Darkwing’s comments earlier this week trigger additional thoughts on the general subject of lies and history and liberty.

Darkwing commented on Lies about our history support enemies of liberty.

“When I was in school, in the 50’s, I use to condemn groups and countries for what they did to Native American, blacks and the murder of innocent people because to their beliefs. I was told it is part of history and we should learn from it. No one went along with me.”

Our initial reply to Darkwing’s comment: Of course not, for we like our myths and our comfort zones.

But let us elaborate:

For us here at TPOL, with our feet in multiple camps, so to speak, we step on EVERYONE’s toes more often than not. We seek to go by that old and wise saying: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Lying is by its very nature, a tool of enemies of liberty.

The examples Darkwing provides are ones that we are very familiar with.

Yes, the FedGov, State governments, and many private groups DID do a lot of truly horrific things to so-called “Native Americans” – the AmerInd nations.  Those who seek to justify them as “good” perpetrate the evil.

But we must remember (especially those of us who have both AmerInd and Brit and European blood in our veins) that many of the AmerInd nations themselves were vicious aggressors and immoral in many, many ways: raiders: thieves and murderers and rapists and slavers whose society was built on those things. And NOT in response to mistreatment by whites or “Euro-Americans” or settlers, but because the cultures of people like the Comanche and various Apache nations were that way. But we must also remember: this behavior does not justify what was done. It does not condone evils, even in response.

Some of our ancestors here at TPOL were slaves – but not black, out-of-Africa slaves – rather, “indigenous” slaves. And whose enslavers and masters were other “indigenous” people. We had relatives that were Anglo in ancestry but still slaves. And some of our ancestors owned slaves, too.  Those who lie about history seek to cover up things like that. But as lovers of liberty, how can we not condemn what is wrong, what is evil, regardless of who committed the evils?

And yes, some of our spiritual ancestors were among those who were killed because of their beliefs. Not just killed, but imprisoned, tortured, driven into exile, and other things.  Usually by people who claimed that they were followers of Christ Jesus, although the spiritual ancestors I am referring to were themselves christians. Again, telling the truth about such things is offensive to many. But without truth, we cannot be free.

As I said, we here at TPOL have feet (or roots) in both multiple camps. If we do not condemn evil actions, past and present, we cannot learn from history.  We cannot go back in time, we cannot make these past things right – but we CAN refuse to commit the same evils now and in the future. If we refuse to condemn past actions – regardless of who committed them – we are just lying to ourselves and others.