Jr. posted the following on Facebook:

Last night I held my dads hand and told him goodbye. He was the best dad anyone could ever want and I had the best 28 years being his son. I can’t wait to make him proud while he watches me from heaven. He dedicated his life to loving his family and friends. I wish I could have had him around longer but the time I had with him was the best anyone could ever had. I love you dad. I’m so lucky you gave me your name. I hope I can be half the man you were.

Bill, left, with Developer Joe Taylor and Melissa Sprouse-Browne

West Columbia Mayor Tem Miles posted the following on Facebook:

Bill Mooneyhan, Sr passed away yesterday. He was an unbelievably great guy , and I am truly lucky to have been one of his many friends. There have been many people who have been elected mayor of West Columbia, but Bill Mooneyhan was the mayor of West Columbia. He knew everybody and everything that was going on. I have never met anyone who loved any town as much as he loved West Columbia. The only thing that I know he loved more than our town was his beautiful family. He was so proud of them all.

Mooneyhan recently celebrated his 40th year in business. He died at home and his death was unexpected. Bill was a member of the West Columbia planning Commision and a leader in countless civic endeavors.

Bill at West Columbia City Council meeting
He was one the founders of Taste on the River, the annual benefit for the West Columbia Beautification Foundation. He was also the leader of the recently revitalized River District business organization.

Bill served as a conduit, communicating with many segments of the business community. He was a member of the Cayce-West Columbia Lions Club and he worked on many charitable events throughout the year. He had also served for years on the Board of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

Friday, February 26, 2021

Bill Proposed to Allow Trump Burial Privileges on the SC State House Grounds

South Carolina house member R. J. May (R – Lexington County District 88) filed a bill this week proposing that a president who has been twice acquitted of impeachment may be buried on the State House grounds in Columbia, South Carolina.

This bill is aimed at giving former President Donald Trump a place for his burial when the time comes and is filed in response to an effort being made in the United States House of Representatives to ban twice impeached presidents from being buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

President Trump was acquitted after each impeachment attempt.


Representative May posted on his Facebook page, "Are you familiar with H 484? It's a bill introduced in Congress that would prevent 'twice impeached' presidents from burial at Arlington National Cemetery. Today, I introduced legislation to give twice ACQUITTED presidents the honor or being buried on South Carolina State House grounds, should they accept."


Currently, there is only one person buried at the South Carolina State House. Swanson Lunsford, a captain in the Revolutionary War, died in 1799. 

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Former SCANA CEO Pleads Guilty in Federal Court

Kevin Marsh, the former CEO of SCANA, parent company to the power giant SCE&G (South Carolina Electric and Gas), pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of mail fraud and wire fraud. 

Over three years have now passed since the very public debacle of the failed nuclear plant construction at the V. C. Summer facility in Jenkinsville, SC. 

Marsh led a cover up operation from 2016 through 2018 that hid the very serious financial trouble that the project and SCANA overall were experiencing. 

SCANA was acquired by out of state Dominion Energy, which has since rebranded all SCE&G services in South Carolina. At the time of the acquisition, SCE&G had more than 700,000 electricity customers and 350,000 customers of natural gas services. 

Sentencing of Marsh will take place later in the year, but he has already agreed to serve a prison sentence of 24 months.

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Governor Henry McMaster Addresses the Cayce West Columbia Chamber Breakfast

Governor Henry McMaster (R - SC) spoke to a full capacity gathering of the Greater Cayce - West Columbia Chamber and Visitors Program at Stone River this morning. Several local elected officials were in attendance, including Tem Miles, Mayor of West Columbia, Danny Summers from Lexington County Council and Tim James from Cayce City Council and President and CEO of the Chamber.   

Hayley Bowers, chairman of the Chamber board, began the meeting followed by the invocation and pledge of allegiance. After the presentation of two awards by the Chamber, Councilman Tim James introduced McMaster. 


The governor’s remarks were wide-ranging, focusing on the state of COVID restrictions, the vaccine rollout, tourism and the business climate in South Carolina. 


“South Carolina’s business is primarily small business, but we also have huge manufacturers. They could go anywhere in the world, but they are choosing South Carolina,” McMaster said. 


