Mad About Town

Well, since I'm away, I thought I'd offer up a little tour of Smallville [real name: Camden} for those of you--and I'm assuming that's all of you, who've never been here.

The Kershaw-Cornwallis House,
just south of town.

Camden is the fourth oldest city in of South Carolina, and is actually the oldest inland city, with a population of roughly 8,000. In total area, Camden is 9.8 square miles, of which 9.6 is land, and 0.2 is water.

Like I said, Smallville.

The Robert Mills-designed Courthouse is now
Camden's Visitors Center. Mills is most famous
for designing the Washington Monument.

In 1730--yes, almost three hundred years ago-- Camden became part of a township plan ordered by King George II, and was laid out in 1732 as the town of Fredericksburg in the Wateree River swamp--just south of present-day Camden.

Beautiful downtown Camden.

When King George III ordered eleven inland townships established along South Carolina's rivers, few of the area settlers chose to take lots surveyed in the town, choosing the higher ground to the north, and the Fredericksburg township soon disappeared.

In 1758, Joseph Kershaw, from Yorkshire, England came into the township, established a store and renamed the town Pine Tree Hill. Camden became the inland trade center in the colony, and Kershaw suggested that the town be renamed Camden, in honor of Lord Camden, the champion of colonial rights.

One of my favorite buildiungs in town,
it's now a music store.

In May 1780 the American Revolution came to Charleston, and that town was captured. Afterwards, Lord Charles Cornwallis and 2,500 of his troops marched into Camden and established it as the main British supply post for the Southern campaign.

The Battle of Camden, the worst American defeat of the Revolution, was fought on August 16, 1780 in Camden, and the Battle of Hobkirk Hill was fought by 1,400 American troops led by General Nathanael Greene and 950 British soldiers led by Lord Francis Rawdon on April 25, 1781. The latter battle was a costly win for the British, and forced them to leave Camden.

Camden City Hall.

Camden, though not involved directly with the Civil War, did send a few generals into battle, most notably a Hero of the American Civil War, Richard Rowland Kirkland, who is interred in the Old Quaker Cemetery.

After the war, in 1885, Camden became a place where rich Northern families would spend the winter. The town became associated with many equestrian activities, and is now the home of the third oldest active polo field in America. In the winter, more than 1,500 thoroughbreds call the field home. For that reason, Camden is known as the ‘Steeplechase Capital of the World’.”



The Main Post Office.

 The Carolina Cup is an annual event held on either the final Saturday in March or the first Saturday of April, with the first race held on March 22, 1930; the Cup has been held every year since, with the exception of 1943 and 1945 when a little old thing called World War Two got in the way--why we had the Cup in '44 is not known.

The races have become a South Carolina tradition, and normally draw crowds of over 70,000 spectators to Camden. as we live on the rod to the racecourse, we see most of these people driving, and walking, to the Cup.

The Cup has become a premier social sporting event at Springdale Race Course, which is also home to the Marion du Pont Scott Colonial Cup held on the third Sunday in November.

It's a big deal in Smallville.

And so, y'all, there's a little history, and a few pictures of Small.....er, Camden.


Springdale Race Course, a 500-acre venue for racing and training.



The Cup.



South Carolina Pulls A WTF....But A Rather Pleasant WTF

It's just another wedding announcement, right?

Okay, so maybe it's just another same-sex wedding announcement. But this particular wedding announcement appeared in The State, the largest paper in........South Carolina.

It gives me hope, you know. Seeing the faces of these two men, announcing their marriage, in my local paper. And it gives me hope that The State acknowledged their two sons in the announcement as well.

The times they are a'changing, even here in South Carolina.

William Hasty III & Gregory Smith

Gregory Maurice Smith and William Leonard Hasty III were married July 26, 2011, at Town Hall in Mamaroneck, N.Y. The 9 a.m. ceremony was performed by Christina Battalia, Town Clerk.

Greg, 52, is the Executive Vice President, Human Resources for Denihan Hospitality group in New York City. He graduated from Tulane University and received a B.A. in English literature. He also received a J.D. from Tulane University Law School.

Greg is the son of the late Percy Smith and Daisy Smith Green. Percy Smith was a pitcher with the Indianapolis Clowns of the Old Negro Baseball League. He also worked for the Mobile County Public School System and retired after 20 years of service. Daisy Smith Green is a native and lifelong resident of Mobile, Ala.

