Graham says he has no interest in VP job

August 12, 2005

By RICHARD WHITING
Index-Journal executive news editor

South Carolina’s senior senator claims to have no interest in being anyone’s vice presidential running mate, facetiously saying he’s got his eyes on another 50 years in the Senate.
In a summer break from Capitol Hill, Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham is making stops across South Carolina, visiting with city and county councils and managers, business leaders and others to ask what they want, what they need and how he can help.
A stop in Greenwood on Thursday included a meeting with editors at The Index-Journal. “I’m making a loop around the state to try to stay in touch — to listen and learn,” Graham said. Graham said he would not join a presidential ticket, even if asked.
There has been speculation that Graham would be tapped as Arizona Sen. John McCain’s vice-presidential running mate in the Republicans’ 2008 bid for the White House.
Graham headed McCain’s South Carolina presidential campaign in 2000 and some political pundits have suggested a McCain-Graham ticket would be more attractive to those — Republicans and Democrats alike — who think the administration is too conservative.
At age 50, Graham indicated he has another 50 years to serve in the Senate if he is to follow in the footsteps of Sen. Strom Thurmond.
Graham also said he supports the U.S. efforts in Iraq. While admitting he and others underestimated the war in Iraq, he agrees with President Bush that America must “stay the course” to bring about and promote democracy throughout that region of the world.
Graham said he and the Bush administration thought the war in Iraq would not be as difficult as it has been. The strength and resolve of the insurgents and other factors contributing to the longevity of battle were underestimated, he said, but the long-term plan is the right one to follow.
Unseating a dictatorship, writing a constitution, creating a military that is loyal to the people it protects and not to an individual are just some of the beginning steps the U.S. must help Iraq take if it is to become a viable democracy.
Graham acknowledged that a U.S. presence in Iraq will continue for a long time, and he said it would be wrong, at this point in time, to consider a military withdrawal. If the U.S. pulled out of Iraq now, Graham said, it would send a message to all Middle Eastern countries that attempts at democracy can be made to fail because the West can be forced to withdraw its military support through persistent attacks.
Immigration has been a substantial topic of discussion on Capitol Hill, Graham said. He favors a wall along the nation’s southern borders, at any cost, to stem the continuing flow of illegal immigrants.
While Graham does not support amnesty for all immigrants currently in the U.S., he does believe efforts must be made to assimilate legal immigrants, deport illegals and ensure immigrants are not taking jobs away from current U.S. residents who are capable and willing to work.
China is a communist dictatorship that is engaged in unfair trade practices, and until the trade playing field is leveled the demise of American manufacturing will extend well beyond textiles and steel, the senator said.
Graham warns that just as textiles and other manufacturing have moved overseas, he expects to see the U.S. automotive industry take similar hits.
By subsidizing its country’s businesses and placing false values on its money, the Chinese government is able to flood the market with inexpensive goods, which in turn choke U.S. manufacturers who cannot compete, Graham said. It is not just cheap labor that the U.S. is competing against, but also unfair government controls the Chinese exercise in their own market. He added that the Chinese are “intelligence thieves” who learn what we make and how we make it, then produce the same thing on a much cheaper scale.
Graham said he did not support the recently enacted CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) because he did not believe it provided true safeguards for U.S. textiles. In fact, he said he believes the Chinese will easily find a back door through which to continue shipping its textile goods into the U.S. and doesn’t believe the Central American countries will present a strong buying market for U.S. textiles.
The Chinese, he contends, will be able to establish a business foothold in Central American countries and continue to beat American manufacturers by flooding the U.S. and other markets with Chinese goods that bear labels indicating they’re made in Central America.

Jeanette C. Cleveland

Jeanette Meyers Crawford Cleveland, of 4508 Country Club Drive, Dickinson, Texas, formerly of Greenwood, S.C., widow of Alvin Crawford, died Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 at her home. The family is at the home of a son Randy Crawford, 120 Freeway Road, Greenwood. Services will be announced by Harley Funeral Home, Greenwood.

Mary Alice Daniel

Mary Alice Daniel, 52, died Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005 at University Hospital in Augusta, Ga.
Services will be announced by Blyth Funeral Home.

Ella Hendrix

ANDERSON — Ella Mae Welborn Hendrix, 87, of 311 Simpson Road, formerly of Wilson St., formerly of Greenwood, widow of William Loman Hendrix, died Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2005 at Anderson Place Health Center.
Born in Easley, she was a homemaker and member of First Baptist Church. She was a former member of First Baptist Church of Greenwood.
Survivors include two sons, William Loman Hendrix Jr. of Townville and Robert Kyle Hendrix of Spartanburg; two daughters, Betty H. Deal of Spartanburg and Ginny H. McEntyre of Anderson; a sister, Alice W. Gentry of Inman; a brother, Harvey Welborn of Greenville; 12 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.
Services are 3 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church, conducted by the Rev. Jerry Hayes. Burial is in New Silver Brook Cemetery.
Visitation is 2-3 Sunday at the church.
Family members are at their respective homes.
Memorials may be made to First Baptist Church, 307 S. Manning St., Anderson, SC 29624. Sullivan-King Mortuary, Downtown Chapel, is in charge.

