There they go again — the NAACP boycott and the Confederate flag slapping South Carolina in the face.
This time, it's over an attempt to bring the 2011-2013 Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournaments to Myrtle Beach. The ACC apparently made the offer because it was led to believe that, at least along the Grand Strand, it was OK with the NAACP. But state NAACP officials quickly called foul and had discussions with the ACC that led the league to strip the beach of the lucrative deal and give it to two N.C. communities.
Enough is enough.
The Confederate flag must be removed from the State House grounds, and the NAACP's boycott needs to end.
I don't care which goes first.
Whether it's the Confederate flag scaring away events, business or new residents or the NAACP strong-arming the NCAA and robbing cities of big-time sports events, neither moves South Carolina forward.
Some might read the ACC's rejection of Myrtle Beach as a sign of the strength of the NAACP's sanctions. Don't be so sure. The fact that someone inside the NAACP on the local level was willing to defy the boycott as well as the ACC's willingness to make the offer without going the extra mile to ensure it indeed was OK with the state NAACP is telling.
It appears that the NAACP's sanctions, which have been effective only when it comes to keeping big college sports events out of the state, are losing some steam — from both within and without.
To read the complete column, visit www.thestate.com.
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