The Internet Monk
"the power of opinion, the phenomenon of speech, the beauty of truth"
A Webjournal and News Review by Michael Spencer
Updated 12/4/00
"Bah! Humbug!" (Con't)
by Michael Spencer
The
appointments of Powell and Rice point out the utter inability of
liberals to find any reason to rejoice in actual diversity. I said actual diversity. Differing points
of view. Deviation from the pre-announced conclusion. Liberals hate this
and it is essential to intelligent conservatism to point out that
liberalism is not about diversity but the suppression of diversity and
the imposition of group-think. The Republican party has a discussion
going about abortion, about the role of government, about social issues
and education. The Democrats don't have these discussions. Its agree or
nothing.
African-Americans particularly have to consider the cost of this treatment. Because of a violent history, African-Americans have a strong sense of community and a great deal of deference for their leaders. But this can evolve into something that works against the best interests of Black Americans: the suppression of diversity and the condemnation of those who succeed in ways the group may not approve.
National Security Advisor (designate) Conde Rice is a success story right out of the movies. Raised in the segregated south by a family that taught strong lessons of morality and hard work, Rice has achieved success and respect as an academic, a member of the Bush Administration and a role model. Single, talented, confident and attractive, she ought to be the pride of every African-American. The problem is, of course, that she is a Republican. That can't be allowed. So there is silence.
Are there African-American young people who notice there is no celebration in their community over Rice's achievement? Could we say this smacks of the kind of prejudice and suppression that Black leaders frequently lay at the feet of white America?
Can Mr. Jackson explain how a person like Ms. Rice can serve in an administration that he and his gang call Nazis and lynchers? Has Ms. Rice got it in for her own people, a la Clarence Thomas? Clarence Thomas learned this up-close and personal. In retrospect, it is clear that no genuine case against Thomas existed. He simply represented a kind of diversity that liberal Democrats cannot allow. So in what will be remembered as an episode of unprecedented ugliness, the Democrats attempted to destroy a good man for the crime of not being a liberal Democrat.
The class of Powell, Rice and Thomas is revealed in their refusal to point out the obvious. As conservatives, they believe in diversity within their own community and they allow it to Jackson and company. In the case of Powell, he took the time to point out that he was the first African-American Secretary of State. Democrats will greet this with enthusiasm so muted you will have to turn the volume up to eleven to hear the congratulations. All the more ironic since, by any measurement, Powell could hardly be called a genuine conservative.
The post-election reports of some African-American precincts going 100% for Gore are unbelievable, but not because such one-sidedness is not possible. I watch young African-American students in my classes struggle with learning to think for themselves and stick with their own convictions. The pressure to conform in every area is immense, far beyond what any white person could possibly understand. Being an individual in politics, music or social attitudes is to risk being told you are a traitor to your race- as if race had some deeper meaning.
Conservatives should turn the big guns loose on this situation, providing cover for black Americans who want off the Democrat plantation. Democrats are invested in keeping African-Americans victimized and tyrannized, voting in blocs for candidates without regard for issues or character. Their tactics have become increasingly shameless, culminating in the "James Byrd" ad for Al Gore, perhaps the most embarrassing ad in the history of politics. Let's be unwavering in our commitment to speak truth and offer alternatives to our fellow citizens who have yet to enjoy all the freedoms possible in this great country.