“Why is that? Is it because we have the best technical college system in the U.S.? No, it’s the people. In South Carolina, the people present the best there is for dependability, quality and determination,” he said. 


McMaster lauded the military and Judeo Christian culture of the state, emphasizing that the environment is something very special. 


Transitioning to the COVID crisis over the past twelve months, McMaster praised the state’s approach to maintaining operations for most businesses. “Business is essential, you can’t close down these businesses. Some states closed down and they stay closed down. I don’t know how they are ever going to get out of their hole,” he said.


“We took a different approach. We put together a group called Accelerate SC and we determined a path to follow and we did it. Rather than figure out what is essential and non-essential, who’s to say what’s essential? We looked at the science and the type of conduct most likely to spread and put limits on that, such as beauty shops and barber shops, concerts and the like,” he continued. 


McMaster referenced shutdowns of major manufacturing in other states, including the temporary closure of automobile manufacturing in 2020 during the height of fear of increasing infections. “A shutdown in Michigan affects us here. Even now, a big order of vaccines comes in every week and bad weather in Kentucky delayed a recent shipment,” he said.


According to the governor, the state’s approach to COVID restrictions was to restrict as few activities as possible. “It worked. Our unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the United States right now. Some businesses have been hurt but we are trying to help now. Small business is the essence of South Carolina,” he offered.


“Out of the $1.9 billion in the CARES Act, we put half of it back into the unemployment trust fund so we wouldn’t have to raise taxes on businesses,” he added. 


South Carolina had an additional $40 million in funds from the CARES Act that was distributed to 2,284 small businesses recently. The state received 12,000 more applications for assistance, but was not able to fund these requests due to a lack of funding. 


McMaster wants to give $60 million for the state’s technical colleges to retrain workers with certificates for fields needed now and in the future. 


Another focus for the state is to add programs and eligibility for 4k pre-kindergarten programs to more areas in South Carolina. “Sixty one school districts provide it and we have others that don’t, so I want to provide money for that to happen so that every child that falls below the poverty line is able to attend,” McMaster said.


He is also pushing the state legislature to pass a bill requiring all state schools to open for in-person learning immediately. “We knew from the beginning, the people in danger were the old people with underlying conditions. Well, nothing has changed, so what we have done in Phase 1A and included in there are vaccines for 70 and older, then 65 and I’d like to move it down to 60 for vaccines. The average age of people who have died in South Carolina is 75. Eighty eight percent of those who have died are 61 or older. Why would we want to put young healthy people in front of older people that may get sick and die?” he asked.


“There is no spread in the schools; very little, almost none from students to the staff and teachers. In Charleston, the pediatric epidemiologist there said she was stunned to see that result. The CDC has said the schools that use all the PPE, that is one of the safest places people can be,” McMaster said. 


The governor said the state’s intention is to utilize every pharmacy and hospital for vaccine delivery.  With approximately six hundred pharmacies and almost fifty hospitals, there will be ample access to vaccination sites.  


Tourism is important to the South Carolina economy and McMaster wants to promote the state as a tourist destination. 


“We were an outlier last year,” he said. “NASCAR wanted to race at Darlington last year, but several of the garages in North Carolina were closed and the teams couldn’t get access to their cars and supplies. I called Roy Cooper in North Carolina and asked if he could let the NASCAR garages open and get their cars to South Carolina to race. We have the PGA coming back this year with the Heritage, so our tourism industry is superlative.”


Famous musician Darius Rucker has been selected as a spokesperson for South Carolina’s tourism industry. McMaster described an ad created with Rucker, “Darius says, ‘come see why I love this place’ as he rides around in his convertible with his guitar sticking out.” 


When asked about the poor condition of the state’s roads and why the billions received in road tax revenue haven’t been used to make repairs, McMaster deferred to the state’s Highway Commission.  


“We’re playing a little bit of catch up with the roads and didn’t have the contractors, they’d gone to other places to start projects. The Highway Commission and Secretary Hall are as good as they come and it’s just a matter of time,” he said without committing to any timeline for repairs and maintenance. 


“We’re in exactly the right place at exactly the right time to make South Carolina an even better place. Tell your children to be proud of South Carolina, because there’s not a better place in the world to live, work and raise a family,” he concluded.