William, 45, is the son of William Leonard Hasty, Jr., a retired State Farm agent, of Bishopville, S.C., and Marie Baker Hasty, an Office Manager, of West Columbia, S.C. William is the grandson of the late William Leonard Hasty, Sr. and Mamie Louise Hasty of Bishopville, S.C. William graduated Cum Laude from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in English in 1987. He is currently a Homemaker.

The couple met in Columbia, S.C., in February 1984. Gregory and William were both commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. Best men for the wedding were the couple's two sons, Dudley Smith Hasty and Baker Smith Hasty.

The couple will honeymoon in Niagara Falls and reside with their two sons in Larchmont, N.Y.

The State

Miss M? Consider Yourself Booked

Although, by the time marriage equality comes to South Carolina she may be too old to remember the words to any song and I may be too old to remember I booked her to sing at my nuptials!

That's Our Nikki: Vindictive, Bitter, and Yes, Bitch

Our beloved.....I'll pause until the giggles subside...governor, the Transparent Nikki Haley, held an 'End Of Session' party at the Governor's Mansion, paid for by the people of South Carolina, where she served food and drink, paid for by the people of South Carolina, and Nikki asked everyone to come, except for some Democrats, and at least one Republican, that she doesn't like or feels like they crossed her.

Call it the Mama Grizzly Bore Complex.

The excuses for the interesting guest list began to fly almost immediately. Nikki's spokesmoron, Rob Godfrey, says the cookout was actually hosted by Nikki's husband so they could invite whomever they chose. But, then, why call it an 'End Of Session' cookout, if the First Hubby is the host? He has nothing to do with the legislature.

But, like most legislators, Democratic Representative Boyd Brown assumed all legislators were invited, until he was stopped at the gate of the house where Nikki lives for free, and told he wasn't on the list. Brown says he's not sure what he did to be excluded, but spokesasshat, Rob Godfrey, said Brown had publicly and privately disrespected Haley, and fought her agenda during the legislative session.

That was followed by a foot stomp, and a "So there," I believe.

Among others on the governor's It's-My-Party-And-I-Won't-Ask-The-People-Who-Don't-Kiss-My Ass list were Democratic....of course....House Minority Leader Harry Ott,  Democratic....of course.....Senator Brad Hutto, Republican....Huh? Oh yeah, he doesn't like Nikki....Senator Jake Knotts, and Smallville's own Democrat....naturally....Vincent Sheheen who just happened to nearly beat Nikki in the last election, and stomped her ass in every debate from here to Charleston, and continues to show what an awful mistake the Repugs of South Carolina made during the last election.

That's our Nikki. She said she'd be transparent and she is doing just that. It's transparent that if you disagree with her, you're on the Do Not Call list. It's transparent that while she lives in a house that I, and all South Carolinians, pay for, and throws a party that I, and all South Carolinians, including the dozen or so state legislator she didn't invite, pay for, that she'll do whatever the hell she pleases.

I'm waiting for the bi-partisan door to slam in her face. And the next election when Nikki gets sent packing.

That's a party I'd attend!


SC Legislators Say Haley Snubbed Them
Haley's Unwise Unwelcome List
Haley Bans Democrats from Mansion Party

WTF South Carolina? Again With The Anti-Gay?

PK Weiss is a heterosexual mother of four, and the former president of Upstate Pride SC. Every year, when they celebrate Pride in the upstate, the city of Spartanburg issues a proclamation proclaiming the day in question LGBT Pride Day.

This year, however, when Weiss sent an email to the Spartanburg County Council, asking them to issue a proclamation declaring June 4, 2011 to be LGBT Day in the county, she didn't get quite the response she wanted.

The city council refused. In fact, Council Chairman Jeff "Asshat" Horton, who received the email from Weiss, responded with 'No'.

Nothing else. 'No'.
No, 'Dear Ms Weiss. Just 'No'.

"There was no salutation, no closing, no thank you for the invitation. Just "no," and I thought that was rude and dismissive," said PK Weiss. The group will, however, have a march and Pride festival that day at Barnet Park in the City of Spartanburg, whose mayor did sign a proclamation.

