Next plank

Okay, if we're going up against the two Tory parties we have now with a new Whig party, we have to have a party platform. The previous post covered capital punishment. Now, let's talk about race.

There is no gene for race in our DNA. There is nothing science can discover that identifies racial identity. People whose ancestors lived in hot, sunny climates have darker skin because of what their ancestors survived. People whose ancestors lived in cold or temperate climates have lighter skin because their ancestors didn't need a lot of melanin in their skin.

Speaking of science, there is more genetic variation among natives of Africa than among those from any other continent, thus indicating that the human race started in Africa and moved from there into the rest of the world. This says we are all from Africa originally.

So much for science. Sociology is a different story. Some of our European forefathers went to Africa and captured native people and brought them to America where some of our American ancestors bought them as slaves. The ramifications of that evil are still with us to this day.

The ideal would be for everyone to recognize only one race: the human race. Unfortunately, that is not possible. Black people and white people have different subcultures, different dialects, different worship styles. The problem is not the difference nor the failure to absorb the differences into one amorphous blob. The problem is in our failure to accept each other as we are.

Now, sometimes that difference becomes a problem. We are now becoming a bilingual nation, with more Spanish speakers than African-Americans in our culture. When we deal with the public, we have to be fluent in two different languages, which is a problem for older adults.

We need to discuss our differences, examine without preconceptions the value and impact of affirmative action, and decide whether we really want to be a bilingual nation, or whether that is no longer going to be an option.

There will be more said about immigration at a future date. Now, let's look at who we are in our own subcultures, affirm our identity and that of those who are different, and talk about what we have in common. Let's also talk about what each subculture has to offer society as a whole.