Monday, February 22, 2021

SC Legislative Update

Representative Chris Wooten addresses the SC House
A number of key legislative initiatives made their way through the South Carolina state house in the past week, including the controversial Heartbeat Bill. 

The Heartbeat Bill outlaws abortions in the state of South Carolina once a fetal heartbeat has been detected. The heartbeat is usually detectible during the first six to eight weeks of pregnancy. After a tumultuous day that saw the majority of the Democrat members walk out of the debate, the Sergeant at Arms exercised the legal right to require the missing members to return. The bill passed by a vote of 79-35. It was signed into law by Governor McMaster on Thursday. 

 

The Heartbeat Bill legislation contains exceptions for abortions due to rape and incest. Those types of abortions make up only one percent of all abortions.

 

“The Heartbeat Bill is a huge step in the right direction of protecting the innocent life of the unborn, and I am honored to be part of the most significant pro-life bill to pass in South Carolina history,” said Representative Bill Taylor, House District 86. 

 

Within twenty-four hours of its passage, Planned Parenthood filed suit in federal court in Columbia. The federal judge, who was appointed by President Obama, granted a two  week temporary restraining order blocking the law from taking effect. There will be a hearing on March 9th to review a more extensive injunction. A protracted legal battle is expected. 

 

Also this past week, there were a series of bills in the House Judiciary Committee to reform the election system in South Carolina. Each region of our state has a unique election system and no central authority exists to maintain a cohesive system. “These bills aim to streamline and structure our state’s election system, preserving the integrity of every citizen’s vote,” said Chris Wooten, from House District 69. 

 

Wooten also lent his support to a bill expanding the availability of Palmetto Fellows scholarships to students attending technical colleges. “As we are aware that every child isn't going to go to a four-year college, I was proud to support a bill proposing that students attending two-year institutions (including technical colleges) may qualify for the Palmetto Fellows scholarship,” he said. Representative Taylor also supported the bill. This legislation passed by a vote of 115-0.

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Better Not Write This Story, Or Else….

Well, that didn’t take long. On Thursday evening, February 18th, Facebook decided to eliminate the Palmetto Daily News business page. Why would this action be taken by the Ruling Censorship Class, as this news and opinion organization has only existed since the beginning of January? Our stories have been informational for topics relative to South Carolina. Yet now we’ve been deemed dangerous and must be silenced.

FirstSocial message to members from founder
Never give up, never surrender is our mantra and it will take more than a deleted page to break us. A recent story on Palmetto Daily News ran a tally of cancel culture victims; it wasn’t expected that we could proudly add our name to the list just a few days later. As our reach and influence grows, the urgency to throttle our efforts clearly increased. But, alas, we’re not alone in our forced status as an outcast. 

While social media platform Parler attempts a comeback, other upstarts like FirstSocial and Gab are having new troubles. On Friday night, Gab went dark. No explanation, just a web server error shows on their home page and their Twitter account went dark as well. This social media option was gaining traction with conservatives and is now suspiciously offline. The Parler alternative First Social is warning users of problems with their web hosting service. 

 

Tyler Webster, FirstSocial founder, posted the following, “Hey guys so the current platform I built FirstSocial on wants me to monitor every single post in the community now. I knew there would be obstacles but when I discussed with them in the beginning I wasn't told I'd have to do that which would mean I have to sit here all day and monitor posts. That's almost impossible for me to do and goes against the whole reason I started FirstSocial. 

“I have contacted someone about a server and am looking into building something from scratch if I can get the right people. If you wish to cancel your Patreon's (sponsorships) I completely understand. The Patreon's and donations helped to pay for the first month so I really appreciate everyone who tried to help me end censorship. 

Parler is back and I'm sure more platforms will be coming out. This isn't the end of this journey for me. Just a bump in the road. We made an effort and to me that's all that matters. I'd rather fail trying to make a difference than do nothing and succeed,” Webster said. 

 

MeWe, billing itself as the anti-Facebook social media, gained two and a half million members in the first part of 2021, likely accepting refugees from Facebook and Twitter. For now, it remains operational. 


