Honest dialogue on race in America requires involving both sides of our divide. For many years, too many have cowered into politically correct comments designed to keep them safe from charges of racism. That is not honest dialogue. Those who demonstrate see the numbers marching and may assume overwhelming support for their issues far beyond the killing of George Floyd. That could be an illusion.
Progressives demand orthodoxy—you must say “black lives matter” or face consequences. Any variation is viciously attacked! People have been fired; others have resigned with forced apologies for saying “all lives matter.”
Of course black lives matter, but the phrase now brings baggage and political implications that many Americans don’t support. Many blacks are not marching in lockstep and renounce the “Black Lives Matter” agenda. There is no one black voice. It takes no guts to spout progressive orthodoxy; you are praised in the media. It takes courage for blacks like Candice Owens, Larry Elder, Ben Carson, and others to face the attacks for standing against the left’s agenda.
It’s time citizens of all races to take off their politically correct muzzle. There is no room for attacks, but a strong need for consistent, rational, and measured responses. We also need to be part of the call for positive solutions.
Affirming my Christian faith, I state with conviction that all God’s children matter! All are created in God’s image. We must affirm the constitutional rights of every citizen. Stating “Black Lives Matter” while not including everyone else risks supporting yet another version of racism that makes one select group worthy of special treatment.
Demand a just and swift criminal prosecution of those who killed George Floyd. We join the overwhelming majority of Americans who call for justice. The officers involved have been charged and are due fair trials. You don’t honor one victim by making others the victims of hate. Uphold the rule of law and let it run its course!
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Demand that looters and domestic terrorists who used legal demonstrators as cover be apprehended, prosecuted, and convicted for their crimes if proven guilty. Their actions are an embarrassment to their country. Martin Luther King Jr. and the great civil rights leaders who gave their all in support of equal rights must be screaming from the grave—“This is not what we marched for!”
Don't defund police; defend your police. Dismiss radical demands to dismantle or defund the police force in your community. This is madness! Black-on-black crime makes black neighborhoods even more dependent on competent and engaged law enforcement. We need to stand with our responsible police officers, not attack them for the actions of a few.
It’s time to work together to get rid of bad cops. Police unions have power and must work with city leadership to hold racist officers accountable. Bad cops should be systematically documented, fired and prosecuted if warranted. No good cop wants to work with bad cops. Rebuilding trust requires action, not promises and platitudes.
Use background checks, validated tests, and probationary periods to keep racist cops out of law enforcement. Don’t settle for racist officers and expect them to change. They likely won’t.
Acknowledge that both white and black racists exist. Racists come in all colors. There is no honest dialogue without each race facing and addressing the racism on their own side of the divide.
Continue Criminal Justice Reform. Both parties have made a good start. Criminals of any race who have paid the price for their crimes and showed evidence of changed behavior, should be able to earn the right to expunge their criminal record which helps secure good jobs. America should be about second chances.
Expand support for opportunity zones in disadvantaged areas. Both parties should work to help businesses bounce back from the destructions perpetrated by the rioting mobs. Make funds available to business owners who are ready to rebuild businesses and bring back jobs to distressed communities.
Give all parents school choice and the funds to go with it. Stop forcing parents to send their children to underperforming schools. Minority parents are crying out for school choice and the funds to make it happen. Parents of all races want schools that help their children succeed. End direct funding for public schools. Let all schools compete for students on the basis of results by letting parents choose where their school funds go!
Instead of just giving the megaphones to only black victims, it’s time to focus on the thousands of black Americans who faced racism and succeeded anyway. Let them share what they did to claim their own American Dream. The solution to racism is never victim thinking, more government regulations, and racial entitlements.
Racists exist, but claiming that all whites share collective guilt for those racists is itself a form of racism. Few whites today are racist, and the vast majority have never been racists and don’t associate or support people who are. As Victor Frankl has said, “There are only two races, the decent and the indecent.” Amen! It’s time for the decent Americans of all races to join together to stand against racism of any kind. We must all do our part to contribute to the unfolding story of America’s challenge to live up to its promise of equal rights for all.
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