Opportunity knocking

Calhoun Falls’ Norman heading to Oak Hill Academy for senior year

August 12, 2005

By CHRIS TRAINOR
Index-Journal sports writer

CALHOUN FALLS — Driving in on SC 72, there is a prominent sign stating “Welcome to Calhoun Falls- Town of Opportunity.”
Ki-Key Norman is about to get her opportunity, but it’s not in Calhoun Falls.
Norman, a three-year starter on the Blue Flashes girls basketball team and a Class A All-State selection last year, has a accepted a scholarship to play basketball for Oak Hill Academy.
Norman will spend her senior year at the prestigious private prep school in Mouth of Wilson, Va., starting Sept. 6.
“We’re proud of Ki-Key and her accomplishment,” Calhoun Falls girls basketball coach and athletics director Eddie Roberts said. “She was a big part of our team here at Calhoun Falls. She always hustled and played hard. We hate to see her go.”
Norman first came in contact with Oak Hill this summer, when she attended a basketball camp at the University of North Carolina. It had become common practice for Norman to attend camps at Division I colleges, as she had traveled to Clemson University and the University of Georgia for camps in previous summers.
Norman said she performed particularly well at the North Carolina camp, and she thinks that performance helped catch the eye of Oak Hill recruiters.
“I played well up there, but I was still very surprised when they approached me out of all the girls,” Norman said. “Initially I wasn’t sure that I wanted to go, so my mom and I scheduled a trip up there to tour the school.”
Once Norman and her mother toured the campus, nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Norman knew it was the right fit for her.
“It’s a small town, not much bigger than Calhoun Falls,” she said. “It’s a beautiful place.” Norman was encouraged by the emphasis on academics at Oak Hill. She said classes have about 10 students, and the enrollment for the entire academy is about 150 students.
Make no mistake, however. Basketball has long been one of the main draws at the academy. The boys’ team at the school is perennially ranked in USA Today’s top 25 teams in the country. Its alumni include Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony and the Atlanta Hawks’ Josh Smith, who was the 2005 NBA slam dunk champion. The school has been setting in motion a plan to make the girls’ program equally as strong over the last few seasons.
“I knew if I could go to Oak Hill I’d have a better chance at a major college scholarship,” Norman said. “It’s really a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Norman said it was tough breaking the news to her friends and teammates that she was leaving Calhoun Falls. Luckily, they understood the chance that lay in front of her.
“At first they were telling me they didn’t want me to go,” Norman said. “But deep down, they knew it was a tremendous opportunity. Everybody has been wishing me good luck since I made my decision.”
One of the biggest adjustments Norman will have to make on the court will be getting accustomed to playing with and against some of the best basketball players in the nation. Playing on a hand-picked, all-star team against other hand-picked all-stars will be a far cry from the competition in Class A.
“It will be tough,” Norman said. “I’m a little nervous about it. At the same time, I understand that I have to be tough physically and mentally.”
For the most part, however, Norman is looking forward to an exciting senior year in a new school, getting to know and make friends with girls who share the same dream as she does: to play college basketball.
“It’s going to be fun,” Norman said. “I can’t wait to meet the girls and get to know everybody. I’m still shocked that they offered me this opportunity. It’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime shot.”
Chris Trainor covers area sports for The Index-Journal. He can be reached at: ctrainor@indexjournal.com

Ruling shows importance of nominations to bench

August 12, 2005

If not directly affected, some South Carolinians pay little attention to many federal court rulings. Once in a while, though, one ruling comes down that touches responsive chords in many of us. One did this week and it is a sure indication of the relative importance of choosing and electing nominees to the federal bench.
This ruling was by the 4th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals. It is pertinent in that several conservative U. S. judges recently have been approved by the Senate as a result of a deal Sen. Lindsey Graham helped broker. With Judge John Roberts coming up for a Senate vote on his nomination to the U. S. Supreme Court, the ruling has further implications.

THE RULING? A COMPLAINT was lodged by a Virginia man that the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance were an unconstitutional promotion of religion. The court disagreed. It ruled that the Pledge is a patriotic exercise, not an affirmation of religion similar to a prayer.
Now, imagine if that question had come before the 9th U. S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. Considering the liberal slant of the majority on that court, it’s pretty safe to speculate it would have upheld the Virginian man’s complaint.
So, do the backgrounds of court nominees really mean anything? This ruling should leave no doubt.