Guest Blogging for Gateway Pundit
This is Carol Platt Liebau, honored to be guest-blogging here for a couple of days. Just wanted to start out by thanking Gateway Pundit for his appearance with me last night on St. Louis'97.1 FM Talk. (I'll be in tonight once more for Crane Durham from midnight to 3 a.m. -- so tune in if you're up!).
One of the topics covered during last night's show has special relevance in light of the fact, as is pointed out below, that this marks the 150th anniversary of the Dred Scott decision. Apparently, some Missouri legislators are pushing for a formal state apology for slavery, which would make Missouri only the second state in the country to offer such regrets.
Surely everyone agrees that slavery was a terrible and ugly blot on the United States' history, and truly a sin and a crime against both God and man. But it's far from clear that an empty apology -- offered by those who bear no moral culpability whatsoever for slavery -- will really achieve anything. While we're at it, let's just apologize for the 10,000,000 people killed by Stalin . . . because all of us had just as great a role in that.
What's more, there's something both pathetic and objectionable to reading that African-American adults are calling for an apology because it "would send an important message to young blacks who view themselves as second-class citizens." What an awful lesson to teach young people: That their own feelings of self-worth are contingent on an expression of regret that really means nothing. Wouldn't it be better to encourage people to get an education, delay childbearing, get married and stay married -- and hold that up as the way to escape any feelings of inferiority?
Last night, callers suggested that part of the push for an apology might be as a precursor for calls for reparations. Makes sense, doesn't it?
posted by Gateway Pundit at 3/01/2007 10:29:00 AM
2 Comments:
Who Owes an Apology?
Slavery is a human travesty wherever and whenever it occurs. No one can deny this. But just what does Democratic Rep. Talibdin El-Amin want to accomplish by asking the present day government in the state of Missouri to apologize for Slavery? Will he also ask the present day Democratic Party to apologize for lynching the blacks who attempted to register to vote in the South following the civil war? How about having them apologize to all the descendants of the white Abolitionists who stood up to his party before the civil war? Granted, Missouri may have entered the Union as a slave state, but General Lyon’s occupation of St. Louis insured the confederacy could never get control of its ammunition and other resources. Men like my great great grandfather and his sons (one of whom my great grandfather) all fought and were wounded under the “Official” Missouri Colors for the UNION! To have Missouri apologize for a wrong these men fought so hard against would disregard and discredit the service they did as veterans to this great nation and our state! Ironically, Rep. Talibdin El-Amin walks past the Union regiment colors on his way to work in the State Capital each day. Maybe, he can find it in his heart to apologize to these patriots the next time he passes by.
George Lauer
Welcome aboard, Carol!
I do wonder at the apology concept, as those who suffered are gone and beyond that which may be applied by man... and when asked about reparations previously I did give answer elsewhere, and I still stand by a hand up, not a hand-out or freebie for doing nothing. The Republic should be more than willing to honor the original agreement... just be wary of what one must give up to get it as it was originally promised.
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