There's more than one way to disseminate news and opinion. Palmetto Daily News will be adding a free subscription email newsletter soon, so you can count on direct receipt of important stories and opinion pieces for residents of our fair state. A subscription block appears to the right of this story on our main website at www.palmettodailynews.com. Simply enter your email address to start receiving notifications. 

Friday, February 19, 2021

South Carolina Housing Announces Mortgage and Rent Relief Program

The new SC Stay program from SC Housing provides assistance to households unable to pay rent or mortgage payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The application period is now open for the program that may cover up to six months of rental or mortgage payments, up to $7,500, for eligible applicants.


The S.C. State Housing Finance and Development Authority (SC Housing) has been tasked by the State of South Carolina as the lead agency in providing safe, decent and affordable housing for all citizens of South Carolina. 


Through Community Development Block Grants made available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the S.C. Department of Commerce, approximately $25 million in CARES Act funding will be made available for rental and mortgage assistance to eligible low-income families in South Carolina.


CDBG funding will be available for up to six consecutive months of short-term rental and mortgage assistance for applicant individuals and families who meet the following requirements:

  • Must certify that they are eligible and their income is at or below 80% of the county median income adjusted by family size.
  • Must demonstrate that they are unable to pay all or part of the rent or mortgage, or are behind on their rent or mortgage, due to circumstances stemming from the coronavirus. Examples of this include, but are not limited to:
    • Lost wages due to layoff;
    • Reduced hours as a result of an employer going out of business or a reduction of staff; or
    • Inability to work due to infection with COVID-19 and required quarantine or a quarantine of a family member, etc.
  • Must have landlord or lender confirmation of their past-due status and be willing to accept payment on their behalf.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has issued a national eviction moratorium through March 31, 2021. But the moratorium does not stop all evictions and does require renters to take action for eviction protection.


South Carolina Legal Services has a guide to help renters who are facing eviction. It details the steps that renters must take to seek protection. You can also contact them directly at 1-888-346-5592. 


Frequently asked questions for those wishing to apply for this program are posted at South Carolina Housing’s website, https://www.schousing.com/Home/SC-Stay. 

Thursday, February 18, 2021

US Rep. Joe Wilson issues statement on the death of Radio Host Rush Limbaugh

US Rep. Joe Wilson (R-Springdale) serves South Carolina’s Second Congressional District, including Lexington County. Wednesday Wilson issued a state regarding the passing of National Radio Show Host Rush Limbaugh. His statement reads as follows:


“Roxanne and I send our prayers to the family and friends of Rush Limbaugh. Rush’s enthusiasm, intelligence, and dedicated insight for American exceptionalism into so many important issues of our time made him a major force in broadcast journalism saving thousands of radio jobs with his success for AM radio across America. We will truly miss this American icon. I was grateful to be with him last year in the Capitol as he received America’s highest recognition, the Medal of Freedom, and years ago as his driver for his visit to South Carolina for a South Carolina Policy Council dinner.”



Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Columbia’s Real Estate Market Tightens Under Low Inventory

January started off strong for the housing market in the Midlands of South Carolina, with healthy buyer demand and strong market fundamentals. A robust increase in housing starts in December points to an active year for new construction, but higher material costs, especially lumber, and a limited supply of buildable lots will temper the number of new units.

New listings were down 9.9 percent to 1,290. Pending sales, meaning homes under contract that have not yet closed, increased 19.6 percent 1,333. Overall inventory of homes for sale shrank 49.5 percent to 1,371 properties.

 

Prices moved higher as the median sales price was up 22 percent to $209,900. Days on Market, a key metric, decreased 39.7 percent to just 38 days. Months Supply of Inventory was down 56.5 percent to one month, indicating that demand increased relative to supply.

 

The Mortgage Bankers Association's January research estimates approximately 2.7 million homeowners with mortgages are currently in forbearance plans. Some of these homes may eventually come to market, but given the strong appreciation in most market segments in recent years, these eventual home sales are likely to be mostly traditional sellers. However, a modest increase in short sales (where the lender accepts less than what’s owed) and foreclosures at some point in 2021 would not be surprising. 

 

Source: Consolidated Multiple Listing Service

 

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Boating Safety Bill makes its way through the SC Legislature

 

In the summer of 2020, several boating accidents occurred on Lake Murray in the Midlands of South Carolina that caused death and serious injury, as well as property damage. 

