Part of my daily routine is dropping by the gym in the morning for a workout. I usually catch up on the news there; watching TV while I do my
This country doesn't like to face up to its mistakes, shortcomings or failures. Like the ancient Greek democracy of Athens (a model and inspiration to our founding fathers), this great nation of ours was built on the backs of slave labor. A few centuries of slavery and its legacy have become a distant historical memory. Undone by the political and social upheaval of abolition and civil war, the painful legacy of Jim Crow and the sacrifice of the Civil Rights Movement. Yet this nation has never fully come to terms with its past. Should the Commonwealth of Virginia General Assembly adopt a resolution that "hereby atones for the involuntary servitude of Africans'' and commits to reconciliation? I say it's about time!
But evidently I'm in the minority. A local news poll shows that two thirds of Virginians disagree that a formal apology for slavery should be issued. A national survey ranking news' importance showed that on a scale of one to five the nation gives this news story a one. A story about a girl wetting her pants and another about the birth of a two headed calf were among the ones ranked most important. I guess Paris Hylton slept in that day.
The United States often behaves like an obese, alcoholic narcissist. The reflected image in our mirror shows us our promise -- democratic government, equality and a free market economy. We don't see our true selves. We have gorged ourselves on our good fortune, brought about by the sacrifices and suffering of others. We have abdicated our right to self government and allowed corporate and special interest to rule and profit while we argue about fringe issues like gay marriage and abortion. We drink indulgently from a cup of plenty made overseas. We send the poor and minorities to fight never ending wars so we can have cheap oil and keep the malls open. All the while our reflection states, "You look marvelous!"
The road to recovery, whether from gluttony and alcohol or the legacy of racism and jingoism, begins by recognizing you have a problem. That's what the proposed legislation does. It neither cures nor corrects the problem. It simply creates the possibility for repair and reconciliation of a deep seated and longstanding issue that stands in the way of our truly approaching our promise.
