- A review of Jenna McCarthy's new book: YANKEE DOODLE SOUP
- Air Commando Hunters on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
- Remembering LBJ’s Vietnam War Operation Rolling Thunder
- The Battle for Biblical Christianity
- Lisa Campbell Bracewell for Greenville County School Board - District 17
- False Prophets and Deceived Shepherds
- Returning America to Truth, Justice, and Common Sense
- The Resignation of President Joe Biden and his Endorsement of Kamala Harris
- Kamala Harris Promises to Impose Abortion on All 50 States as President
- Frontline Ministries, Inc., Celebrates 30 Year Anniversary
- CIVILIZATION’S INTERREGNUM—PART 13
- CIVILIZATION’S INTERREGNUM—PART 14
- A Republic Or A Democracy? There IS a Difference, You Know!
- Obama Puppet Master Still the Same
- NBC News Report: 'The Firing Squad' Reaches 'Demographic that is Often Left Out of the Box Office Equation'
Kicked Out by the Columbia Swamp?
- By Josiah Magnuson - SC House Representative for District 38
On Tuesday, January 10, members of the SC Freedom Caucus including myself were physically barred from entering the room where the House Republican Caucus was scheduled to meet. Because I won't be silenced, they have now said that I and the others who would not sign their loyalty pledge are not welcome in their club.
For several months, leaders of the House Republican Caucus have been trying to require legislators to pledge not to “campaign” against each other. They have demanded that we must “comply” and sign on the dotted line.
I take great exception to such a requirement. First, I went to Columbia to represent my district and try to bring about government reform, not to be part of an incumbent protection racket. Second, my constitutional right to free speech didn’t end with my election to office. Third, though the Freedom Caucus has made multiple proposals in good faith, House Republican leadership has refused to define "campaigning" in the rules, so I have no idea what I would be agreeing to. In fact, discussions surrounding the introduction of this rule centered around the view that my posting pictures of the voting board in the House is akin to “misinformation” that is threatening other members’ reelection and I was told publicly I needed to “search my heart” for why I was really doing so.
- Hits: 2907
Support the South Carolina Sovereignty Act
- By The John Birch Society
ACT NOW: South Carolina lawmakers are seeking to enact a comprehensive nullification bill, a major step toward enforcing the U.S. Constitution and pushing back against federal overreach.
House Bill 3539 (H.3539), titled the “South Carolina Sovereignty Act,” is sponsored by Representative Josiah Magnuson (R-Campobello) and 22 other representatives. If enacted, this bill would create a robust and comprehensive process for nullifying unconstitutional federal laws and policies enacted after January 1, 2021.
Noting that “a long train of abuses and usurpations has been imposed by the federal government of the United States against the people of South Carolina,” H.3539 declares:
- Hits: 1080
Restore Sound Money in South Carolina with H.3080 & H.3081
- By The John Birch Society
ACT NOW: Members of the South Carolina General Assembly are seeking to enact legislation helping restore sound money and enforce the U.S. Constitution’s monetary provisions.
House Bill 3080 (H.3080) is sponsored by Representative Stewart Jones and seven other representatives. If enacted, this bill would officially recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender; it states:
To the full extent allowed by Article 1, Section 10, Clause 1 of the Constitution of the United States, gold and silver coins minted foreign or domestic shall be legal tender in the State of South Carolina under the laws of this State.
Additionally, House Bill 3081 (H.3081) has been introduced. Sponsored by Representative Jones and four other representatives, this bill would exempt “gold, silver, platinum bullion, or any combination of this bullion” from capital-gains taxes. H.3081 is an important step toward treating gold and silver as money — as the U.S. Constitution requires.
- Hits: 1415
Lawmaker Wants ESG Factors Banned in State Pension Investments
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
State retirement funds could not be invested based on controversial environmental, social or governance (ESG) factors, under a House bill filed for the new legislative session that starts next week.
The Nerve in May revealed that two major investment firms that manage a substantial share of South Carolina’s pension plan – New York-based BlackRock and Boston-based State Street Corporation – are big supporters of the ESG movement.