On July 18th, a woman was killed in the area of Tom Drafts Point in Gilbert due to blunt force trauma. On August 17th, a boating crash in Newberry destroyed two boats and left one person with serious injuries. 

But before those accidents, a fatal boating accident in September 2019 took the life of Stan Kizer and caused his wife to lose one of her legs. Friends of the Kizer family created a Facebook group called Safe the Lake to foster conversations about boating safety. 

 

Now in the winter of 2021, a piece of legislation is making its way through the South Carolina state house to focus on improving the safety of our state’s navigable waters. Introduced on January 28th by Senators Chip Campsen, III from Charleston, Thomas McElveen from Sumter and Harvey Peeler, Jr. from Gaffney, Senate Bill S 0497 proposes a boater safety course as a mandatory requirement for operating a watercraft. 

 

Essentially this bill will require boat operators to take a short course in boating safety.  Sam Mitchum, a friend of the Kizer family is encouraging public support of this legislation. “The reason I am asking you to support this bill is because the number of boats on our inland waters is increasing quickly,” he said.  

 

“Also, many newer boats are very over-powered.  Now there is a much greater risk of severe boating accidents and people are being maimed and killed in accidents involving more than one boat that could possibly be prevented if the boat driver and occupants had completed safety training.”

 

This bill is being discussed in the South Carolina Senate Fish, Game and Forestry Committee on Wednesday, February 17th at 10:00am.  

 

Here is the full text of the bill:

 

    A BILL TO AMEND SECTION 50-21-90 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO THE BOATING SAFETY AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM, TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES TO ISSUE A BOATING SAFETY CERTIFICATE UPON THE COMPLETION OF CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS; TO AMEND ARTICLE 1, CHAPTER 21, TITLE 50 OF THE 1976 CODE, RELATING TO THE EQUIPMENT AND OPERATION OF WATERCRAFT, BY ADDING SECTION 50-21-95, TO PROVIDE THAT IT IS UNLAWFUL FOR A PERSON TO OPERATE CERTAIN WATERCRAFT ON THE WATERS OF THIS STATE WITHOUT HAVING POSSESSION OF A SOUTH CAROLINA BOATING SAFETY CERTIFICATE, WITH CERTAIN EXCEPTIONS, AND TO PROVIDE A PENALTY FOR A VIOLATION OF THIS PROVISION; TO DEFINE NECESSARY TERMS; TO DELETE SECTION 50-21-870(A)(1), RELATING TO THE DEFINITION FOR THE TERM "PERSONAL WATERCRAFT"; AND TO DELETE SECTION 50-21-870(B)(9), RELATING TO THE OPERATION OF CERTAIN WATERCRAFT BY PERSONS YOUNGER THAN SIXTEEN YEARS OF AGE.

 

 

Monday, February 15, 2021

Joe Wilson Reintroduces Bill to Expand Rewards for Justice at State Department

On Thursday, Congressman Joe Wilson (R - SC) and Congressman Ted Deutch (D - FL) reintroduced the Bassam Barabandi Rewards for Justice Act. This bill will incentivize informants to come forward with actionable information regarding evasion of U.S. or UN sanctions by expanding the Rewards for Justice program at the State Department.

“Bassam Barabandi is a former Syrian diplomat who defected and worked to oppose the Assad regime’s human rights abuses. In his time at the embassy, he provided information on regime activities and sanctions evasion to Congress, U.S. Officials, and think tank scholars,” said Congressman Wilson. 

“I am grateful for Bassam, who inspired this bill, and has advocated expanding the U.S. State Department Rewards for Justice program, incentivizing people around the world to provide information on sanctions violators to improve enforcement.”

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Graham Flip Flops Vote for Witnesses in Impeachment Trial

Flip flopping his stance on calling witnesses in the sham impeachment trial of Donald Trump, South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham votes to allow witnesses to be called. 

On Saturday, February 13th, the last day of the proceeding, Graham switched his vote to go along with four other Republicans who supported the idea of calling witnesses. 

Yet in many comments to various media outlets, Graham likened the calling of witnesses to 

the “opening of Pandora’s box.” 