But even more than Jeff "Asshat" Horton's simply rude, and simple, response, was the fact that he chose not to even bother asking the rest of the Spartanburg County Council. He said he didn't consult the others about the request because he has a good pulse on what they feel, and no one would have supported it. See, apparently Jeff "Asshat" Horton knows that everyone on the council is an anti-gay, homophobic, bigot, so why bother making a call and asking anyone? Or else, he's afraid they might actually approve of an LGBT Day proclamation, and this bigot wouldn't have that.

So, you know, Spartanburg, maybe the next time Jeff "Asshat" Horton comes up for reelection, or reappointment, to the council, a simple one word response from you all is what's needed.

'No.'

Failing that, I'll just say, Fuck you, Jeff Horton, and the homophobic horse you rode in on.


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You Have Two Choices: It's Wrong, Or It's A Sin

Well, it seems that the Presbyterian Church wants to allow openly gay and lesbian pastors to begin serving congregations around the country, but South Carolina congregations are, naturally, pissed off about it.

At a national assembly of Presbyterians last year, they voted to change the church constitution to removed wording that required celibacy and fidelity in marriage when considering church leaders. The proposed changes needed approval by a majority of the denomination's 173 regional presbyteries and just last week a Minnesota presbytery cast the deciding 87th vote. The new policy now goes into effect in July.

Of course, because it's South Carolina, all five of my state's presbyteries voted against the change. Dr. Alan Arnold of the Trinity Presbytery, which oversees the majority of Midlands congregations, says that, while churches are now permitted to ordain homosexual clergy, local congregations retain control over that process and he does not expect to see any immediate major changes here.

Which means South Carolina can keep it's homophobia in tact.

Still, more annoying than the idea that these "Christians" are such intolerant bigots, is what our local Fox News channel--Wach Fox 57--did with the story. As news channels often do, they offered up a poll for people to vote on whether or not they agreed with the Presbyterian church welcoming gay church leaders. But they didn't phrase the question like that. It was like this:

Wow.
 
Either way you look at it, it's anti-gay , homophobic, bigoted intolerant nonsense. Thanks South Carolina, and Wach Fox 57, for keeping it real.
 
Real stupid.
 
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That's Our Nikki: Mark Sanford In a Dress

Back when Miss Nikki was runnin' for guv'nah of South Carolina, she preached and promised a new kinda administration, full of openness and transparency, a marked change from our former Appalachian Trail hikin' adulteratinm' guv'nah of olde.

But, um, not so fast.

As SC New Democrats President Phil Noble wrote in The Greenville News, very early on in Miss Nikki's first term--and it will be her last term, too--Miss Nikki is doing exactly what she said she wouldn't do, shouldn't do, couldn't do....

Miss Nikki's administration:

• Staff pay raises – The very first day in office she gave obscene pay raises to her campaign staff that moved over to run the Governor’s Office. Several of them are being paid more that she is paid as governor — all at a time of radical cuts to education and other vital parts of the state budget.
• White boys rule — The majority of her staff and cabinet appointments were white men. Of 24 appointments, only one is black; our state is 29 percent black. State government should look like South Carolina.
• Hiding behind technicalities — Openness and accountability were key themes of her campaign but she refuses to use the state provided e-mail and mobile phone so that she can avoid public records disclosure laws.
• Mixing government and campaign — On her Governor’s Office state Internet site, she had direct links to her campaign website, including links to solicit campaign donations. When she was called on this, she took down the links.
• Appointments for cronies — She appointed Chad Waldorf to head the Board of Economics Advisors. A trained economist with advanced degrees, not a barbecue baron, usually holds this post. My brother-in-law George cooks a great slab of ribs too, but that doesn’t mean he is qualified to provide guidance as to the economic future of our state.
• Airplane trips from donors — Haley accepted a free plane trip to California for her husband and some of her staff from Raj Mantena. He and his family donated about $24,000 to her campaign and the Republican Party. The trip was valued at $19,656. See Mark Sanford’s ethics violations as to where this kind of stuff leads.
• Public schedule and media openness — As a candidate, she promised the maximum — “open up everything to the public.” As governor she’s delivering the minimum. She promised to release her public schedule but what she releases hides more than it shows. And, as The State newspaper observed “…Haley has adopted the Tea Party-model for dealing with the S.C. media, keeping the press at arm’s length….pictures and sound-bites are what matters.”
• Improper meetings — In apparent violation of state law, Haley held a closed-door meeting with two other members of the Budget and Control Board to discuss the budget. When the Republican state Treasurer, who was excluded from the meeting objected, Haley said it was OK because the state treasurer is not relevant to the state budget. Huh?