As of fiscal year 2021, about $18.5 billion of the approximately $39 billion market value of all investments by the pension plan was managed by BlackRock and State Street, pension records show. The state Retirement System Investment Commission’s annual investment report for last fiscal year, which ended June 30, has not yet been publicly released.
- Hits: 1130
House Bill Would Protect Short-term Rentals in SC
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
S.C. municipalities and counties that ban short-term rentals would face the loss of state aid and property taxes under a House bill filed for the second time since last year.
Contacted this week by The Nerve, Rep. Lee Hewitt, R-Georgetown, who is the bill’s main sponsor, said his proposal has “got the attention of a lot of local governments that have reached out to me.”
“Everybody now is trying to come up with some solutions on how we can make this work … in trying to protect people’s property rights and maybe give the cities and counties some teeth in enforcement,” said Hewitt, the broker-in-charge of sales at Garden City Realty.
- Hits: 1437
S.C. Judges Could Get More Raises Under Senate Bill
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
A state senator-lawyer wants the six-figure salaries of S.C. judges to be based on what a federal district judge makes – which typically would guarantee them annual raises.
And that could be in addition to any yearly pay hikes authorized in the state budget. State employees, including judges, received a base 3% increase for this fiscal year.
In a bill prefiled on Nov. 30, Sen. Gerald Malloy, D-Darlington, who is an attorney, proposed changing state law to require that the annual salary of the S.C. Supreme Court chief justice be the same as what a U.S. District Court judge earns.
- Hits: 1185
SC Founding Father at Center of U.S. Supreme Court Elections Case
- By Dallas Woodhouse - The Nerve
One of South Carolina’s early governors – and one of the nation’s most controversial founding fathers – is taking center stage in a critical U.S. Supreme Court case this week that could fundamentally alter the control of federal congressional elections.
Nearly 200 years after the death of Charles Pinckney, who was among four South Carolina signers of the U.S. Constitution, a contentious legal theory has renewed a fierce historical debate surrounding Pinckney’s role in the establishment of the Constitution and American government.
A wealthy Charleston planter and slave owner, Pinckney (1757-1824) became political royalty in South Carolina, initially serving as governor from 1789-1792 and later elected to two more non-consecutive gubernatorial terms. He also served in the S.C. Legislature and U.S. House and Senate. His cousin from South Carolina was a fellow signer of the Constitution.
- Hits: 1225
Senior Judges Getting Double-Dipping Perk; Records Secret
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Most South Carolina workers probably don’t receive big retirement checks from their employers at the same time they’re getting their regular pay.
But under state law, eligible senior judges can receive separate “retire-in-place” paychecks equal to 90% of their six-figure salaries.
And the law allows them – as well as other state and local public officials – to keep their public retirement income secret.
The Nerve this year has been highlighting the S.C. Judicial Department’s lack of transparency about judicial pay and other benefits. Last month, The Nerve revealed that more than 70 state Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit and family court judges in 2021 traveled to pricey resorts for conferences hosted by special-interest legal organizations that picked up part or all of the costs, though the trip records aren’t posted on the department’s website.
- Hits: 1273
Constitutional Amendments to Strengthen State Reserves Cruise to Passage
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
S.C. voters in Tuesday’s general election easily approved constitutional amendments to increase the state’s two main “rainy-day” funds.
With all 46 counties reporting, the proposals to expand the General Reserve Fund (GRF) and Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) passed by about 62% of the vote, according to unofficial State Election Commission results. Of the more than 1.5 million total votes cast, at least 939,000 voters said “yes” to each amendment.
The South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – for months publicly supported passage of both amendments, partnering last week with Americans for Tax Reform, a national taxpayer advocacy group, in a series of statewide meetings with voters and the media.
- Hits: 1424
Concealed Court Files Reveal Freebie Judicial Trips
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
Last year, dozens of state judges attended one or more conferences at pricey resorts hosted by special-interest legal organizations that paid for all or part of their stays, The Nerve found in a review of court administration records.
Trip details involving the 77 S.C. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, circuit and family court judges who traveled to in- or out-of-state conferences in 2021 aren’t published on the Judicial Department’s website. Neither are their annual salaries, which also are exempted from the state salary database for higher-paid agency employees.
