Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) signed a bill that offers an official apology to blacks for slavery and centuries of discrimination.
The apology was one of the recommendations of a commission Newsom set up to examine the question of reparations and other actions that the state can take to make amends for slavery.
“Healing can only begin with an apology,” said Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer, who authored the apology bill, in a statement. “The state of California acknowledges its past actions and is taking this bold step to correct them, recognizing its role in hindering the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness for Black individuals through racially motivated punitive laws.”
Apologize for slavery and discrimination? By all means, go ahead. Slavery was an abomination, but who was responsible for bringing it to the shores of North America? The Dutch? The English? The French? What the reparations lobby wants is to punish a race of people, a collective form of punishment that is un-American in the extreme.
And if we're going to be apologizing for discrimination, why stop at discrimination against blacks? The list is a long one: (in order) Germans, Irish, Chinese, Italians, Russians, Slavs, and that just takes us to the early 20th century.
Apologies are useless. They are an exercise in political power, no more. They don't make anyone feel better, nor do apologies "heal" anything. They are blatant emotional and financial extortion by one group of Americans against another.
The Legislative Black Caucus used the hundreds of recommendations from that report to draft legislation, though lawmakers did not advance a proposal for cash reparations. Caucus members expect to spend years writing those proposals into law.
The governor also approved legislation that would make public the list of books the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has banned in prison and would further protect Californians from being discriminated against due to their hair style or texture.
Black Caucus Chair Lori Wilson called the legislation Newsom approved “a meaningful foundation to address the historic injustices faced by Black Californians.”
I can't see how any formula, any plan that would pay people for past discrimination could possibly work fairly. The state sent the entire reparations issue to California State University for examination including how to divvy up any reparations payments.
They may be at it for a while.
Meanwhile, think how much better black Californians feel now that the state has apologized. It warms the heart to see so many happy people glorying in Newsom's heartfelt apology.
The check is in the mail.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy PJ Media’s conservative reporting taking on the radical left and woke media? We're in an era where the left thinks it can get its way without accountability, but we're here to call leftists out. You can help us fulfill that mission with truthful reporting and analysis of what's going on the world today.
Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth. Join PJ Media VIP and use the promo code SAVEAMERICA to get 50% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member