The Price of Liberty

[Publisher’s note: Today (Tuesday, 12 October) is the “traditional” Columbus Day, honoring the man traditionally credited with the “discovery” of the Americas. An error long taught correctly, but like Confederate statues and battle flags, and Christmas, an annual opportunity to beat the drums of political correctness and other tools of enemies of liberty. Hence this commentary.]

The enemies of liberty are exerting a seemingly ever-increasing effort to wipe out more and more personal liberty. A key part of that seems to be an effort to erase history. As a result, we find more and more examples of extreme accusations and actions. Among their tactics? Reach back decades (or even centuries) to condemn actions and ideas which are (in modern politically-correct thought) wrong. Evil. Racist, Sexist. Promoting white supremacy and bigotry. And not just condemn (which we must understand that many actions DO deserve), but erase them from memory. Not just the memory of the general public, but the memory of the supposed guardians of civilization and culture.

The result is likely to again demonstrate George Santayana’s famous observation:

Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. When change is absolute there remains no being to improve and no direction is set for possible improvement: and when experience is not retained, as among savages, infancy is perpetual. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Vol. I, Reason in Common Sense by George Santayana