 

Graham explained himself via his active Twitter account, something Trump is no longer able to do, “It is my firm belief that the House managers are trying to investigate the case after it was brought to the Senate,” Graham tweeted. “It is better for the country to go to a final vote. However, if the body wants witnesses, I am going to insist we have multiple witnesses.”

 

The vote in the Senate to call witnesses ended as 55 – 45. 

 

Later in the day, the Senate body reversed itself, deciding to skip the witness phase to continue with the trial. 

 

Friday, February 12, 2021

University of South Carolina's Student Government Wants to Rename Campus Buildings

In yet another show of cancel culture, the student government at the University of South Carolina's main campus in Columbia is pushing to rename the Strom Thurmond Wellness Center. While this effort has been made in the past, there's a fresh attempt to convince the USC Board of Trustees to take action. 

As of this writing, the petition created at change.org has 20,225 signatures with a goal of 25,000. Heather Armel started the online petition, saying, "This petition is to rename the Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center at the University of South Carolina. I am an alumni of this University and am embarrassed after a quick Google search of the name of one of the most frequented buildings on our campus. 

"Although Thurmond was known for other things outside of his racism, we can not put racists on a pedestal or on the side of buildings if we want to become an anti-racist University and student-body."

She goes on to enumerate several significant points in his career, focusing on his years in public life from 1954 onward when he opposed civil rights efforts. 

Thurmond was South Carolina's longest serving senator and the senator with the longest tenure period until being surpassed in July 2020 by Senator Robert Byrd. 

Other colleges and universities across the country have taken action to remove the names and likenesses of historical figures from their campuses in a move to eliminate any relationship with persons viewed as racist. Other named USC locations targeted for rebranding include Sims at Women's Quad and the Wade Hampton Women's Dorm. 

To view the petition, click here:

https://www.change.org/p/rename-the-strom-thurmond-center-at-the-university-of-south-carolina

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Cancel Culture Tally Sheet

 

The cancel culture has grown exponentially over the last few years to the fevered crescendo of today. Will history books have to be burned and rewritten with revisionist texts to accommodate the latest attempts to erase our nation's past? Challenges to people, places and things are now focused on eliminating opposing viewpoints from existence. 


Tearing down statues gained traction in 2020, blaming historical figures for "systemic racism." Poor old Christopher Columbus, his statue removed from a City of Columbia public park in the cover of darkness, with the stated reason to protect it from harm. Here's the question: will it ever be returned? Probably not.

If you think rioters are only pulling down statues of people who owned slaves or behaved in a racist fashion, think again. Even significant figures in the fight against racism were defaced with graffiti, torched and toppled. The purpose was simply to destroy without regard for anything other than destruction for the sake of destruction.

The lessons of Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union are being followed by the BLM movement, whose leaders openly admit to being Marxists. Stalin purposely removed statues, people from photographs (well before Photoshop even existed, he was erasing people from images) and wiped out any proof that a way other than his ever existed or counted for anything.  Now, even venerable educational institutions are following suit.


The University at Buffalo removed the names of Millard Fillmore, James O. Putnam and Peter B. Porter from school property. 

Not to be outdone, social media and large corporations are in on the game of removing anything that’s not aligned with their sensibilities. The freedom of expression is discouraged if the speaker is someone with whom they disagree. 

Take a look at the cancel culture’s tally sheet of victims:

 

·      President Trump from all of social media – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit, etc. 

·      Mike Lindell’s personal Twitter and company Twitter account for his firm, My Pillow

·      Mike Lindell’s appearance on Newsmax’s American Agenda censored mid-interview by the co-anchor

·      Mike Lindell’s documentary Absolute Truth pulled from YouTube and Vimeo

·      Social media platform Parler removed from the Apple and Google Play app stores and the web hosting account from Amazon Web Services 

·      Parler’s thousands of users

·      Biden’s cancellation of the disclosure policy for universities getting funding from the Confucius Institute in China 

·      Trump supporters on Twitter and Facebook

·      Eskimo Pie – critics say the name is insensitive

·      Sierra Club founder John Muir from Sierra Club documents and marketing – as a young immigrant from Scotland, John Muir made “derogatory comments about Black people and Indigenous peoples that drew on deeply harmful racist stereotypes, though his views evolved later in his life”

