Earlier today in Columbia Charleston, South Carolina, on the capitol grounds:

From the NAACP:

NAACP Statement on #BlackLivesMatter Activist Who Took Down SC Confederate Battle Flag

June 27, 2015

BALTIMORE, MD  — Today #BlackLivesMatter activist, Brittany “Bree” Newsome, wearing propelling gear, climbed the flagpole atop Columbia, South Carolina’s Capitol dome and removed the Confederate Battle Flag, in an act of civil disobedience.  South Carolina Department of Public Safety arrested Bree, 30, along with her companion, James Tyson, also 30.  Both were charged with a misdemeanor–defacing a monument.  A new flag went up within an hour.  Subsequently, the NAACP has issued the following statement:

From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President and CEO:

“For 15 years, the NAACP has called for the removal of the Confederate battle flag and has maintained economic sanctions against the state of South Carolina. The NAACP, Governor Nikki Haley, a bipartisan coalition of policymakers, an expanding number of American businesses, and a courageous young woman named Bree Newsome are all united in opposition to the Confederate flag. Ms. Newsome temporarily removed the flag flying in front of South Carolina’s state house. As well as supporting the permanent removal of the flag legislatively, we commend the courage and moral impulse of Ms. Newsome as she stands for justice like many NAACP activists including Henry David Thoreau, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and numerous Americans who have engaged in civil disobedience. The NAACP calls on state prosecutors to consider the moral inspiration behind the civil disobedience of this young practitioner of democracy. Prosecutors should treat Ms. Newsome with the same large-hearted measure of justice that inspired her actions. The NAACP stands with our youth and behind the multigenerational band of activists fighting the substance and symbols of bigotry, hatred and intolerance.”

###

Via Twitter:

John Cole ‏@Johngcole

I propose Bree Newsome changes her name to Bree Awsome. [….]1:06 PM – 27 Jun 2015

digby ‏@digby56

Taking history into her own hands #FreeBree [….]1:04 PM – 27 Jun 2015

Cornell Brooks ‏@CornellWBrooks

Why do we have activists climbing flagpoles when legislators can simply vote?#TakeDownFlag #FreeBree 12:13 PM – 27 Jun 2015

That’s a really good question.

Thirteen points. Fourteen points. Twelve points

Updated 9:56 p.m. EST, Jan 21, 2012

RESULTS: South Carolina

REPUBLICAN PRIMARY January 21, 2012

[95% 99% reporting]

Gingrich 242,417 40%

Romney 167,419 28%

Santorum 101,914 17%

Paul 77,943 13%

That is all.

At last night’s republican presidential debate:

November 13, 2011 9:35 AM

Republicans return to the torture ‘debate’

By Steve Benen

….Co-moderator Major Garrett read an email from a veteran of the Vietnam War who believes “torture if always wrong in all cases,” and asked if the candidates agree. The question was first directed to Herman Cain, who said he’d do whatever military leaders said they wanted to do. Garrett pressed further, specifically noting the argument over waterboarding. Cain replied:

“I agree that it was an enhanced interrogation technique…. Yes, I would return to that policy. I don’t see it as torture. I see it as an enhanced interrogation technique.”

This generated applause from the South Carolina audience….

[emphasis added]

From Show Me Progress, A Small Clique Of Legal Extremists… (February 24, 2008):

….Meanwhile, the Army thought that it needed to emphasize that “waterboarding” people is not a good idea:

U.S. Department of Defense

Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)

Presenter: Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell November 14, 2007

…Q  The alert that went out reminding military personnel about the military ban on waterboarding — was that in response to any specific event or specific comments by military personnel that made you think you needed it? I mean, most notably, General Honore’s comments about waterboarding from last week — was this a response to those comments?

MR. MORRELL: Yeah, I think that went through — I think that was an Army mandate, if I’m not mistaken. But I do not know what precipitated them or prompted them to choose to remind their personnel of the fact that waterboarding is a practice that is forbidden under the Army Field Manual. But I think it is — I wouldn’t read anything into it, but I think it’s always worthwhile to remind our men and women in uniform — and all those who work for us, for that matter — what the rules are and what they aren’t. And the rules forbid such practices throughout the U.S. military…

[emphasis added]

The 1992 Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation [pdf] provides for “two tests”:

If you think that someone who you act upon believes it’s a violation of their rights, or if you believe that the act, when applied to an American prisoner, would violate their rights, then don’t cross that line….

And the South Carolina republican debate audience applauded torture.

“…the rules forbid such practices throughout the U.S. military…”

The Charleston, South Carolina Post and Courier has 570 pages of material [pdf] from around the time of Governor Mark Sanford’s trip to Argentina supplied to the newspaper in response to a public records request to the governor’s office. Via TPM.

On June 24, 2009 David Gregory at NBC e-mailed Joel Sawyer, Communications Director for South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. Here is a series from David Gregory:

(12:24:17 PM)

Hey Joel…

Left you a message. Wanted you to hear directly from me that I want to have the Gov on Sunday on Meet the Press. I think it’s exactly the right forum to answer the questions about his trip as well as giving him a platform to discuss the economy/stimulus and future of the party. You know he will get a fair shake from me and coming on MTP puts all of this to rest.

Let’s talk when you can…

(6:02:52 PM)

You aren’t doing anything at all this week….no other intvus anywhere?

(6:13:58 PM)

Look,you guys have a lot of pitches .. I get it and I know this is a tough situation … Let me just say this is the place to have a wider conversation with some context about not just the personal but also the future for him and the party … This situation only exacerbates the issue of how the GOP recovers when another national leader suffers a setback like this. So coming on Meet the Press allows you to frame the conversation how you really want to…and then move on. You can see you have done your interview and then move on. Consider it.

Thanks

“…So coming on Meet the Press allows you to frame the conversation how you really want to…”

Walter Cronkite died yesterday. And that was the end of television journalism.

It gets even better. David Shuster of MSNBC e-mailed the governor’s Communications Director on June 22nd:  

(3:32 PM)

Hey Joel,

My producers want us to do a short reader on this at 4:30pm. Have you seen the Governor since last thursday? Did he have plans for the weekend? Anything unusual about this? The first lady doesn’t know where he is?

Let me know… I’d be happy to kill this story.

“…I’d be happy to kill this story.”

No one is immune. George Stephanpolous at ABC to the governor’s Communications Director on June 24th:

(10:34:01 AM)

Know you must be besieged. If Governor looking for civil forum to address this week’s events (and significantly, other policy issues), we’d love to have him on This Week…

As if disappearing is insignificant? Just asking.

Also from someone else at ABC a little earlier on June 24th:

(8:57:04 AM)

Hey Joel,

Just tried you at the office….would Gov. Sanford be able to join George this Sunday on This Week? After all the hoopla surrounding his whereabouts this past week, would be great to have him on the show to clarify everything, put a stop to the Lt. Gov’s claims, respond to the DNC ad and look ahead to the important challenges the GOP face in the months to come. Think it’d be an important step for him to address this then move forward and talk about the real issues out there…

“…would be great to have him on the show to clarify everything, put a stop to the Lt. Gov’s claims, respond to the DNC ad and look ahead to the important challenges the GOP face in the months to come…”

Yes, we’ve determined what they are, now we’re just haggling over the price.

Walter Cronnkite died at age 92 yesterday. And evidently television journalism died before that.