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Thursday, March 28, 2024 - 07:27 PM

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

First Published in 1994

INDEPENDENT CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF
UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA

The January 21, 2016 meeting of the Pickens County Republican Party was attended by 28 people.  Lower than normal attendance was attributed to the impending winter storm blowing in for the weekend.  Among those in attendance were Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark, Pickens County Councilman Ensley Feemster, and School District of Pickens County School Board member Phillip Bowers who also serves as chairman of the Pickens County Republican Party. 

Representatives working to elect different Presidential candidates were in attendance as well.  Anna Kopperud, Regional Director of the Ted Cruz campaign talked about her efforts and asked for volunteers.  Ben Kimmel represented the New Day For America PAC which supports John Kasich, also asking for volunteers.  Sarah Wilson spoke about her work with Carly For America and her work to elect Carly Fiorina.

A resolution to address refugee resettlement was read to the assembled group to the audience and approved.  Weldon Clark distributed copies of a letter from the Pickens County Planning Commission written to MRR Pickens, LLC.  Mr. Clark explained how the ordinances of the county prevent the company from legally bringing coal ash to Pickens County.

There will be primary challenges in 2016 for elected officials from Pickens County.  Among those candidates in attendance were Rex Rice and Don Joslyn who are both seeking the SC Senate District 2 seat currently held by Senator Larry Martin.  Rick Tate, currently the 1st Vice Chair of the Pickens County GOP, said he will be running for the SC House District 5 seat currently held by Neal Collins.

The featured speaker for the evening was Richard Cash, who recently ran for the US Senate against Lindsey Graham.  Mr. Cash talked about The South Carolina Personhood Project.  After speaking with Senator Lee Bright and Representative Bill Chumley about his project, bills S. 719 and H. 4093 were introduced at the end of April 2015.  The purpose of the bills is to put a personhood amendment question on the November, 2016, presidential ballot, which would allow voters to amend the SC Constitution to extend legal protection to the preborn beginning at conception.  In 2014 the exact same question appeared on the Republican primary ballot as an advisory question, and it passed with almost 80% of the vote.

The Senate bill is currently in the Judiciary Committee, which is chaired by Senator Larry Martin.  Mr. Cash urged the attendees of the meeting to contact Senator Martin and ask that he  assign the bill to a favorable subcommittee with a favorable chairman. Senator Martin does not appear supportive of the bill at this time, because he feels the change in the SC Constitution would be disqualified by a judge.  Mr. Cash pointed out that in the Roe v. Wade decision, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun stated that nothing in US law had established a fetus as a person, and if the fetus was recognized as a person, then the protections of the 14th amendment would apply.  Therefore, if the amendment to the South Carolina Constitution passed, and was subsequently struck down by a Federal judge, then an appeal could be argued upward to the US Supreme Court.

SC Senate candidates Rex Rice and Don Joslyn, and SC House candidate signed the pledge to support such bills in the future.  From Pickens County, House Representative Josh Putnam signed the pledge and is a co-sponsor.  Davey Hiott has signed a pledge to support the House bill, but he has not signed on as a co-sponsor.

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More information on this project can be found at personhood.sc.

 

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