SWING LOW, SOUTH CAROLINA

Dear Guests,
Please excuse me as I stray away from the subject of screenwriting and film, just for this one post. Part of my "job" is as a columnist in South Carolina, and I feel the need to address a few things. Thanks!

Unless you live in a world void of news, you are quite aware that South Carolina REPRESENTATIVE JOE WILSON interrupted President Obama's speech on the healthcare initiative, by yelling out "You lie!", in reference to Obama explaining that illegal immigrants would not be covered in the plan.

CLICK HERE for the video.

It was a deplorable act, played out in front of millions of viewers; a disrespect to the position of the presidency of the United States and an embarrassment to most of us, especially to certain citizens of South Carolina, such as myself.

This just adds salt to our wounds, considering the ongoing saga of South Carolina's GOVERNOR MARK SANFORD, who, in a series of events, committed adultery, lied about his whereabouts, left our government watch unattended, and is currently under investigation for misuse of state funds and travel privileges.

The fact that both of these individuals are members of the G.O.P. has nothing to do with the level of embarrassment they have brought upon the state; their acts were inhumane, regardless of party.

South Carolina bears a colorful history of shameful associations: the state was a heavy sponsor of slavery, initiated secession from the Union, and was the first to fire on fellow americans during the Civil War.

The state capitol, Columbia, was burned to the ground during General Sherman's March, and to this day has never fully recovered. The town gained recent attention when resident and G.O.P. activist RUSTY DEPASS posted on his Facebook page that an escaped gorilla at a zoo was an "ancestor" of First Lady Michelle Obama.

There has been long ongoing debate and demonstration concerning the flying of the confederate flag over the state capitol. Finally, in 2000, it was removed, but not without dispicable commentary from former SENATOR ARTHUR RAVENEL JR., who referred to the N.A.A.C.P. as "the National Association of Retarded People". He then, inappropriately, apologized only "to retarded people for associating them with the N.A.A.C.P." Ravenel once said that his fellow white congressional committee members operated on "black time", which he characterized as meaning "fashionably late". The cable bridge in Charleston is still named in his honor.

And who can forget former South Carolina governor and senator STROM THURMOND, who conducted the longest filibuster ever by a U.S. Senator, in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957, at 24 hours and 18 minutes in length, nonstop.

I'm a transplant who moved here over one year ago with my wife. Up until then I had spent fourteen years in St. Louis, Missouri, and prior to that I lived in Germany for eight years. I have tread the land where the Third Reich ruled, I've stood where the slave Dred Scott fought for his right to be a free man, in the Old Courthouse of St. Louis, and now I sit a mere two hours from the capitol where some of our supposed "representatives" convene, under a dome that flew the "southern cross" for over a century.

If you've never been to South Carolina you would be pleasantly surprised that it's not any more controversial or racist than any other state. Black and white, along with our ever growing hispanic population, mingle freely. Of all the service people I have dealt with, in my trials of renovating a house, I have never once heard a racial slur. That was not the case in Missouri, at all.

Poverty and unemployment are horrible here, just like anywhere else in the United States right now. Domestic abuse is unfortunately high on the list. Crime is like anywhere else: watch your back, lock your doors. Education could use improvement, again, that's across the board in America.

A neighbor and friend, let's call him Jim, is a native South Carolinian. He speaks with a twang, which he readily jokes about. Long-haired and lanky, we always exchange waves as he passes on his daily walk with two hound dogs.

He is a high school educator in the impoverished town about thirty minutes from here. John is white, all his students are African American. He reads the New York Times everyday. He spent many weekends volunteering his time at a state school where his son attended.

There are a lot of South Carolinians like John, like you and me, and we often band together in voice or print, fighting the good fight. Rest assured, for every legislator from South Carolina who chooses to disgrace us, there are at least ten of us fighting against them.

You can support our cause by standing up for what is right, no matter what state you live in. Contact your representatives, it's easy in this internet era. Let them know what you think is inappropriate, tell them how you would like things changed, give the do-gooders a vote of support.

There's an old german proverb that says "Schweigen ist zustimmen", meaning "silence is approval". If you don't approve, please don't be silent. Thank you.

Comments more than welcome.