Besides that, the judges, who are elected by the S.C. Legislature, by law don’t have to file yearly income-disclosure reports with the State Ethics Commission, which are required of most other elected officials and are posted on the commission’s website.
- Hits: 2214
Legislative Update in South Carolina
- By The John Birch Society
We would like to update you about the outcome of several important bills in the South Carolina General Assembly.
Article V Convention
In March of this year, the South Carolina General Assembly voted to open the U.S. Constitution to radical revisions that could obliterate the God-given freedoms that it guarantees. And the following month, Governor Henry McMaster enacted that radical measure.
H.3205, a joint resolution, followed the wording of Mark Meckler’s vaguely worded Convention of States Project, or COS Project, application urging Congress to call a convention to propose amendments “that impose fiscal restraints on the federal government, limit the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, and limit the terms of office for its officials and for members of Congress.”
- Hits: 1307
SC Senate in Effect Refuses to Shut Down Any "Abortion" Centers in South Carolina, by a vote of 17 Y to 26 N (3 Not Voting)
- By Christians for Personhood
Note: Neither the SC House nor the SC Senate versions of H5399 establishes legal recognition of Personhood for preborn children at fertilization, and therefore neither version provides for equal protection of the laws, and therefore neither version establishes Justice. The just course of action for the SC House and SC Senate to take is to pass the Personhood Act of SC (H5401 / S1335), not H5399.
On Tuesday, October 18 the SC Senate had the opportunity to either accept the SC House version of H5399 or to Insist on the Senate's version.
- Hits: 1334
South Carolina Senate to Vote on Historic Pro-life Measure
- By Family Research Council
TODAY, the South Carolina Senate will hold the most consequential pro-life vote in the history of the state. Currently, South Carolina allows abortions through 22 weeks gestation, accounting for a total of 6,279 abortions reported last year. Now, the South Carolina Senate has the chance to make history and protect unborn life from conception.
Call your state senator today and tell them to vote to “recede on the House version of H.5399” to protect life from conception in South Carolina! We’ve provided a call script for you, but we encourage you to personalize your message and make it your own.
- Hits: 1493
Zoned Out: Why a Small SC Business Might be Forced to Close
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
In less than three months, Jeremy Sark’s U-Haul dealership on North Main Street in the city of Mauldin could close after nine years in operation.
But it’s not by choice.
Although his automotive repair shop, called Sarks Automotive, can stay open at the same location, a city zoning change would require him to move his U-Haul business to another part of the city of about 26,000 residents, located between Greenville and Simpsonville.
The current zoning ordinance, which the Mauldin City Council approved amending in January, would ban the rental or sale of “moving trucks, trailers, intermodal containers and temporary portable storage units” in areas not zoned “S-1” after Dec. 31 of this year. Sark’s U-Haul truck-and-trailer rental business currently is in a different zoning district.
- Hits: 1385
Businesses with ‘Deep Pockets’ Targeted in SC Lawsuits
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
A longstanding South Carolina law can result in big verdicts against defendants in civil cases, with critics contending it often is used to target successful businesses that had relatively little fault.
Attention to the “joint-and-several” liability law has been heightened in recent months with a high-profile, wrongful-death case involving once-prominent Hampton County attorney Alex Murdaugh, who also is facing murder charges in the shooting deaths of his wife and son – part of an ongoing legal saga that has captivated the nation.
Critics say the state law, which was last amended in 2005, is unfair to businesses named as defendants in lawsuits because they can be required to pay entire verdicts even if they were far less than responsible for the alleged wrongs. Supporters contend the law was intended to allow plaintiffs to collect the full amount of awarded damages.
- Hits: 1683
Many SC Voters Favor Bigger State Reserves. Will They Approve It This Year?
- By Rick Brundrett - The Nerve
South Carolina voters in November will decide whether to approve constitutional amendments to increase the state’s two “rainy-day” funds, though a just-released poll casts doubt on their passage.
The statewide poll by the South Carolina Policy Council – The Nerve’s parent organization – found that a plurality of voters indicated general support for the proposals when explained in plain language.
But the total expressed support didn’t break the 50% mark and dropped noticeably when voters were given the exact text of the amendments as it will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot.
- Hits: 1464
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