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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (June 24, 2015)
News Flags will file past a statue of former Vice Pres- ident John C. Calhoun, who argued in the 1820s and 1830s that states should be able to decide not to follow federal laws they did not like. The last person to lie under the dome was former Gov. Carroll Campbell in Decem- ber 2005. Pinckney will be the first Afri- can-American given the honor at least since Reconstruction. Prodded by Gov. Nikki Haley’s call to move the flag to a museum, South Caroli- na’s lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed to revisit an uneasy compromise that has held for 15 years, since mass protests succeeded in moving the flag from atop the dome to its current spot out front. Politicians around the nation then joined calls to remove historic but divisive Civil from its prominent place inside its main chapel to a more “appropriate” campus lo- cation. As with any other historic symbol in the state, even that move will require state law- makers to amend the same Heritage Act that has kept the Confederate battle flag flying high outside the statehouse, even as U.S. and state flags were lowered to half-staff. Four former South Carolina governors applauded Haley on Wednesday. Signed by Ernest “Fritz” Hollings, Dick Riley, David Beasley and Jim Hodges, their statement says the slayings “have reminded us of the important bond we share as South Caroli- na citizens. We should fly only the Unit- ed States and South Carolina flags on our Statehouse grounds — flags that represent us all.” Many said change is imperative after seeing photos of shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof, a 21-year-old white man, posing with the Confederate flag and burning and desecrating the U.S. flag War-era symbols from their places of hon- or, from state flags to license plates to stat- ues and place names. Many said change is imperative after seeing photos of shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof, a 21-year-old white man, posing with the Confederate flag and burning and desecrating the U.S. flag. Even the Citadel, South Carolina influen- tial military college, whose cadets fired the first shots of the Civil War, voted in favor of moving its Confederate Naval Jack flag AP PHOTO/MARTIN SWANT continued from page 1 The few South Carolina lawmakers openly day. U.S. Senator Roger Wicker became Mississippi’s second top-tier Republican to defending the flag include Republican Jon- call for changing the flag that state has used athon Hill, a freshman representative who since Reconstruction. Wicker said it “should said the flag rightly flies over a monument be put in a museum and replaced by one that dedicated to fallen Confederate soldiers. He also said dealing with the issue so soon was is more unifying.” Lawmakers in Tennessee said a bust of disrespectful to the victims’ families. “You’re going to defeat racism with love Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest must go from and forgiveness. You’re not going to defeat their Senate. Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe it with politics and certainly not with more was among several state leaders taking aim hatred,” said Hill. “Dylann Roof wanted a at vanity license plates with Confederate race war, and I think this has a potential to start one in the sense that it’s a very divisive symbols. Businesses also moved quickly: Wal- issue,” he said, referring to the shooting sus- Mart, e-Bay, Amazon, Target and Sears pect. “I think it could very well get ugly.” Roof, now jailed on murder and gun were among those removing Confederate merchandise from stores and online sites, charges, had posed in photos displaying and at least three major flag makers said Confederate flags and burning or desecrat- they will no longer manufacture the Con- ing U.S. flags. A friend of his told The As- sociated Press that Roof had talked of plan- federate flag. For many, these changes can’t happen ning to do something “for the white race.” The Confederate battle flag was placed quickly enough. For many others, it’s all too State workers take down a Confederate national flag on the grounds of the state Capitol, Wednesday, June 24, 2015, in Montgomery. Alabama Gov. Rob- ert Bentley orders Confederate flags taken down from state Capitol. “This is an extraordinary opportunity for South Carolina to be the beacon on the hill — to show love and not vengeance, to show unity and not division,” said Beasley, who was voted out of office in 1998 after advo- cating for its removal. He said he’s startled by how many legislators have switched po- sitions in a matter of days. Conservative Republican lawmakers who have led southern states for years were add- ing their voices to these sentiments Wednes- fast. Confederate symbols appear all over the South, from statehouses to courthouses to schools and streets and parks. Already, a growing number of statues have been de- faced by graffiti such as #racism and “Black Lives Matter.” These symbols are under attack by a “wave of political correctness” that is vil- ifying Southern culture, complained Ben Jones, the actor who played Cooter on the TV series “Dukes of Hazzard.” He said Confederate items will never be removed from the Cooter’s Place stores he owns