Race Riots

I'd like to think of myself as a pretty decent human being. I keep my lawn mowed, raise my kids, and go to work every day. I'm a good husband to one woman. I donate my time and my treasure to the organizations and people I believe in. I try to help people where I can. 

But, here's the deal: 

If you hit me, as much as I might try to turn the other cheek, I might hit you back. If you hit me repeatedly after I've told you you're hurting me, that likelihood goes up.

If you target my children, my friends, my family, the likelihood of me hitting back becomes greater still.

If you kill my children, well ... God knows what I might do.

If you hold my head under water long enough, I'm going to become violent trying to escape.

You would, too, and if you have any sense at all, you know it.

If you make someone sufficiently angry and hopeless, particularly if they're young and male, they're going to flip the table and burn the world down. This is well documented sociology. 

It's human nature. It's not good. It's not bad. It's not any other value judgement you'd like to place on it. It simply *IS*.

If I were a black man.

White friends: I get it. You didn't own any slaves. As far as you know, your ancestors didn't own any slaves.
It's weird to you that statues matter so much.

Imagine with me being a black man, for a moment. You're walking into a court-room, both the symbol and implementation of "justice" in your land, and you have to walk past the statue of a general who QUITE LITERALLY FOUGHT A WAR to keep you enslaved. What message must that be sending?

If we care about our black brothers and sisters at all, it's time to temper southern pride with a little bit of southern repentance.

Ron Reagan famously said, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall."

I agree completely with what Krauthammer says about "the original sin of slavery" in this video.

The hue and cry of American citizens who suffered under STATE-MANDATED oppression until the end of the 1960's is that it has been long enough. The message is: "Mr. President, tear down these statues."

I don't have to like it. I don't have to get it. I have to be empathetic enough: no, HUMAN enough,to understand their desire to put an end to this symbology, and this REALITY.

If that means taking down statues, fine.
If that means changing who's on the dollar bill, fine.

We must acknowledge the original sin of slavery in this country,and we must finally take steps to genuinely turn from that legacy.