Now, as Phil Noble points out, some folks can "look at each of these and say 'no big deal,' and taken individually, they aren’t. But, all of these eight problems occurred in just the first 30 days. What it shows is a pattern of cutting corners, playing ball with political cronies and sliding by the rules on a technicality."

 

But that's what she said she wouldn't do. She said she would make South Carolina better, help cleanse the bad taste left in our mouths by Mark Sanford's antics. But Nikki Haley is just more of the same.

Seriously, South Carolinians, Knock It The F**K Off

It's been scarcely a month since Joshua Esskew was hit with a beer bottle and then beaten by at least five men, and, well, here we go again. 

Vonte Fuller, a 22-year-old gay man from Spartanburg, was just sitting in a bar--Sideline's Sports & Spirit's--on Sunday, just minding his own business, which I guess gay folks aren't allowed to do in certain parts of South Carolina.

Vonte says a customer simply walked over to him and a pitcher of beer on his head. When he turned around to see what was going on, he was hit in the head with a beer bottle, and then more men joined in, throwing bottles, throwing fists, throwing anti-gay slurs: "I hate you faggots and ... you punks are sick. And all ya'll going to die slow."

Finally, the club security broke up the fight, and kicked Vonte Fuller, and his attackers, out of the bar. Security did not call the police, the bar owner did nothing, and has since said nothing. Luckily, for Vonte Fuller, one patron did call an ambulance.

Taken to the hospital for treatment, Vonte Fuller was visited by a Spartanburg Public Safety officer, who never bothered to take a report. When Fuller said he didn't know the men who attacked him, the officer shrugged and said there wasn't much that could be done.

Um, how about questioning the other patrons in the bar? Bar security might have some answers. The bar owner might know the men's names. Shrug.

But Vonte Fuller didn't give up. After leaving the hospital, he and his family went to the police station to file a report. It was there he learned that the officer's failure to take a report at the hospital is a violation of department policy, according to Lt. Regina Nowak, who said, "Bottom line: a report should have been taken. We have a duty to file that report, even if [the officers] don't agree [that a report needs to be taken.]"

The officer who visited Fuller in the hospital and just shrugged has not been identified, but will be investigated by the department's office of professional standards.

And, of course, since South Carolina has no Hate Crimes Laws, the beating of Vonte Fuller isn't being designated as such by local authorities, though, and remember this is South Carolina, there could be a lynching charge, if the attackers are caught.

See, we have laws against lynching, which is a sad comment on South Carolina, but not against beating a gay man in a bar just because he's gay and you're a moron with nothing better to do.

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UPDATE TUESDAY: Just a Thought: Sticks and Stones, Kobe and Bret, Sticks and Stones



Sheriff Bruce Bryant

 Last month I posted the story of Joshua Esskew [HERE] who was called an anti-gay slur, hit in the head with a beer bottle, and then attacked by a group of up to eight people. Hate crime, no? No, not in South Carolina where our politicians don't believe in that sort of thing.

But there is some good news now. York County authorities have arrested and charged five men with assaulting Joshua Esskew.

And while these men, er, boys,, er, morons, could not be charged with a Hate Crime in South Carolina--though the FBI is investigating it as such--Sheriff Bruce Bryant, of Rock Hill, South Carolina, says the five have been charged with assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature. Those charges carry a prison term of up to 20 years.

All five suspects are from York, South Carolina, and they are: 

Cortezio Laquise Douglas, 21



Lortarius Anthony Duncan, 22



LaJames Mitchell, 22

Darenco Markie Wilmore, 20

Bobby Wilson, 20

The melee started after an altercation between Joshua Esskew and Bobby Wilson, standing in front of the convenience store. Wilson threw a beer bottle at Esskew's head, and when Esskew confronted him, the fight began; soon, the others joined in the beating of Joshua Esskew.

