Another celebration of the founding of the country has made me ponderous of how such a great nation rises. I have concluded that living by Jesus’ teaching now enshrined as the Golden Rule has been key to the nation’s success, it's violation a source of trouble. I have also realized that many of the core tenets of modern liberalism are a violation of the Golden Rule. Nowhere is this more evident than in the liberal approach to race relations.
The founders recognized that while there is much in man that is noble, there is also much that is not. Their genius lies recognizing that there is much in human nature that is ignoble and in combating it. For example, while it is in man’s nature to yearn for freedom, it is also in our nature to conquer. Therefore, they took the Federal government, split it in three, and set it at odds with each other and then made it accountable to us as the governed. But they violated the Golden Rule when they saw American Indians and Black Africans as subhuman, leaving an indelible stain on this great republic. This has created a great quandary for later generations.
Recently, I stayed in a hotel in Atlanta where there was a huge party going on in the ballroom. I was not invited but had occasion to pass the gathering on my way to a restroom stall. As I glanced down the hall I noticed the party goers were all black, not a single white face in the crowd. I recognized that it is human nature to notice that which is different. Whether it is a black face or a boy in a wheel chair drooling from involuntary convulsions, we can’t help but notice that which is different from us. But then do we follow the Golden Rule or do we enslave them or perhaps simply make jokes about them on a late-night talk show. Then in the seclusion of my stall I heard two of them conversing in a language to distant from English for me to understand until one shouted, “You havin’ a good time?” The other replied, “Ya, ain’t seein’ no white folk tonight!”
We all struggle with our ignoble nature to shun that which is different. Our forefathers have not handled this well and as we repair the damage, let us not forget a corollary to the Golden Rule from the Hippocratic Oath for physicians, “Do no harm.” Modern liberalism has clearly violated this in two ways. First, it has engineered a cultural shift whereby racist speech by whites is not ok but fine for anyone else. Second, it has promoted through law a system where white people are injured by discrimination to atone for the sins of white ancestors who are now dead.
Most liberals would not be offended by the conversation I overheard but if conducted by two white men about blacks, liberals would be appalled. And what of Jamie Foxx’s comment that Jackson belonged to black people and was “loaned out.” Can the same be said about Elvis? Typical of liberal lingo are the words of Joy Bahar of “The View,” "Only white people are capable of making racist remarks." The Golden Rule says no one should make racist remarks about anyone. This week the Supreme Court struck down a ruling previously upheld by the activist, liberal Supreme Court nominee, Sotomayor. Because not enough black applicants passed the fireman’s promotion exam, no one got promoted. This reverse discrimination (which is as silly a term as “hate crime”) along with affirmative action, in general, is an affront to the Golden Rule entirely. Why don’t we address the reason Blacks don’t do as well and that is because they are trapped in government run schools beholding to unions? And when we get a voucher program like the one in DC where children (of all races) were excelling beyond their counterparts in the city schools (which spend more per capita than any other school system in the nation), why do liberals want to shut it down? How would you like it if someone did that to you? If you liberals want Affirmative Action, while still keeping the Golden Rule, do as Bernard Goldberg suggests and resign from your job and give it to a minority. Don’t even worry if your replacement is qualified. I, however, prefer Thomas Sowell’s suggestion, “Racism has been shown not to work. So why don’t we abolish it instead of putting it under new management?”
So this year as we enjoy the colors of red, white and blue can we not also enjoy the different colors of our American society without having to check a box? And while I am thrilled that a mentally handicapped woman can become House Speaker and a black man can become president, next time couldn't we elevate the importance of qualifications and experience during the election campaign so we don't get six months into an adminstration before they admit they are totally wrong about the economy?
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