Author: Paul Gable

Ecoterrorism Strikes International Drive

It appears that the International Drive completion has been hit with a type of ecoterrorism by two environmental groups opposed to the project.

As we reported over the weekend, the Coastal Conservation League and South Carolina Wildlife Federation appealed the SCDHEC decision to issue permits for the project at the last possible hour.

This attempt of these two groups to put another obstacle in the way of the International Drive project, which is much needed for traffic relief in the Carolina Forest area, appears to be for no other reason than to further delay, delay, delay.

Consider the following definitions from the Merriam Webster Dictionary:

Ecoterrorism is defined as sabotage intended to hinder activities that are considered damaging to the environment.

Sabotage is defined as a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity or corporation through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction.

While the form of ecoterrorism we are talking about is not violent, hindering the building (activities) of International Drive by obstruction through the appeal and possibly court process seems to easily fall within the definitions.

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The Story of The First Church of Cannabis

The First Church of Cannabis opened July 1, 2015 in Indianapolis, Indiana and has been making national news ever since.

Here is the behind of scenes story of the First Church of Cannabis as told by founder Bill Levin to Paul E. Gable, Editor of The Shelbyville News in Shelbyville, Indiana.

By Paul E. Gable

‘Life’s a great adventure’

For years, Bill Levin was that guy.

“I had been doing everything a minister does. I was the guy who got the call at 3 a.m. to console a family after their son was arrested. I was the guy people talked to about wanting a divorce. I was the guy people would call to discuss grieving. I have always been the go to guy but never made it formal,” Levin said.
All that changed in 2010 when the former Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Senate and concert promoter acted and got his minister’s license.

“The concept of a church has always been around in my mind, and there was always a little spark in my soul. I probably would have acted but Gov. (Mike) Pence provided the fertilizer in the state and I took the opportunity,” Levin said.

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Environmentalists Delay International Drive Again

At the 11th hour yesterday, two environmental groups stepped in to further delay the International Drive paving project by approximately two years.

That’s right! A project that should have been completed by 2013 now won’t get started until 2017 at the earliest.

SCDHEC notified Horry County in a letter dated June 25, 2015 that its staff had determined the International Drive project was “consistent with the certification requirements of Section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act and staff of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management had determined the project was consistent with the Coastal Zone Management Program.

With those determinations, SCDHEC proposed to certify the International Drive project with certain conditions.

This decision allowed the US Army Corps of Engineers to issue regulatory approval for the project. With these certifications in hand, Horry County would have been able to begin the International Drive project.

As required by law, there was a 15 day period, after the notification letter was sent, during which organizations could file a Request for Final Review. That period ended at 5 p.m. July 10, 2015.

Just before the deadline, the Coastal Conservation League and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation filed RFR’s with the help of the Southern Environmental Law Center.

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Charleston County School District Board Censured

The Board of Trustees of the Charleston County School District was censured by the Board of the St. James-Santee Constituent School District No. 1 Tuesday.

The Charleston County School district was created by South Carolina Act 340 of the South Carolina General Assembly in 1967. This “Act of Consolidation” as it is called took the eight separate school districts, then operating within Charleston County, and put them under a county wide district to equally fund education in all areas of the county.

The formerly independent school districts remain as constituent school districts within the structure of the Charleston County School district with their own school boards and duties.

The St. James-Santee constituent board censure centers around the selection process that was used to hire Gerrita Postlewait as the new superintendent of the Charleston County School District.

Criticism has been raised over the fact that the hiring process continued during the aftermath of the Emanuel AME Church shootings of June 17, 2015.

The Act of Consolidation requires the CCSD “to carry out the will of the community in matters of public education.”

One of the criticisms is that much of the community was distracted in the aftermath of the shootings and could not fully participate in the community portion of the hiring process.

In the meantime, the feelings are the CCSD board went through the motions of a hiring process designed to conclude with the selection of the pre-determined winner Postlewait.

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Confederate Flag Bill Passes House

The SC House passed second and third readings of the bill to take down the Confederate flag from the statehouse grounds early Thursday morning.

The readings were on a clean bill with no amendments, something that was needed to bring the flag down quickly.

The debate was long, emotional, full of passion and often contentious. Debate started before at approximately 11:30 a.m. and continued past midnight with an afternoon break from approximately 2:15 – 4:30 p.m.

In the end, House members worked their way through delaying tactics to pass both readings by votes well above the two-thirds threshold needed to take the flag down.

Gov. Nikki Haley is expected to sign the legislation before the day is done. The bill calls for the flag to come down within 24 hours of the governor’s signature.

There was a lot of talk about the Confederate flag being a symbol that was hijacked by hate groups. If the flag was, in fact, hijacked that hijacking was first done by Southern politicians who opposed the Civil Rights movement.

