2021 Newsletter
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Dear Friend,
Strong societies are built on foundations of strong ideals. Any student of political science understands this fact. The founders of America certainly understood it. As a result, they sought to create a market-based society in which its citizens competed to improve the condition of their lives. The underlying premise was that as a consequence of their collective competition, the nation would advance. History has proven that the founders were brilliant in their reasoning. No one could have predicted the level of division that has emerged in modern-day America. The American people are deeply divided on virtually every issue, but equal rights is one that has great potential to move Americans in the direction of unifying our nation. The reverse is also true. Government action to deprive Americans of their right to `be treated equally can deliver much damage to it citizenry. Race is the most treacherous fault line in America. That fault line can erupt when divisive ideas are promoted, as is occurring in America at present. What we are now experiencing is the modern-day equivalent of the Civil War without the use of firearms. As a two-time candidate for President of the United States of America, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders campaigned on the theme that he wanted to “transform America.” Although his campaign faltered in the late stage of both campaigns, Sanders demonstrated sufficient political strength and popularity that his agenda had to be reckoned with by the ultimate victor, Joe Biden, to avoid a devastating loss of support from the progressive wing of the Democrat Party. Upon election, the Sanders agenda has largely been embraced by President Biden, who has been badly compromised by his desire to accommodate the progressives of his party. It is important to note that, in an effort to appeal to Sanders and his base, candidate Biden promised to be the most progressive president in history. To date, the 46th American president is well on his way to delivering on his promise. In 1998, the state of Washington became the second state in which we waged our campaign to end the use of race-based affirmative action [California being the first]. From the moment of its passage, race advocates and the Washington Democrat Party have sought to overturn our Initiative 200, which was identical to California’s Prop 209. Until 2019, they were unsuccessful, but in 2019 they succeeded with the passage of I-1000, a measure that would repeal our initiative and create a new Governor’s Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This commission was empowered to develop regulations for effectively determining how to distribute public college admissions, jobs and contracts based on factors of identity, especially race. When I-1000 passed, I was asked to advise Linda Yang and Kan Qui, two residents of Washington State, who wanted to organize a referendum campaign to overturn the Washington Legislature’s action in passing I-1000. We gathered signatures and succeeded in qualifying a referendum (R-88) for the ballot. That referendum, which the voters approved in late 2019, repealed I-1000 and represented the beginning of a new phase of civic engagement by Americans of Chinese descent. About three months later, the Idaho Legislature adopted our Prop 209 language as policy for that state. In April 2020, it became apparent that the Democrats in California had made California a one-party state and that they were determined to do in the “Golden State” what had been attempted in Washington in the preceding year; namely, to repeal the prohibition of race preferences from the Constitution of California. When that reality became so obvious, I began to make plans for my return to California to defend what I had started in 1996 with passage of Proposition 209. Until now, we have been defending the principle of equal rights for all on a situational basis. The result for 2019 and 2020 has been a record of complete success for ACRI; and our primary successes have been in two of our nation’s most liberal states – California and Washington. We often hear that America will never elect a socialist as President. There was a time when I would have agreed with that statement without a moment’s hesitation. Events over the past few months, however, have shaken the strength of my belief that socialism or communism could never come to our country. Consider this: the 435-member House of Representatives has only a 7-seat difference between Democrats and Republicans. The Senate is 50/50, with Harris casting a vote only in case of a deadlocked vote. Biden is portrayed as a fragile politician with the reputation of being a unifying official. With this circumstance, one could be forgiven for believing that nothing of major consequence would be happening at the federal level. WRONG! With Biden as President, Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader (although there is no majority), Kamala Harris as VP, Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, and Bernie Sanders as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, the American people are witnessing the most extraordinary transformation of our political value system and policies in most of our lifetimes. The rationale that America is a nation founded in a circumstance of white supremacy, and which remains “systemically racist,” is the public explanation provided by this band of “leaders” for putting the nation on this suicidal course of Trillion Dollar (000,000,000,000) legislative bills and duplicitous racial “equity “authorizations. As a Christian, I know that we are taught to “love thy neighbor” and to show compassion for the untold millions that might want to leave their homes in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico to become future Americans at the implicit invitation of President Joe Biden. We are also taught, however, that “charity begins at home.” There is nothing charitable about discriminating against Asian and White families of low income in order to distribute equity payments to families “of color.” Such practices are becoming rather widespread in the era of Biden-Harris. More than ever, we need your help. The last 2 years we have been successful in 3 different states, ensuring equality for all in California, Washington, and Idaho. We could not have done this without your support. Moving ahead, we are consulting with many legislatures to draft bills that would include making critical race theory illegal along with ending race-based preferences. We have made online donations possible through our website at ACRI.ORG, you can also send your tax-deductible donation to. American Civil Rights Institute Po box 397 Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815 Again, thank you for your support. We would not be able to fight this fight without you. Ward Connerly, President American Civil Rights Institute |