Sheriff Bruce Bryant says the store surveillance video helped in the arrests of the five men, as did those people who stepped up to identify the attackers; Bryant praised their "willingness...to get involved and not let this violent crime go unpunished." 

i praise Sheriff Bruce Bryant and the police from York County for not treating this as just another case of kids being kids, and for realizing the hateful nature of this attack.

Via The Charlotte Observer

Yes, We Have No Hate Crimes Laws In South Carolina

In the days following the brutal beating of Joshua Esskew [see post HERE], a gay man, that was caught on a Rock Hill, South Carolina convenience store's surveillance camera, the sponsor of a hate crimes bill that got nowhere in the state legislature last year, John King, a Democrat from Rock Hill, plans to re-introduce the bill this week and ask that it be discussed immediately by legislators.

Of course, two Republican legislators , who admit that the attack on Joshua Esskew, was "horrific," say that existing laws are enough to prosecute people who violently attack others. And spokesmorons for our asshat-wingnut governor, The Transparent Nikki Haley, say she doesn't support state hate crime laws either. Naturally.

Rep. John King

John King, however, will still ask that his bill be taken directly to the House floor when the Legislature reconvenes after a week off, because he feels that hate crimes should not be tolerated and deserve harsher punishments: "We need an all-inclusive hate crime law in this state that protects all people regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation."

Now, for those of you who think that hate crimes laws are unnecessary because we punish people who attack and mug and kill other people anyway, let me offer up a little scenario:

I'm walking down the streets of Smallville, and someone decides I must have a pocketful of money, and they hold me up at gunpoint and steal from me. Then, perhaps they don't think I'm handing over the cash fast enough, so they beat me to a pulp.

Hateful, yes. Hate, no.

But, say I'm walking down the street and some guy decides that, oh, from the way I walk, or my clothes or whatever, that I'm a big old queen, and he beats me to a pulp just for being gay.

Hateful, yes. Hate, yes.

We need hate crimes legislation, in the states and at the federal level, to protect anyone from being attacked simply because of who they are, or are assumed to be, This goes for your gender, your orientation, your skin color, your religion, your age. 

If you are attacked, beaten and killed because of who you are, then it is an attack motivated by hatred.
If you are attacked, beaten, and killed because someone wants your money or your watch or your car, then that attack is motivated by greed.

Hate. Greed,

If you hate someone enough to beat them to unconsiousness, and leave them to die, say on a fence in Wyoming, or on  street in Brooklyn, then you deserve the fullest punishment of the law.

Hate is hate and should not be diminished.

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Oh South Carolina, Look What You've Done.....

In the interests of fairness, I actually know one of these wingnuts. Well, 'know' may be a bit strong. I've spoken to him, once, way back in the fall of 2008, just before the election. He was sitting in a bar ranting about Obama and how much he didn't like him, and I thought, "Okay, he's a Republican asshat."

Then he added to his diatribe when he said, out loud, for all to hear, "If Obama gets elected there'll be no living with those people. You know they'll be dancing in the streets because they love to dance."

To which I replied, "Oooooh, me too!"

:::crickets:::

Now, I don't want to point him out, but let's just say he wants to vote for Duh-Duh-Donald Trump.

Also, watch as Bachmann spouts her drivel, and the American flag tips over and all those patriots rush to pick it up off the ground....not. Even Bachmann pays no attention to Old Glory hittin' the pavement.

Last, but not least, the guy who says we spend too much money on edu-mah-cation. Did he not listen to a single one of these illiterate fucktards? So, without further ado, I give you the Teabaggers, mouths filled to the rim with Donald Trump's hairy balls, of South Carolina:

Just a Thought: Sticks and Stones, Kobe and Bret, Sticks and Stones

Joshua Esskew stopped at a local convenience store to use the bathroom and maybe get a soda. instead, he was brutally attacked because he's gay.

As he walked into the store last Saturday night in Rock Hill, South Carolina--not all that far from Smnallville-someone called him 'faggot.' Esskew turned and asked, "What was that you said?" and then he was hit in the head with a 40-oz beer bottle.

Bad enough, right? Stopping to get a soda, being called a fag and getting a bottle thrown at you. Bad enough, right?

Surveillance video from the store caught at least eight people, who were pumping gas or doing laundry next door to the gas station, rush into the parking lot and join in the beating of Joshua Esskew. Eight people, in all, all strangers, beat a man. But, hey, he's gay.

