Tom’s Big Picture

The Lone Star Report, a weekly political newsletter for conservatives interested in state government, featured a piece last week about the cowardice of Republicans in the Legislature when the usual suspects play the race card.

These race-baiters recently played the race card when a Republican brought up a bill to protect Confederate memorials on the University of Texas campus:

This session, it seems every time Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Fort Worth) or Rep. Senfronia Thompson (D-Houston) approaches the front microphone to play the race card, half the GOP caucus scurries for cover and hides in the corner of the House chamber or the member’s lounge, fearful of being deemed “divisive” or “insensitive.”

So far this session, representing Republican values has seemed to take a back seat to avoiding the race card. Let’s take a look at a couple of examples.

On March 21, Rep. Sid Miller (R-Stephenville) brought forward HB 459, a bill designed to protect historic monuments at Texas university campuses from being removed or renamed by university administrators.

Lo and behold, some of the Democrats figured out that some of the monuments being protected honor officers of the Confederate States of America.

These particular Democrats want to rewrite history and ban even-handed treatment of the Civil War from schools.

At first, the GOP did the right thing. GOP representatives went to the back microphone to defend Miller. When Veasey tried to exempt monuments to slave owners from Miller’s bill, one GOP lawmaker reminded Veasey that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington owned slaves. The Republicans voted down all the goofy amendments.

Then, Rep. David Swinford (R-Dumas), chairman of the committee that heard the bill, went to the front microphone and apologized for bringing such a “divisive” bill to the House floor, and Miller pulled the bill down.

Apologize? What on earth for? Swinford and Miller brought an excellent bill to the House floor - one that most Texans would support. These lawmakers should step up to the front microphone to accept congratulations from grateful colleagues for having the courage to take on this issue, not apologize.

We see in this incident the endgame of political correctness- somewhere deep in the recesses of his heart, Swinford actually does feel guilt for what his ancestors did- the race card attack worked, instead of being brushed off or ridiculed for the racket it is among most minority lawmakers, the Honorable Representative Senfronia Thompson included.

We will never endure these attacks successfully until we accept one truth in the bedrock of our hearts:

Our ancestors did nothing wrong. They didn’t and we have nothing to feel guilty about.

Now, of course, I’m not making a theological statement or anything, as every mortal man has committed sin, including ourselves and our ancestors, as individuals. But when we’re talking about groups of people as whole, and judged on the relative scale of humanity (as these minority hucksters aren’t exactly free of sin themselves), we have nothing to be ashamed of. Period.

Why are we letting African-Americans beat us up about slavery when their ancestors sold them into it, the West was the first to end it, and the only place where it is still practiced on a large scale today is in Africa?

It’s a case of the pot calling the kettle black, no pun intended. And just why is it that our elected, supposedly conservative, representatives fall for this junk?

Because they labor under the effects of political correctness themselves, even while they sometimes claim to defy it.