Redneck Review
No. 90  1/9/2017
A famous saying familiar to most history students, and credited originally to George Santayana in Spain in 1863, and claimed by many to have been used at one time by Winston Churchill follows: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." A study of history suggests that events and trends and attitudes of one period of history can often be found repeating themselves at later dates.
With this in mind, it has been asked in these recent reviews if there is anything from the past which might be of value to us in dealing with the problems we see staring at us in the news each day! The Up with People song "What Color is God's Skin" was cited last week as a simple solution to the problems we face with race relations. A simple suggestion that everyone has value and has the right to be treated with respect, with no concern about color, race, national origin, or individual differences.
Another simple two word phrase familiar to serious students of history is "color blind."Looking back historically, sources claim Justice Harlan's dissent in the famous case of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896, argued that "skin color or race is virtually never a legitimate ground for legal or political distinctions, and thus, any law that is color conscious is not constitutional." Justice Harlan was the lone dissenter in the Supreme Court decision that upheld "Separate but Equal" state laws which allowed states to segregate students in school by race. This decision in turn was overturned in 1954 by the same court in Brown vs. Board of Education, which triggered a controversial period of integrating students by forcefully interchanging white and colored students to achieve racial balance in schools! Amazingly, this requirement in itself violated the very principle involved of "color blind!"
So though controversial at times right up to the present, application of this phrase, "colorblind" seems to me to be an easy solution to many of the differences of opinion that lead to conflict today. We all know that "Black lives Matter," but does that mean that other lives do not? Would it not be more sensible to simply argue that "all lives matter," thus totally ignoring color of skin or race involved at the time? Is black killing white, or white killing black any more serious than black killing black, or white killing white? Common sense tells me NO, yet incidents involving the latter two seem to be less serious!
And would it not solve many other problems of discrimination in housing and employment if each person was considered simply as a "daughter or son of God" as the last line in the song "What color is God's skin" suggests?
The Up with People movement starting back in the late 1900's made famous another song called "Which way America?" The lyrics which follow suggest that each of us can become involved in some way or other in remaking the America we all want!
Which way America? Which way America? Which way America?
Which way to go? This is my country, and... I want to know,
Which way America is going to go.
There is many a road to travel, many a hill to climb,
I am going to find the straighest road, and walk it til the end of time!
(Repeat the verse at the top)
There is many a storm before us, many a choice to make,
I am going to ask the Lord above, to show me the road to take!
(Repeat the verse at the top)
(Music and lyrics can be found with a Google search: Up With People - lyrics)
Jake Wren

Dear Editor
Tribune headline Jan.6: Obama plans final White House bash before term ends
What an appropriate choice of words! The man has spent the last 8+ years bashing the White House--- along with the office of President, the Constitution, America morals and scruples, and the United States in general. I suspect history will return the favor.
Lucky Brandt
Kooskia

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