'Fucking faggot' stepped in a 'puddle of HIV'. Right, Kobe? Right Bret?

Okay, so maybe Kobe Bryant didn't actually throw a punch at Esskew, and maybe he didn't even join the fray beating the man so badly that he spent two days in the hospital, but Kobe Bryant, and anyone else who uses any kind of gay slur, bears some responsibility.

When you mutter, utter, shout, or even mouth, the words, 'faggot', especially when you are an idolized athlete, you are telling people it's okay to hate. It's okay to bash someone in the head with a bottle. It's okay to join a fight because it's just a gay guy.

And perhaps Bret Easton Ellis wasn't in Rock Hill over the weekend, but his homophobic, self-loathing, anti-gay Tweets just might have helped those men throw punches at Esskew.

Kobe Bryant  and Bret Easton Ellis weren't actually in on the fight, but Kobe's easy use of the word 'faggot'as a derogatory term, and Ellis'tauints about gay shows and HIV, helped  to throw the first bottle. 

And because it's accepted by some to call people 'faggot'as a dirty word, or make fun of people with HIV, that South Carolina remains in the dark ages. See, even though Esskew was obviously beaten because he's gay--or at least the attackers suspected he was gay--South Carolina has no Hate Crimes laws.

It's okay to beat gays here, I guess, and it's okay for over-paid arrogant athletes to call us 'faggots' on television, and for has-been authors to Tweet homophobia. And until that stops, and isn't laughed at, or made light of, gay people will still get beaten just for being ourselves.

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That's Our Nikki: Lying On Job Applications

Let's be clear: South Carolina Senator Vincent Sheheen--who, for the record, lives in Smallville--lost his bid to become South Carolina's governor. Narrowly.Lost. And that lost must ache a bit, so it's no surprise that he attacks Nikki Haley every chance he gets. What isn't surprising, however, is that every attack, every criticism he has of Transparent Nikki, is spot on.

Speaking to a group of Spartanburg Democrats, he reiterated the story floating around the state that then-state Representative lied on her application for a job at Lexington Medical Center. Sheheen is the first prominent South Carolina elected official to directly accuse Haley of deceit on the controversial application.

Nikki Haley's spokesmoron, Rob Godfrey, responded with a typical non-response to Vincent Sheheen via email: "It's sad to see that Senator Sheheen hasn't gotten over his defeat."

Oh, honey, he's over it. He's just calling out more and more of Nikki Haley's lies and deceits. He isn't over that.

Sheheen's accusations against Haley came during a wider series of remarks casting Nikki Haley as just the latest scandal-plagued Republican involved in a years-long wave of corruption in the state Capitol:

"What's happening in Columbia right now is that we are seeing corruption on a scale that we have not seen in the Legislature since Lost Trust and statewide in the last hundred years...Think about what's going on: House members arrested for criminal domestic violence, House members arrested for not paying their taxes, statewide officials going to jail for drug dealing a few years ago, a governor with over 60 ethics violations and a current governor who didn't pay her taxes either, who's holding secret meetings without letting the press know, lying on employment applications — that is what we've been reduced to in South Carolina."

Yes, we all know Nikki Haley has a problem paying her taxes, unless the state threatens to take her property, but what about that job application?

Vincent Sheheen:

"Either the governor's not telling the truth or somebody filled out her application...[and]...I think that it's hard to believe that she didn't fill out that application. I think any reasonable person wonders why she is making the kind of statements she has."

So, what about the job application? Well, on Nikki Haley's August 2008 application to become a fundraiser for the Lexington Medical Center, she listed her qualifications for the job--she had none--and her previous work experiences and salaries. Columbia newspaper, The State, reported that on Haley's application for the medical center position she stated she'd earned $125,000 a year, far more than the $22,000 she claimed on her Federal income Taxes.

In her efforts to be A Transparent Liar, Nikki Haley, and her Hounds Of Hell, have repeatedly denied that she provided the $125,000 figure on the application. And, to be fair, some pages of the application carry her signature, but the page regarding previous salary does not.

So, does that mean Nikki Haley fills out applications or does she have people do that for her? Or, does she partially fill out applications, and then have people fill out the rest for her so she can say she didn't lie?

Either way, one thing is transparent about Nikki Haley: she lies. Or she has someone lie for her.

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