John C. Calhoun monument as it sat perched upon its pedestal for over 120 years in Charleston, SC. The Calhoun monument resided on Marion Square and was a symbol of Southern independence to federal tyranny.

South Carolina elected representatives voted against the majority of Southerners who honor their ancestors with their NDAA vote

The National Defense Authorization Act passed over the veto of former President Trump in the last session of Congress. The NDAA included an amendment by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to strip the time-honored names of US military bases named for Confederate generals.

SC 2nd District Congressman Joe Wilson. Photo courtesy The Center Square.

In the House at that time, 109 Republicans, including Congressman Joe Wilson (R, SC-2) and William Timmons (R, SC-4), voted to override Trump’s veto. At that time the Republican controlled Senate, with forty Republicans, including U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), voted to override it. In typical fashion, newly re-elected Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) “took a walk” and did not vote.

The act also failed to include a repeal of legal immunity for big-tech companies, which violate the Constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech through left-wing censorship—an issue that Republicans have parroted, but failed to address.

Congressmen Joe Wilson, and a few other Southern Republicans turned their backs on their heritage by failing to stand with then President Trump and the voters who elected them. Though popular at home in SC, Joe Wilson is considered an integral part of the Washington swamp, big spending and its defense-industry lobbyists.

Ironically, Congressman Wilson’s late father-in-law, Captain Julian Dusenbury, was one of South Carolina’s most decorated WWII veterans and gained fame by hoisting a Confederate battle flag over the Japanese citadel at Okinawa.

Marine Captain Dusenbury clearly did not see the Confederate flag as a symbol of racism. To him, it symbolized a proud American tradition of military valor, heroism, and liberty. Though permanently disabled, for his acts of heroism he was awarded the Navy Cross. Ironically, his grandson, current Attorney General Alan Wilson, has taken the lead in trying to gut the South Carolina Heritage Act; he is encouraging the SC Supreme Court to strike down the two-thirds voting requirement in the SC General Assembly. This would change the protective clause in the Act and make it much easier to change names and remove monuments throughout the state.

In June 2020, AG Wilson advised the City of Charleston to proceed with its destruction of South Carolina’s monument to its greatest statesman, John C. Calhoun. The imposing monument of Calhoun was desecrated by left-wing rioters, supported by Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. Tecklenburg is closely linked to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi through his brother, who serves as one of her top aides.

SC Attorney General Alan Wilson. Photo courtesy NY Post.

By voting to remove SC and Southern Heritage Generals, and the protective mechanisms of The Heritage Act, Joe Wilson and son SC Attorney General (AG) Alan Wilson actively undermine Southern heritage. They were elected to represent the best interests of South Carolinians, but are failing a vast majority of us in “cancelling” our culture.

These facts should lead South Carolinians to the following conclusion: if we wish to preserve our state and its heritage, we cannot support those who would destroy both for their own political aspirations. We must politically remove those in our state who have betrayed our heritage, our history, and our ancestors.

Kathleen Hines received her doctorate in Renaissance Literature from Southern Methodist University. Among her interests are portrayals of corporeality and disease in Renaissance poetry and drama. Outside of the academy, she has also written about women of the antebellum South and the politics of Christianity in the Middle East. 

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