http://thedailynews.com/quotesdujour/qdj.htm John Graham Altman III,
The SC Representative, Charleston-R, is working to defeat Hate Crimes legislation in the SC House. He accused its proponents of "spreading drivel," and said,
"This bill will make white heterosexuals second-class citizens." Rep. Fletcher Smith D-Greenville responded with: "We don't need his kind of narrow Ku Klux Klan outlook." The Senate has already passed a bill similar to the one being considered in the House.
http://www.free-times.com/Usual_Suspects/suspects.html It can also be argued that Rep. Altman lacks understanding in the area of race relations. Supporters of racial equality look with disdain on
Rep. Altman’s vote to maintain South Carolina’s ban on interracial dating, but they should remember that vote was cast long ago in a different era: 1998.OK, so that was nearly 70 years after Strom Thurmond started dating black women, but John Graham Altman III never claimed to be a progressive.
Perhaps we don’t need “White History” month in our public schools, as proposed by Rep. Altman.
Perhaps announcing that “the blacks have got to quit shooting each other, got to get a job and got to stop having unwanted babies” wasn’t the greatest moment in race relations.http://www.boomantribune.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2005/4/21/20145/6745March 2002---during debate on an MLK holiday (SC was last in the nation to legislate a state King holiday)...
On the house floor, Altman quoted passages from a King bio claiming King had extramarital affairs and plagiarized parts of his college papers. Altman:
"You can run from the real Martin Luther King, but you can't hide from him."
In May 2003, he reiterated his feelings in a phone interview with WIS.
"Martin Luther King was in fact a womanizer and he did in fact cheat his way through college."After house members - members of the "Men's Caucus" - circulated a memo in 2001 advising female pages to wear skimpy clothes, and telling them underwear was optional----all 124 members were asked to attend a two-hour class on gender, racial and ethnic sensitivity. The class was to be held at the start of the 2002 session.
Altman:
"I won't be able to attend. I forgot to pack a dress."
May 2003---after the house voted down a bill sponsored by democrat Leon Howard that would prohibit restaurants from handing out unwrapped drinking straws, Howard confronted Altman on the house floor. A story described it as "an angry, finger-pointing clash that included profanity and a challenge to "step outside" the chamber. Howard was restrained by house members. He said his anger stemmed from Altman's "consistent disrespect for african-american leaders in this state."
Later, Altman told a TV station:
"Leon Howard, like so many black politicians I regret to say, not the black community, but black politicians, think if you disagree with them, you must be a racist."
(undated) After a federal judge rules a "Choose Life" license plate would be a violation of the first amendment because it provides only one political viewpoint, Altman proposes a "Choose Death" plate. Quote:
"My bill is simply a reaction to the abortionists. They're pro-choice. Well, they've got a choice--whether to buy (the tag) or not."
April 2005---during debate on an anti-gay marriage amendment:
Altman refers to "homos wanting to bugger each other." (What???)
(undated)
During vote on the state's interracial marriage ban....Altman supported keeping the ban in place as a reminder of the "brutality of our past." According to the Point newspaper...Altman, during his years on the Charleston County school board, tried to ban dragons in children's books because he considered them to be mystical symbols.
House judiciary committee...1/22/97---issue:confederate flag
"Quit looking at the symbols. Get out and get a job. Quit shooting each other. Quit having illegitimate babies. Let's move on from here."etter to Education Secy. Barbara Nielsen, who supported removing the flag from the dome...Dec. 1997.
"The kindest help I can offer you on any level is to try to get you quickly qualified for the Federal Witness Protection Program."
Later, referring to Nielsen, he told a reporter: "That girl's nuts."