SC

SC Rural School District Scandal Grows

BUREAUCRAT ADMITS CORRUPT STATE SENATOR TOLD HIM HOW TO REDRAW DISTRICT LINES Last week FITS posted on a major scandal enveloping Colleton County, S.C. – a rural region of the Palmetto State’s Lowcountry home to all sorts of governmental incompetence and corruption. This scandal? It’s a doozy … even by…

BUREAUCRAT ADMITS CORRUPT STATE SENATOR TOLD HIM HOW TO REDRAW DISTRICT LINES

Last week FITS posted on a major scandal enveloping Colleton County, S.C. – a rural region of the Palmetto State’s Lowcountry home to all sorts of governmental incompetence and corruption.

This scandal? It’s a doozy … even by South Carolina standards.

The drama began with the March 2014 firing of corrupt Colleton school superintendent of education Leila Williams, who was caught red-handed misusing public funds for personal purposes and hiring felons. Williams was also at the center of a massive grade tampering scandal – and the S.C. Department of Education has unearthed additional charges against her since her dismissal (which came with a $130,000 severance package).

Anyway, because Williams is black the local NAACP is treating her firing as racist – and the local NAACP leader vowed that the school board members who ousted her would be “out of office next election.”

That wasn’t idle talk …

S.C. Sen. Clementa Pinckney – who is no stranger to enabling corrupt black bureaucrats in failing government-run school districts – snuck a bill through the S.C. General Assembly redrawing district lines in Colleton County. Pinckney’s bill gerrymanders these districts in effort to make it exponentially harder for Williams’ opponents to win reelection to the school board this year.

“Pinckney’s naked act of political retribution is the latest example of a troubling trend of corruption in South Carolina,” we wrote. “Not content to manipulate and abuse budgetary or legislative processes, corrupt Palmetto politicians are now going straight to the ballot box – abusing and manipulating the sanctity of the democratic process itself in an effort to achieve their political ends.”

Indeed …

Pinckney told reporter Drew Tripp – who broke this story for Colleton Today – that he did not make any specific requests to the S.C. Budget and Control Board (SCBCB)’s Office of Research and Statistics regarding the manipulated district lines. A staffer at the agency confirmed Pinckney’s statements, telling the paper the new boundaries – which make short, unexplained jumps across natural boundaries – were not issued at Pinckney’s request and that any adverse political impact on current officeholders was “purely coincidental.”

Apparently both were lying …

According to reporter Amanda Kerr of The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier, the director of the SCBCB’s Office of Research and Statistics acknowledges he “received specific instructions from Pinckney on how to draw the lines.”

“We knew what the goal was when it was done,” he said.

Wow …

Federal officials are already probing one of the county school systems effectively controlled by Pinckney. Looks like they should add Colleton County to the list …

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52 comments

SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 9:40 am

And speaking of gerrymandering and redrawing district lines, white Republicans are the very best at it – don’t recall any FITS articles about them . . .

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TontoBubbaGoldstein May 26, 2014 at 9:56 am

And speaking of gerrymandering and redrawing district lines, white Republicans are the very best at it …

Why do white Republican’s hate…HATE…folks in the 6th district?

You do realize that without some rather impressive gerrymandering Jim Clyburn would not be TBG’s, or anyone else’s congressman.

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 10:21 am

I did not realize that white Republicans hate anyone in the sixth district – do you have some proof of that?
I do realize that Republicans (I don’t guess I really need to say “white” Republicans) are the very best at gerrymandering – take a look at their work nationwide.
As far as Jim Clyburn being “anyone else’s” congressman, I would vote for him in a heart-beat over my congressman, Trey Gowdy – you do realize that, correct?

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The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 10:47 am

But you (as usual) miss the point. Without gerrymandered districts Ol’Enos couldn’t win.

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 2:21 pm

I did not miss any point. You really need to get over yourself.

The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 5:47 pm

So your position is that when gerrymandering gets a democrat or a minority it’s good.

SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 7:25 pm

Were you in Seattle when they made the clueless movie there?

The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 8:35 pm

Hahaha, good one

inciteful May 26, 2014 at 11:48 am

Clyburn over Gowdy? Really? (fwi, Gowdy was Clinton’s pick as a federal prosecuter) Really? Check out the IQ differences between the two. Oh yeah,…sorry,…what was I thinkin’? SCBlues would ALWAYS check the skin color first, last, and only. (but of course, he’s NOT a racist.)

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 2:20 pm

And you know the IQ differences how exactly?

RogueElephant May 26, 2014 at 9:35 pm

I would guess Gowdy is at least in triple digits. Way above the congressman of shame.

Scooter May 26, 2014 at 7:16 pm

You are an idiot.

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 7:26 pm

LOL thanks I appreciate it!

RogueElephant May 26, 2014 at 9:33 pm

TBG, You may not remember that far back but the Feds required that SC have a black majority dist. Voting rights act of 64 I think. The Republicans and Dims got together and more or less made a deal. Dims get the black majority dist. and Republicans get rid of all the black areas of the adjoining dists. Thereby making a White proof dist and several solid Republican dists. If you notice the last three reapportionments you will notice a trend. In 90 I think it was 65-35 in 2000 it was getting close to 55-45 in 2010 it has closed to almost even, but not quite. As the rest of the state has enjoyed the better leadership of the Republicans , the sixth dist has grown geographically while the other dist. have grown in population/ sq.mi.thus making the dist. smaller geographically. There will come a time when the sixth dist. will flip to majority white out of necessity. Clyburn (Congressman of shame) will probably be gone from the scene but it will happen. I was in the sixth dist. from 2000 till 2010 now I am back home in the second dist. There is hope.

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west_rhino May 27, 2014 at 10:11 am

I do recall the rise to RINOdomination came from the legislative black caucus joining the house Republicans to redistrict house seats, cause the SCDP didn’t see a need for any more uppity n’s in either house.

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aikencounty May 26, 2014 at 9:40 am

Shades of the Allendale County school situation a few years back.

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 9:44 am

And why are you always bringing up the NAACP? What about the de facto NAAWP, better known as the Republican Party?

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Fits Aint No Republican May 26, 2014 at 5:39 pm

Thats simple.

Fits is a Republican.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein May 26, 2014 at 9:49 am

Federal officials are already probing one of the county school systems…

PRO TIP:

Be careful where you *probe* if you don’t want to risk catching Clementa.

Rumor has it there are antibiotic-resistant strains out there.

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The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 9:59 am

The Colleton County board is already majority black do how could the decision have been racist? Had the three crackers on the board been tryin ta keep da (wo)man down the brothers could have over ruled them.

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 10:23 am

You mean they actually let them black folk serve on the school boards in SC now???? What is the world coming to?!?!

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Bible Thumper May 26, 2014 at 1:01 pm

Apparently, only if they cow tow to the NAACP or suffer the consequences.

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SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 2:25 pm

“Apparently, only if they cow tow to the NAACP or suffer the consequences.”
I believe that is kowtow my friend . . .

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Bible Thumper May 26, 2014 at 2:37 pm

I’m lazy today. I wrote it as two words and auto correct changed “kow” to “know”. I changed it to cow.

SCBlues May 26, 2014 at 2:42 pm

I am glad you clarified that – I was just about to get in touch with PETA as I thought you might be talking about pulling cows behind your car!

junior justice May 26, 2014 at 6:21 pm

+4 — you beat me to it!

nitrat May 26, 2014 at 6:17 pm

Wikipedia:
Kowtow, which is borrowed from kau tau in Cantonese, or koutou in Mandarin Chinese, is the act of deep respect shown by prostration, that is, kneeling and bowing so low as to have one’s head touching the ground. An alternative Chinese term is ketou, however the meaning is somewhat altered: kou has the general meaning of knock, whereas ke has the general meaning of “touch upon (a surface)”, tou meaning head.