·      Senior Sleepy, the mascot from the cleanser Spic and Span

·      Mrs. Butterworth, the pancake syrup in the “derogatory bottle”

·      “Whitening products” from Johnson and Johnson and L’Oreal are being dropped

·      Big Boy Restaurants – their long-standing mascot Big Boy is out, Dolly the chicken sandwich is in

·      Dixie Beer – brewery from Louisiana is dropping the name

·      Dixie Chicks – now just called The Chicks

·      House of Representatives member Marjorie Taylor Greene from Georgia –stripped of her committee assignments

·      The Gateway Pundit’s Twitter account was cancelled

·      Lou Dobbs, national talk show host from Fox Business has his show cancelled

·      Aunt Jemima is now called Pearl Milling Company – Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer for Quaker Foods North America, said, “We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype. While work has been done over the years to update the brand in a manner intended to be appropriate and respectful, we realize those changes are not enough.” 

·      The Land O’Lakes Indian Maiden, removed from the center “O” in their logo

·      Uncle Ben’s Rice – rebranded to Ben’s Original

·      Chief Wahoo, logo and mascot removed from the Cleveland Indians baseball team

·      Col. Reb, Ole Miss mascot was dropped

·      San Diego State University’s “Monty the Aztec” mascot was eliminated

·      The Washington Redskins NFL team – now simply the Washington Football Team

·      Mutual of Omaha – removed the Native American symbol from its logo

·      The National Anthem, by NBA team the Mavericks

 

In the U.K.:

·      Children’s television host Sarah Jane Honeywell

·      Famous Harry Potter author, JK Rowling, accused of transphobia

 

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Pushback Agenda at the South Carolina State House

In an attempt to save South Carolina from the wave of socialist-leaning trends sweeping the country, several legislators at the South Carolina state house are working to put laws in place to impede their progress.

With President Biden’s 52 executive orders issued to date, the traditional process of creating laws is being thwarted daily by an executive overreach of power. 

 

Representative Bill Taylor from Aiken’s District 86 plans to file the Pushback Agenda at the state house this week. The impetus behind this filing is to cancel the possibly illegal executive orders from having any enforceable impact in the state of South Carolina. 

 

Taylor regularly sends out an email newsletter to his supporters and constituents. In the latest edition, he stated, “This isn’t a Democrat of Republican issue – it’s a big government, big tech issue. In Washington, the three branches of government are a myth. The executive branch showers we lowly ‘subjects’ with executive orders while federal bureaucrats thrust down strangling regulations. The legislative branch (Congress) squabbles among themselves, wallowing in raw politics. The third branch, the federal courts, have become highly politicized and fail to be impartial referees using the Constitution as their guidebook.” 

 

If enacted, the Pushback Agenda would require the South Carolina attorney general Alan Wilson to review the constitutionality of presidential executive orders as they pertain to enforcement in the state. 

 

A plethora of bills are part of this Pushback Agenda and include many legislative co-sponsors. Of particular interest is H 3217: Vaccines are Voluntary. From the bill, “to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding section 44-29-45 so as to allow individuals to opt out of infectious or contagious disease vaccinations for any reason; and to amend section 44-53-360, as amended, relating to prescriptions, so as to prohibit regulatory authorities from interfering with the prescribing practices of a practitioner.” With the hard push from the federal government on the COVID-19 vaccine, many people are being pressured to take the vaccine. And, employers are either mandating or ‘strongly encouraging’ employees to take the vaccine. 

 

A person should have the right to refuse a medical treatment that goes against his or her wishes for any reason. 

 

Another bill filed is H 3218: Voiding Federal Face Covering Mandates. From the bill, “to amend the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, by adding section 44-29-55 so as to prohibit state officials from participating in the enforcement of any unlawful federal mask mandate that violates the tenth amendment of the United States Constitution, to establish penalties, and for other purposes.”

 

Overreach at the state level has also become common during the last twelve months, with governors and mayors across the country exercising emergency powers in a manner inconsistent with the prescribed use of such powers. 


