A recent FB conversation re: a Candace Owens meme I had posted ==>
A liberal friend wrote, “She’s wrong. Racism is built in to the laws in the USA.”
(Already I’m sensing a little Critical Race Theory at work here.)
I responded: “Interesting… could you give me an example of that?”
No response to my question, but another fellow I don’t know IRL (but who apparently likes to troll my posts) chimed in by posting a link to a Wiki article on the 1967 California measure known as the Mulford Act, which presumably represents an example of ‘racism built into the laws of the US’.
You can review that article if you like — I’ll just post my FB response to the article after reading it thoroughly and doing a little additional research:
Appreciate the link. I was unaware of the Mulford Act of 1967, essentially a gun control measure motivated by actions of the Black Panthers of the day. Assuming you were responding to my question regarding an example of “racism built into the laws of the USA”, I’d have to say this doesn’t rise to that standard inasmuch as it didn’t single out black people, but apparently applied to people of all races. The Mulford Act of 1967 was a measure taken in response to what was considered a threat at the time, but hardly exemplary of any sort of “systemic racism”.
As I see it, were racism systemic in the foundations of America, I don’t think we would have heard the phrase “all men are created equal”.
Now, I’ll grant you that the entire 3/5 of a person clause in relation to voting that had been originally included in the Constitution was entirely wrong-headed. But thankfully, this mistake was corrected in 1868 with the passage of the 14th Amendment. But it didn’t come easily, as 14A was widely resisted by ex-Confederate Southern Democrats.
“Congressional approval — and presidential opposition — led to a two-year battle between President Andrew Johnson [Lincoln’s Vice and successor, and a Democrat] and the Republican Party over the 14th Amendment’s ratification. Following a heated campaign between President Johnson and the Reconstruction Republicans over the future of the 14th Amendment, the Republican Party won a landslide victory in the congressional elections of 1866, solidifying their political power over Reconstruction policy.
“However, even following this landslide victory, ex-Confederate states continued to reject the proposed amendment. The Republican Congress fought back, passing the Reconstruction Act of 1867, which required ex-Confederate states to extend voting rights to African-American men and denied these states representation in Congress until they voted to ratify the 14th Amendment.”
source: ConstitutionCenter.org
So… to whatever extent racism is indeed built into the laws of this country, historically those laws were spawned, by and large, by Democrats… to be later undone by Republicans. The same dynamic was at play during the Civil Rights movement and resulting legislation back in the 1960s. This is an unfortunate and embarrassing legacy for the Dems to have to live with, to be sure.
Anyway, back to the Mulford Act of 1967 — It was interesting that Governor Ronald Reagan said of the Mulford act that there was “no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons” and that guns were a “ridiculous way to solve problems that have to be solved among people of good will.”
While I staunchly oppose gun control measures in general, especially these days with so much violence perpetrated by the left dominating the headlines, I would agree with Reagan inasmuch as guns are unnecessary for solving problems amongst “people of good will”.
If only today’s radical leftists had such will to solve problems peacefully, but they clearly do not. They’re openly bringing the war to conservatives, and while the right has been slow to respond in kind, I would not count on such restraint in the future if the left does not learn to tone down the rhetorical excesses, abide by the law, and contain their penchant for violence.
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