Question May 26, 2014 at 1:55 pm

Who are these people “who actually have their interests at heart?”

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The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 5:50 pm

Spratt, Thurmond, Spence, Campbell any of those names ring bell?

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Been Reading Your Posts May 26, 2014 at 7:33 pm

I guess thats a joke,but having read this guys posts for awhile now,I think hes serious.

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The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 8:43 pm

Let’s take a look at these four:
Spratt gets a bad rap because he was “rich” in fact he was but he was very wealthy before he went to DC and he didn’t spend his time there trying to grow his fortune like so many due. He never forgot that he represented South Carolina even when he moved into the democratic party hierarchy. His constituent service was easily the best of all our representatives while he was in office. He

Been Reading Your Posts May 26, 2014 at 10:21 pm

You’re right

You won’t convince me or probably 95% of the people who have studied history that Strom Thurmond was a great friend of the Black people of Colleton County,but I’m sure in the circles you run in ?Such be an article of faith.It must be a great life.

The Colonel May 26, 2014 at 11:04 pm

MCRDPI, CAFB,

Black and White? May 27, 2014 at 9:40 am

He boned his black maid, so you know he wasn’t a 100% hater. It’s easy to claim people are 100% evil with no thought beyond it, it’s much more difficult thinking to suggest they themselves might have complex views on a myriad of topics.

Queen Jean May 26, 2014 at 10:05 am

Sen. Pinckney in her infinite wisdom voted for me in February and she helped secure the votes for me from several legislators in neighboring counties (Rep. Bill Bowers- D- Hampton) by promising these legislators would get her support with their re-elections.

Since I run the judicial branch of government, nothing will happen to Sen. Pinckney. If needed, I’ll just get Casey Manning to hear and rule on any hearings that should come up out of this mess.

Move along, Sic.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein May 27, 2014 at 12:12 am

Your Supremeness,

You do realize that Sen. Pinkney is a dude, right?
RIGHT???
LOOK OUT!
PARKED CAR!!!

*sound of crash*

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jimlewisowb May 26, 2014 at 10:06 am

“….. director of the SCBCB’s Office of Research and Statistics acknowledges he “received specific instructions from Pinckney on how to draw the lines.”…”

Cannot fault Cockroach Pinkie for what he does best – butt fuckers are supposed to butt fuck

However just mildly pissed off that some goddamn mother fucking little rat faced son of bitch at the Budget and Control Board took part in the scheme – thought BCB employees were there to protect all taxpayers not to be eunuch towel boys to the Cockroaches

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junior justice May 26, 2014 at 12:16 pm

Jim — your comment isn’t harsh enough — yet!!

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Soft Sigh from Hell May 27, 2014 at 8:26 pm

“thought BCB employees were there to protect all taxpayers not to be eunuch towel boys to the Cockroaches”
.
How charmingly trusting.
There is much for the public to learn about the central purpose of SC state agencies.
I personally give kudos to the employee who at least admitted it. That is head and shoulders above most managers.

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Turnip May 26, 2014 at 10:47 am

Clementa Pinckney is the dream-boat of racist white legislators. He’s a pastor, a nice guy, keeps quiet, represents a poor and downtrodden district full of quiet blacks, and has zero leadership capabilities. Count on him to carry the luggage of white legislators and not even expect a tip.

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Sweet Potatoes May 26, 2014 at 5:37 pm

Sort of like the Republican legislators in SC who are basically office”boys” for the wealthy special interests.The dfference is Pinckney just keeps his mouth shut.Most of these Republicans(see Larry Grooms) run their mouths and show how damn dumb they really are!

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Centrist View May 26, 2014 at 10:50 am

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20140525/PC16/140529669/1005/controversy-envelops-colleton-school-board

The following maps linked in the above article would make excellent examples for Government and Social Studies classes when when they discuss the subject of Gerrymandering.