in Tennessee and Virginia. atop South Carolina’s Statehouse dome in 1961 for the 100th anniversary of the begin- ning of the Civil War, and lawmakers decid- ed to keep it there in 1962 in response to the civil rights movement. After mass pro- tests, it was moved to the flagpole out front in 2000. A second viewing of Pinckney will take place Thursday morning at St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church in his Senate district, and Thursday night at Emanuel AME. President Barack Obama is sched- uled to deliver the eulogy at Pinckney’s funeral Friday morning at the College of Charleston. There are no restrictions in the law about possessing usable marijuana or plants in a home with children. The OLCC’s view is questions in the implementation of the new law. For example, Measure 91 allows for four pot plants per household, while the Or- has been working on a licensing system for producers, processors, wholesalers and retail facilities, and plans to start accepting business license applications at the begin- ning of 2016. The OLCC predicts having retail estab- lishments around September 2016 but in the meantime, it creates a market of legal goods with no legal retailer. The Oregon legislature has been look- ing into authorizing selling recreational pot through medical dispensaries instead. Proponents of this early start say it would cut down on the black market and help the economy through marijuana tax revenue. Another unsolved question is the fate of cities and counties that want to opt out of legalization altogether. Under Measure 91, cities that wanted to ban recreational pot could have a local election, but that elec- tion won’t be able to happen until Novem- Pot continued from page 1 lines, including Washington which also has legalized pot. You are allowed to share or give away pot to people who are also 21-years or older, but you can’t sell it or buy it until a licensed re- tail shop is open. Marijuana is regulated in Oregon through the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, which recently launched the “What’s Legal” public relations campaign. Tom Towslee, who answers media inquiries about marijua- na for the OLCC, said Oregonians should know the new laws to be able to make re- sponsible decisions. “We want people to know that while mari- juana is legal on July 1, there are limits, and we want people to know what those limits are,” Towslee said. Towslee said the rules lean heavily toward personal responsibility and he urged people to take a common-sense approach such as smoking in one’s backyard instead of light- ing up on the front porch in public view. ‘We want people to know that while marijuana is legal on July 1, there are limits, and we want people to know what those limits are’ that the regulation of legal marijuana within the home is matter of parental responsibili- ty -- similar to having alcohol in the home where children are present. Many laws remain unchanged in the wake of Measure 91. The legalization of marijua- na still falls under anti-smoking legislation, everywhere you can’t smoke cigarettes, you also can’t smoke pot. The new law also doesn’t affect employment law: employers still have the right to test employees for pot and maintain drug-free places of work. There are also a number of unanswered egon medical marijuana law allows for six plants. When both laws are in effect, it is un- known how many plants would be allowed. Another question is the regulation of marijuana product advertising, specifically ensuring ads don’t appeal to children. The Oregon legislature Joint Committee on Im- plementing Measure 91 has been working on these issues. One of the biggest problems to solve in the near future is the lack of retail availabili- ty. As of July 1, pot can be used, but can’t be sold, for recreational purposes. The OLCC See POT on page 8 Charleston continued from page 1 said. Rev. Terry McCray Hill, pastor of the Bethel AME Church, presided over the gathering, which included music, prayer, a moment of silence and the reading of the names of the victims – and short remarks from leaders from several different faith communities. Hill also asked clergy and lay people of faith in the audience to introduce themselves as a show of solidarity and sup- port. “I just stopped by to tell you, it’s well in Charleston, South Carolina, because God is listening and he cares,” McCray Hill said ‘It’s a response to what happened in Charleston and recognizing that people here in Portland are going to feel affected by it and apprehensive about going to their places of worship’ at the onset of the service. She also quoted Rev. Martin Luther King: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.” McCray Hill described South Carolina as one of her “favorite places” and noted the strong presence of AME churches in the state. The Mother Emanuel Church was founded in 1816 and it will last until eter- nity, she said. Though urging a message of hope and faith, McCray Hill also told the audience she had not slept the previous night. She had stayed on the phone with a fellow AME pastor in Philadelphia, who had to end the conversation to talk to law enforcement about a possible threat to his church. She said before they hung up, he urged her to go See CHARLESTON on page 9 June 24, 2015 The Portland and Seattle Skanner Page 3
