Editorials from across South Carolina: Heroes in our midst, USC football game, domestic violence
Everyday heroes
The tragic shootings in Townville tugged even more at South Carolinians’ hearts when news came that 6-year-old Jacob Hall had died. Then, residents, including the Piedmont and Upstate, were on edge as news came that Hurricane Matthew was approaching and would likely have a significant impact on our state, which it did.
Yet, through these events we have also witnessed something good, something incredible.…
Greenwood attorney Tripp Padgett noticed it. Lesley Lane, an executive assistant at Greenwood Properties and Resorts who helped coordinate the interns’ arrival, saw it as well.
In a letter to the editor published last week, Padgett took note of the dichotomy that was the vice-presidential debate juxtaposed with the outpouring of love for Jacob Hall. And in her letter today, Lane had this to say to those who responded to her request for air mattresses: “You, Greenwood, spent the day providing for these kids whom you have never met in your lives; kids who grew up half a world away from you; kids who will most likely never have the opportunity to thank you in person but you did it anyway. And you should have seen the delight in their eyes when I told them I’d not spent a single dime on food — that all of it had been delivered by you, just for them.”
Padgett wrote: “We need superheroes. It should not have taken losing Jacob to tragedy, but it did. Let’s show we are superheroes from the inside out and use our powers every day — courtesy to others, civil conversation and being a community.”
Indeed. We have been tested time and time again. We have seen glimpses into our own goodness as individuals and community. These past couple of weeks we have again been made aware that we have the power — super and otherwise — to do good, to be good, to build community. We can do this regularly, not just when a tragedy or emergency stares us in the face.
In “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome,” Tina Turner sang “We Don’t Need Another Hero.” Wrong. We all need to be heroes — everyday heroes.
USC football game
(R)ather than moving Saturday night’s scheduled game against Georgia at Williams-Brice Stadium to Atlanta, as some proposed, USC officials decided merely to delay it until Sunday afternoon.
The impulse to avoid giving up a home game for the second straight season — and the millions in revenue it brings to the school — is understandable.
However, the choice to keep the game in Columbia, albeit kicking off 19 hours later than initially planned, is irresponsible.
Yes, college football is a big deal in our state. But so is a state of emergency due to a weather crisis. …
Gov. Nikki Haley has rightly signaled frustration over USC’s dubious call to play that game this weekend despite the hurricane. As she pointed out Thursday, law enforcement personnel must focus on their demanding — and critical — storm-related duties, not on providing traffic and security services at a sporting event that could draw more than 80,000 fans.
Domestic violence
Last month the Violence Policy Center in Washington, D.C., reported South Carolina dropped to No. 5 from No. 1 in the nation for the rate of women murdered by men in 2014.
The drop in rank was accompanied by a drop in the state’s rate of women murdered by men: from 2.32 per 100,000 in 2013 to 1.73 per 100,000 in 2014, according to the report.
However, the report showed the 2014 rate is still higher than the national average of 1.08 per 100,000.…
The purple ribbons you’ve seen hanging on the light poles in downtown Aiken are more than just lip service. They reflect the importance of why we recognize, among other reasons, October being Domestic Violence Awareness month.
They remind us of the loved ones, the family members, the dads, the sisters and daughters who have been killed by senseless violence by their partners.
Unless tackled head-on, Lt. Karl Odenthal with the Aiken Department of Public Safety said domestic violence is always going to be a problem.