Colleton School District Benchmark Plan
http://www.postandcourier.com/assets/pdf/CP11134523.pdf

Colleton School District Proposed Plan
http://www.postandcourier.com/assets/pdf/CP11135523.pdf

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James May 26, 2014 at 11:08 am

James 1:19 (NIV)

Listening and Doing

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

***

Rev. Pinckney’s problem as a legislator is that he always listens, rarely speaks, and never gets angry.

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Bible Thumper May 26, 2014 at 1:12 pm

Gerrymandering
Republicans and blacks are complicit in creating racially polarized districts for their mutual benefit.

It is ironic that if Pinkney had of tried this before SCOTUS struck down a portion of the Voting Rights Act, the change would have required Justice Department approval.

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What Else You Got? May 26, 2014 at 1:57 pm

Fits faux outrage at this example of “Gerrymandering” is a sham.

Both parties do it.Everybody knows it.

So cut the shit!

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Taxes?Im Agin Em! May 26, 2014 at 2:22 pm

Where were the Republicans ,who control BOTH houses of the Legislature,when Pinckney”snuck” this through?

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Thomas May 26, 2014 at 2:24 pm

Seems the rewriting district boundries are “legal”. The Supreme Court of the United States has struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act. SCOTUS did not strike down Section 5, but they effectively dismantled Section 5 by striking down Section 4.

Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act requires certain states and counties to get preclearance from Eric Holder’s racist Department of Justice before they can make ANY changes to anything involving elections.

Section 5 was not struck down, but Section 4 was. Section 4 is the formula that determines which states and counties get singled out for Section 5 preclearance. Because the formula was thrown out, Section 5, although not voided, is completely disabled until Congress votes to create a new formula to replace the unconstitutional formula that was just thrown out.

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Fed-up May 28, 2014 at 11:00 am

After reading this I know why the crime rate is out of control here. Such disrepect. Can you have a debate without name calling. Such harsh language and it does not solve anything. Is this the example we want to set for our youth on how to handle differences of opinion?

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CCP May 28, 2014 at 11:43 am

As a parent of 3 children in this county.. I don’t care if you’re purple. If it isn’t clearly seen that only 65-70% of our future are completing high school, there IS A PROBLEM. Also, if you don’t live in this county, if your kids don’t go to school in this county, if you DON’T PAY TAXES in this county (which funds our schools), you should have NO right in the say of who gets hired/fired etc.. Yes, they are welcome to have an opinion. These people arguing over race are grown, have graduated from high school, more then likely college and have WELL Paying jobs.. Mrs. Williams was a nice lady, but I’ve watched first hand our school district be the punt of many jokes not only from within our county but from other counties, because we are “still in the backwoods” so to speak. If a child rather drop out, then deal with “stupidity”, believe me.. I understand. Schools DRAW business, and the business in our county has increasingly declined, and will continue until we get a strong hold on our school district and put OUR KIDS EDUCATION as first priority. NOT whether you think someone was fired b/c of their skin color, but b/c their work ethics and student accountability shows. Aren’t we supposed to set examples for our youth? How do we do that when they clearly read and hear that someone getting fired for these reasons will still receive a healthy severance package, and now has an outsider trying to push the race issue. They read between the lines more oft then none that they ARE NOT important. Those that have remained are just getting pushed through. When is ENOUGH, ENOUGH? I say, Clean house, Start fresh, and hold each person accountable for their actions. If you’re wrong, admit it, accept the consequence and get over it. Stop ruining the future of our kids over petty stuff…

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Donna McCubbins Schaffer May 28, 2014 at 8:26 pm

AMEN TO THAT. I AGREE 100%.

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Linda Sue May 28, 2014 at 1:07 pm

Crooked county all around.

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D Edward May 28, 2014 at 5:27 pm

You aren’t kidding, Linda. The corruption isn’t just in the school district. It is in county administration as well.

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