Time flies, they say, and I did not realize that it is almost two months since my last post. The long silence is certainly not due to a lack of material; more likely sloth or a lack of inspiration. Then last week I saw an opinion piece by George Will about the San Francisco City Council's efforts (decision?) to make reparations for slavery to black residents. If they follow through on this, the cost is projected to run into the billions or even trillions of dollars. The inanity of the proposal deserves every bit of the sarcasm and ridicule that Mr. Will pours on it in his piece. What the op-ed does not do is propose an alternative. While I respect Mr. Will's vast body of work, I suppose it is unfair to expect him to deliver what no columnist or other influencer has yet done. Coincidentally, the Department of Justice published its report on the Minneapolis Police Department on the same day. I don't think it is necessary to tell you that the report said what many (most) of us have known for a long time. The question remains - what's to be done about it. Monetary compensation will not work today any more than the "40 acres and a mule" solution worked in 1865, and for the same reason - it will never be implemented, even in San Francisco, much less nationwide.
The middle-of-the-road solution to this problem is as obvious as the nose on your face. The popular slogan "No justice, no peace" comes to mind. I would posit that a concerted effort to truly level the playing field for all citizens would go a long way to quelling the clamor for reparations on the left. Re-training the police to really "serve and protect" rather than shoot first and ask questions later would be a good first step. More importantly, acknowledging the reality of slavery in our history instead of pandering to a small minority of deniers would work wonders. What sense does it make to suppress historical facts ostensibly to protect the white majority from a feeling of collective guilt? Does this approach not risk the possibility that history will repeat itself if we deliberately shield ourselves from its lessons? To be sure, such wide-ranging reforms seem beyond our reach in our polarized society. But the fact is, no amount of money will make up for past injustice if the injustice continues in the present with no prospect of abating in the future. While it is true that the sins of the fathers should not be visited upon the sons (and daughters), absolutions requires acknowledgement and a sincere effort at atonement.