That point was made over and over through the long day.

One speaker after another from both sides of the aisle said, “that flag needs to come down.”

But, many attempts to slow down the fast track the bill was on came through attempted amendments.

The SC House initially faced the possibility of dealing with over 60 amendments to the bill that passed the SC Senate.

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General Assembly Failing Citizens Again

SC House Confederate Flag Debate Today

The SC House of Representatives will begin today what should be the final debate on removal of the Confederate flag from statehouse grounds.

After a bill to remove the flag raced through the SC Senate in the last two days, garnering only three No votes, momentum is on the side of removing the flag.

But, the House may not be as easy even though the bill received first reading approval yesterday.

A total of 26 amendments to the bill are already filed with the possibility of more coming.

Some of the amendments deal with flags to replace the current one when it comes down.

Some are in the realm of the absurd – just like South Carolina politics most of the time.

One, I am told, calls for the American flag to be flown upside down when the Confederate flag is removed. This may not be as ridiculous as it first sounds.

Flying the American flag upside down is an international signal of distress. That seems very appropriate in an area near the statehouse.

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Horry County's Accommodations Tax

Horry County Council Budget Resolutions

Horry County Council will consider two resolutions at its meeting tonight to complete this fiscal year’s budget process.

The resolutions will be to approve funding agreements with the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Corporation for two years and with Coast RTA for one year.

These votes will be the final acts of contempt toward county taxpayers in a budget year that brings the largest property tax increase in a generation.

Led by the Republican ‘Gang of Five’ (Mark Lazarus, Al Allen, Johnny Vaught, Gary Loftus and Bill Howard), Horry County Council chose to raise property taxes by 7.2 mils ($13.5 million) without even considering during budget considerations whether funding should be cut for the MBREDC and Coast RTA.

Of course, MBREDC and Coast RTA funding weren’t the only possible savings in a $130 million general fund budget that could have been looked at.

It was just easier for the Republican ‘Gang of Five’ to raise taxes than to go through the details of the budget.

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General Assembly Failing Citizens Again

Great Confederate Flag Debate – Update

The SC General Assembly is expected to at least begin its great confederate flag debate tomorrow.

I have stayed out of the great confederate flag debate discussion until now.

I frankly don’t care whether the flag flying on the statehouse grounds stays up, comes down or blows away.

My heritage is a little different from the sides engaged in this controversy. My great-grandfather being from Pennsylvania fought with the Union army from 1861-3 and 1864-5. For those of you stuck in revisionist history, the Union was the winning side – you know Grant, Sherman and all that.

It’s this revisionist history that has caused South Carolina to keep its head in the sand for so many decades.

The “War of Northern Aggression” was started right here in the Low Country when the newly formed Confederate States Army, under the command of Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard, bombarded the Union position at Ft. Sumter in Charleston harbor.

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Gerrita Postlewait Hiring Controversy

Former Horry County School superintendent Gerrita Postlewait was named superintendent of the Charleston County School District Thursday.

The vote to hire was a 5-4 split decision among the nine county board members. The vote for Postlewait was taken after a motion by board member Dr. Chris Collins to offer a three year contract to current CCSD deputy superintendent Lisa Herring failed to gain a majority.

After the meeting, Collins told media there was no sincere effort (among board members) to seriously consider Herring because of her skin color. Herring is black.

Already the hiring of Postlewait has brought criticism.

Shortly after the hiring was announced, North Charleston mayor Keith Summey issued a statement expressing disappointment in the board’s decision and expressing hope that Postlewait will decline the offer. Summey is white.

Summey said the board decision should be revisited to consider a more diverse field of candidates. Summey added community members have worked too hard to hold the community together (in light of recent area shootings) to let it be disrupted by this decision.

According to several sources familiar with the hiring process, the NAACP is planning some type of protest of the decision to hire Postlewait.

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SC General Assembly Largesse to CTC

Thanks to the SC General Assembly, it is Christmas early for County Transportation Committees (CTC) and their buddies.

CTC’s are one of those independent agencies started before Home Rule which allow the county legislative delegations to appear to be doing something for the people back home while maintaining control of the purse strings.

In 36 of South Carolina’s 46 counties, the CTC is an independent agency appointed by the county legislative delegation. County government should be the recipient in every county, but that’s not the way it works in South Carolina.

Basic “C” funds come from 2.66 cents of the 16 cents per gallon state tax on gasoline and are apportioned to the counties according to a formula established in state law. Horry County receives about $3.5 million each year from this source.

However, the SC General Assembly had about $300 million in excess funds to distribute for next fiscal year. Instead of the normal $3.5 million, the Horry County CTC will be receiving $15.1 million this year.

If that money had been returned to county government, there would have been no need for county council to raise the county road fee from $30 per vehicle to $50 per vehicle in this fiscal year.

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