Words
Mean Things
Deborah
Venable
12/13/02
The
Trent Lott so-called faux pas has turned far too many heads and eaten up an
exorbitant amount of commentary time in the last few days. JJ Johnson, editor of Sierra Times on the
Internet, wrote the most valuable commentary on the whole thing, and ended by saying that
there are, after all, much more important things to discuss than this
ridiculous media bait thrown out by a few ignorant black and white
troublemakers. He’s absolutely
right. Before we get past this,
however, we should perhaps question why such an innocent and otherwise positive
remark should have attracted such negative attention.
At
the event, Lott said: "I want to say this about my state: When Strom
Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the
rest of the country had followed our lead we wouldn't have had all these
problems over all these years either."
The
fact that Stom Thurmond ran for president in 1948 on a segregationist platform
is only the tip of the iceberg. The
real zinger that has been missed here is that there was even a place in the
politics of post WWII America for a “segregationist” philosophy at all. There would not have been, you see, if there
had not been such a strong-arm move afoot for forced integration! It is that word, “forced” that carries the
key to the whole discussion.
Let
me make myself crystal clear here: forced integration was wrong then and it is
wrong now. Anyone who opposed it then
had a great insight to a multitude of probable social problems it would cause,
and anyone who opposes it today is merely being consistent with logic and loyal
to the founding principles of this country.
I am sick and tired of hearing the nauseating back peddling comments of
politicians who happen to step in one of the race baited traps of a hysterical,
politically correct weak and immoral society!
The ignorant ravings of a misguided segment of the black race are at
least sincere to their ignorance – but the timid, insincere, whining tone of
white apologists is truly sickening!
Mr.
Lott, is your thirst for power so great that you would see yourself stripped of
anything akin to intelligence just so that you will not be wrongly labeled a
racist? And Mr. Bush, have you no shame at all? You, who would have the American people
believe that you are the great integrator of the races and the political party
philosophies, are you such a scoundrel that you would lie in the mirror of your
own heritage if you thought it would keep the same racist label from your own
identity? You men are both unworthy
leaders and emasculated before all your followers if you cannot even maintain a
consistency in your actions. On the one
hand, you both claim to be conservative in your thoughts and defenders of the
U.S. Constitution, while on the other, you would readily join the liberal
mindset and throw said document into the shredder before honoring the tenets of
freedom it represents.
Freedom
– yes, ladies and gentlemen, words do mean things. Freedom means that the government has NO right to ever FORCE a
policy of affiliation and association between philosophies, religions or, yes,
even races! That is why this whole
“melting pot” idea worked so very well in the beginning. It was based on the concept that anyone
could come here and be an American first, no matter what his origin. Being an American first means placing human
freedom at the top of your priorities.
It does not mean supporting a government that would incrementally erode
others’ freedom for its own convenience!
Human
free will takes over and deciphers right from wrong, good from evil, and
justice from cruelty in the heart and soul of each individual if it is left
alone to seek its own level. When force
is exerted on that free will, it is met with a natural resistance. That resistance can cause a disturbance that
will never find a just solution, and that is precisely what we have seen in the
racial issues that are still very much at the forefront of our social
problems. There are no guarantees
against being offended – there never have been! Being offended is a personal issue that each individual must work
out for himself. It is not up to
government – especially one founded in human freedom – to legally attempt to
prevent personal offence. Individuals
are judged on individual worth by any human being worth the air he breathes. It is not something that can be
legislated! Free human beings are the
only guarantee that tyranny cannot rule.
Words
mean things, folks. Can you say,
“justice” with a straight face and continue to allow the injustice of political
correctness? Until this scourge of
modern government is dead, there will be no freedom for anyone.