While the historical repression of African-Americans is unquestioned, and the generational impact that persecution has had and continues to have is obvious, simply handing out money is not going to solve their problems, nor will it lift them out of poverty. In order to overcome poverty and attain prosperity, a people must learn to be productive and profitable. Relying on handouts will not teach them that lesson, not even if the handouts are well deserved.

When will I, on behalf of my ancestors who risked, struggled, suffered and died to civilize this continent, get my just compensation for the benefits we all now enjoy thanks to their... 'sacrifices'?

Below is a letter to the editor I wrote over a decade ago in response to a call for revising history, giving disproportionate credit to the slaves used to build the Capitol, and giving credence to the notion that the nation was built on the backs of slaves (a theory with which AR *must* have vehemently disagreed...)

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To The Editor:

I found myself in agreement with Dan Thomasson's July Fourth editorial in which he suggests giving credit to those who struggled and suffered in silence to give us a nation.
It is far past time to give appropriate credit to those who struggled and suffered in silence from the first shots of the War of Independence to the 20th century, and without whose help our nation would never have been born.

Yes, we must give acknowledgement to those whose efforts allowed our nation to occupy a continent, to make our version of democracy known throughout the world. We should give humble thanks to those who worked, fought and died beside white men, with courage, but without complaint, and without liberty.

When, oh when will we build a monument to the horse in Washington? For the horse did every bit as much to give us the world we have today as did the slave population (both white and black.)

While Mr. Thomasson suggests we should revise history to suit his views, is he equally willing to give appropriate voice to those European Americans who sold themselves into slavery just to get here?
Is he content with the portrayal of such movies as The Patriot, which, while otherwise perhaps accurately depicting the war, completely distorts the relationship of the races during that period?

It has become a sport these days to rewrite history to give credit where credit is not due, to revise events so that those who are revered seem to be in agreement with modern dogma, and those who are portrayed villanously are at odds with modern dogma, as if the way liberals think today is the way good men have thought throughout history.
Mr. Thomasson's editorial makes it appear as if those 400 slaves volunteered their efforts, in selfless dedication to get the capitol built, while the truth of the matter is that those slaves put as much selfless devotion into their efforts as did the horses which also made the capitol possible. But it doesn't make guilty white liberals feel so good, put that way.
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