Bill H 3556: Limiting Governor’s Emergency Powers seeks to tighten the length of time and methods of use of emergency actions by the state’s chief executive. From the bill: to amend section 25-1-440, Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976, relating to powers and duties of the governor during a declared emergency, so as to provide that a declared state of emergency for a public health emergency shall not continue for a period of more than thirty days without the passage of a joint resolution by the general assembly expressly approving the declaration's continuation, to provide that upon the expiration of the governor's original emergency declaration, he may not declare a new state of emergency based upon the same or substantially similar facts and circumstances as the original declaration without the passage of a joint resolution by the general assembly expressly approving the new emergency declaration, to require the governor to submit a report to the general assembly before continuing a declared state of emergency or declaring a new state of emergency based upon the same or substantially similar facts and circumstances as the original declaration, and to define relevant terms.”

 

Governor McMaster has operated under several continuous state of emergency declarations, going as far back as March 13, 2020.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

North Myrtle Beach Proposes Change to Eliminate Gender-Specific Pronouns in the City’s Codes

On Monday, the North Myrtle Beach City Council passed its first reading of a proposed ordinance to amend the Code of Ordinances to have what they consider to be gender-inclusive language. 

According to the city’s meeting agenda, the North Myrtle Beach Code of Ordinances has pronouns and language that are male-focused. 

The viewpoint of the City of North Myrtle Beach is that they do not want to convey any type of bias based on a person’s gender. 

The spokesperson for the City of North Myrtle Beach, Pat Dowling, said that the third-party company in charge of managing documents and ordinances for the city suggested the changes, with the idea that it would be prudent to use terms that are more gender neutral. 

“We want young men and young women who are looking at the possibility of one day going to work for city government or getting into positions of leadership in city government to realize that it’s not just a male-dominated world, that females too can and do succeed and we want their participation as well and that will go a long way for the future of this community,” Dowling said.

Monday, February 8, 2021

South Carolina Considers Open Carry While Congress Debates Serious Gun Restrictions

In disparate moves, the South Carolina state legislature is considering an open carry bill while Congress debates in Washington the most restrictive gun measure in history. 

Back for a second session of Congress, HR 127 - The Sabika Sheikh Firearm Licensing and Registration Actwas introduced by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee. She is currently the U.S. Representative for Texas's 18th congressional district, currently serving in her 14th term in the House, having served since 1995. 


The district includes most of central Houston, which has become heavily Democrat.


Gun registration and control at this level of intrusiveness is a precursor to confiscation. The bill calls for a psychological evaluation of gun owners and prospective purchasers and a publicly available database of gun owners, the specific types of guns owned and the locations of these guns. 


From the bill, “Required information  - Under the firearm registration system, the owner of a firearm shall transmit to the Bureau the make, model and serial number of the firearm, the identity of the owner of the firearm, the date the firearm was acquired by the owner, and where the firearm is or will be stored.”

 

It calls for an extensive licensing system that requires a person to be at least 21 years of age and to undergo a criminal background check as well as a psychological evaluation that doesn’t indicate the person is “psychologically unsuited” to possess a firearm. 

 

The criteria for being deemed psychologically unsuited is particularly vague but the method for determination is disturbing. “As deemed necessary by the licensed psychologist involved, the evaluation includes a psychological evaluation of other members of the household in which the individual resides and as part of the psychological evaluation, the psychologist interviews any spouse, any former spouse and at least two other persons who are a member of the family or an associate of the individual to further determine the state of the mental, emotional and relational stability of the individual in relation to firearms.” 

 

Further, the act requires a completed training course with at least 24 hours of training, as well as mandates the gun licensee will have in effect an insurance policy. The fee for this license is set at the high rate of $800.

 

The prohibition section makes it unlawful for someone without a license procured under this act to possess a firearm or ammunition. It also makes it illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to possess a firearm of any type. The fines are beyond steep, at $75,000 as a minimum, going up to $150,000 and at least 15 years in prison. 

 

In South Carolina, a bill has been introduced that would allow trained concealed weapons permit holders to carry those guns out in the open. Sponsored by state representative Bobby Cox from Greenville, the bill would bring South Carolina up to par with at least 46 other states that already have addressed open carry. 

 

While such open carry bills have failed here in the past, it will be interesting to see how this proposal fares in 2021.