We Tolerate Despotism Because of the Things We Own

I will not apologize and I don't care!

By Rich Kozlovich 

 

The title of this article is a quote (from memory) from Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, one of the great works of western historical literature, originally published in six volume's between 1776 and 1788. 

Gibbon is viewed by some as "the first modern historian" because of his insistence on researching from primary sources rather than second hand accounts.  As more history became available there's been discussion of some errors on his part, but that would be true of any historian, at any time frame, and given what was available, he was exemplary, even influencing Winston Churchill.

For those who've read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, which I did forty five years ago (I bought it again and will reread it from a far more ripened vision of the world and how things work than  I had at 30), you will find you may disagree with him on points, and history grows with time because more information comes to the fore, but he can't be faulted for his effort to be as accurate as he could.

This is important because Gibbon's history was harsh with criticism over the actions of the Christian churches over the centuries and was attack vociferously, even having his books banned in some areas, criticizing ancient Judaism also.  He challenged the challengers, and is considered a giant among historians, and an example of courage that needs to be mimicked by more in America's institutions instead of crawling and groveling before the irrational and vicious mob with the goal of destroying America. This is important because he never apologized, he never recanted, he never backed down.  

But the one thing that rings more clearly from his work than anything else in his work what people will tolerate for money, position, privilege, power and prestige.   We, like the Romans, are also tolerating despotism because of the things we are, or own. 

On February 2, 2022 Deion A. Kathawa published this piece, This Is No Time for Groveling, discussing an issue involving Ilya Shapiro, who was designated to be the the "next executive director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution, beginning February 1".  I believe he was hired, and I don't know the outcome, so if interested you will have to research it yourself.

But as the story unfolds, he made a serious error in judgement.  He actually said what he believed!  Imagine that!  And guess what?  It didn't fit the narrative embraced by the Despots from the Church of Wokeness.  Intolerable!  Absolutely intolerable heresy against the Church of Wokeness' Order of Racism!  

Regarding the replacement for Justice Breyer he said: 

Objectively best pick for Biden is Sri Srinivasan, who is solid prog & v smart. Even has identity politics benefit of being first Asian (Indian) American. But alas doesn’t fit into the latest intersectionality hierarchy so we’ll get lesser black woman. Thank heaven for small favors? Because Biden said he’s only consider[ing] black women for SCOTUS, his nominee will always have an asterisk attached. Fitting that the Court takes up affirmative action next term.

Now clearly, from the position he's taking, this guy is no conservative from any stretch of the imagination,  he's one of theirs!!!!  So what was the reaction?  

Georgetown’s Black Law Students Association demanded Shapiro to be fired.  Georgetown placed him on administrative leave for five days pending their "investigation", "with the  Georgetown Law Center Dean Bill Treanor weighing in, explaining in a letter to the student body saying" 

He "heard the pain and outrage of so many at Georgetown Law” and making it clear that Shapiro’s tweets “are antithetical to the work that we do here every day to build inclusion, belonging, and respect for diversity.”  

Really?  No worry about this being an unbiased investigation.  Right?

What did the university do when a Georgetown professor tweeted this during the Kavanaugh hearings:

Look at this chorus of entitled white men justifying a serial rapist’s arrogated entitlement.  All of them deserve miserable deaths while feminists laugh as they take their last gasps. Bonus: we castrate their corpses and feed them to swine? Yes.

They did nothing!  No suspension, no "investigation", and no fear of losing her job.  No outrage from any member of the student body, or anyone from the staff or administration.

Let's face it, the word investigation is now defined by leftism as condemnation, and since it's clear Shapiro is a leftie, he knew what that all meant and he immediately started groveling by apologizing for his “poor choice of words”. 

So what should Shapiro have said?  The author offers this should have been Shapiro's answer:

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At this point, the “appropriate” and “decent” thing for me to do is to apologize, insist I do not have a racist or sexist bone in my body, and beg for a second chance. But if that’s what you were waiting for, you’re about to be sorely disappointed.

I will not apologize.

An apology is properly given only to those who can be trusted to accept it in good faith. Nobody currently calling for me to lose my position with Georgetown Law fits that description. Not even close. 

Anyone with eyes and even a shred of decency knows that the mob is deliberately, cynically, and viciously twisting my words in an attempt to destroy me. In the current climate, calls for an apology are nothing more than the weaponization of decency against those too naïve to see what’s happening here. I am saddened that disgraceful charades like this one are now routine occurrences in this country.

But more than that, I’m deeply disappointed that so many students at one of the nation’s top law schools are engaged in such a bad-faith, malicious attack. The legal profession demands men and women of upright moral character to appear before our courts; those engaged in this smear campaign have revealed themselves to be many things, but morally upright is emphatically not one of them. Perhaps even more distressingly, members of this online mob appear to lack the reading comprehension skills of even an average seventh grader. That such people have passed through Georgetown Law’s admissions standards should alarm the law school; it needs to seriously rethink those standards.Report Ad

I would rather not have this job than damage my soul by “apologizing” for something I obviously did not say. And, if Georgetown Law and I do indeed go our separate ways, I’ll at least have my integrity intact.

Imagine that!  To be or to do, which way will you go?

If people stop groveling to the despots, the despots will be overcome.  Whether it's the truck convoy in Canada, also being formed around the world, , , ,, , , or anything else  promoted by these misfits on the left who have only one desire, destroy America.  Conservatives need to be publicly taking a stand, unabashedly, unashamedly, courageously, without fear of consequence, and without caveats, stating:

 "The emperor has no clothes"! 

  Rule # 28. In a war between the barbarians and the wimps the barbarians will win every time.