5/6/21
I have been thinking about this grand experiment of republican democracy we have been engaged in for almost 250 years. We are now grappling with the ideas that are contrary to the principles this country was founded on. Mind you these concepts are not new, but they were never this widely held. This struggle is between what this great country could and should be as designed, and a complete rebirth of the nation none of us will recognize that will fail miserably. I read an article today about the political atmosphere in the country between the Civil War and 1900. The environment was much more hostile and dangerous than today’s. The same is true today as it was then with the politicians stoking the flames of discontent, but the difference is back then the politicians did nothing in Washington. It was “politics without government”. Today it is “government by whatever politics necessary”, and the politicians are using this turmoil to foment more hostilities between the races so they might push through radical changes. We are told radical change is needed because our country was founded on racism and that it needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. Nowhere in the constitution does the word race appear. In their first attempt at negotiated bipartisanship they crafted a statement acceptable to all parties. Of course, this statement has been at heart of our challenges on race ever since. The statement is “whole number of Free Persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, excluding Indians not taxed, three fifth of all other persons”, but the founding fathers put a mechanism in place to correct flaws like these. This was accomplished over 150 years ago with the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the constitution and later the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote.
Of course, this did not stop racism, because you cannot change what is in a person’s heart and you never will. As a country, we have slowly but surely chipped away at the racism that permeates our society. For many it is not fast enough, and I understand that. What is being proposed now will not stop these problems either. It will only exacerbate all our difficulties. Let me once again remind you who put these obstacles to a “freer and more equitable society” in place. It was the Democrats. Just as they did with the Republican Police Reform Bill which they filibustered prior to the 2020 election. A ploy the Democrats call a parliamentary maneuver, but when the Republicans filibuster it is called a “Jim Crowe” tactic. This harkens back to a shameful time in our history. A time that can be laid squarely at the feet of the Democrat party. A party that once again raises the specter of racism for its own reprehensible motives.
We are told that this is a racist country that needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up. The loudest voices are from the wealthy that live in gated communities with their own security guards. The same cadre from the political class and media that were for lock downs and school closings that did not affect them. This is no more than virtue signaling to stay off the radar of the mob so they can continue to live as if they are above it all. They peer down their noses at the masses no matter their color and do not give a tinkers damn about anybody but themselves and their kind. Let me say “people of color” are not their kind and never will be. They are not even allowed in their neighborhoods except to clean houses and pickup their garbage. However, I am sure they were “essential workers” for those tasks.
So, is there a solution? Yes, but sadly the Democrats would never except it. This would require the Democrats to relinquishing their ideological strangle hold on the education system. A structure that now teaches grade school children things such as White Privilege, Critical Race Theory, and Equity Based Subjects. What a waste of the Public-School Education Budget. The solution may be as simple as understanding the documents on which this country was founded. American History, the Constitution, the three branches of government, and classes explaining the “melting pot” that we call home should be required to progress from one grade level to the next. This would necessitate taking politics out of education which we all know will certainly not happen because the Democrats profit from an ignorant public that does not understand how our government works and believes “Judge Judy” is a member of the Supreme Court. In 1976 we as a nation were 1st in the world in math and science. Today we are 38th in math, 19th in science, and 14th in reading. If anything needs to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up, let’s start with the Education System!
Let us explore this fantasy solution that could work if all the stars aligned, and we had politicians that had the country’s best interests at heart instead of their own. After mandatory classes in the Constitution, the three branches of government, how the government should work, and an explanation of our “melting pot” there should be classes on American history. I mean “All American History” from the beginning to now, warts and all! This does not mean we should vilify white people, but it does mean our history is told in its entirety. Stating the achievements of Indians, Blacks, Asian, and Latinos under extremely hard circumstances is necessary. When you humanize a group by stating their contributions and accomplishments you have put them on the same level as everybody else. Most people do not know that almost 25% of all cowboys were black in the old west, and some were lawmen. Ely Parker had an engineering degree and was Adjutant and Secretary to General U.S. Grant during the Civil War. He rose to the rank of Brigadier General and he was the first Native American to hold the post of Commissioner of Indian Affairs. There are too many such stories to tell here about all the minorities and their contributions to this nation, but it is worth noting that we only harm ourselves by not informing our youth as well as reminding each other about all the threads that make up the fabric of our great country. The solution is in front of us, but only if we have the will and the courage to trust the American people with the full truth. Alas, we have dumbed down our society so far that I fear we cannot come back from where we are today. I am concerned.
