Guy Farmer: ‘Cancel culture’? Never

To no one's surprise, the mainstream media mostly ignored an important speech on "Cancel Culture" that President Trump delivered at the National Archives Museum earlier this month. For those who don't follow the news, Cancel Culture is a movement that wants to teach our children that the United States was founded on "systemic racism," slavery and the oppression of minorities.

Cancel Culture is based on the New York Times' controversial 1619 Project, which would re-write our nation's proud history starting with our "birth year," 1619, when the first enslaved people were brought to our shores. The project proposes a hostile and openly anti-American curriculum for our nation's public schools. Trump forcefully rejected the 1619 Project when he spoke at the National Archives Museum, which houses the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Good for him!

Trump started by criticizing the looters and rioters who are burning buildings and toppling statues around the country, and accused them of seeking to "radically transform America." He went on to propose the establishment of a "1776 Commission" that would promote "patriotic education and support the development of a pro-American curriculum that celebrates the truth about our nation's great history." I hereby endorse creation of the 1776 Commission and its goal of teaching our children the glorious history of the United States of America, which has made the world a better place.

This debate about American culture and history reminds me of a column I wrote many years ago that lambasted the "blame America first" crowd that blames our country for everything bad that happens here or anywhere else in the world. The blame America firsters are alive and well today; we know them as "democratic socialists," Project 1619 proponents and/or Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters.

I'm proud to say that I opposed the blame America firsters throughout my 28-year U.S. foreign service career and played a bit part in winning the Cold War against communism and the toxic forces of tyranny and oppression, who are with us again in the form of communist dictators, ISIS and radical Islamic terrorism.

I know that it's politically correct to endorse BLM, a racist organization founded by Marxists, but in good conscience I simply can't and won't do that. Whether it involves the Douglas County librarian or my 16-year-old twin grandsons' suburban Seattle school district, I oppose BLM and everything it stands for. In case you think I'm exaggerating the threat represented by BLM and its anti-American allies, here's an excerpt from a June policy statement issued by my grandsons' school district that determines what they'll be taught during their sophomore year in high school:

"Whereas the board acknowledges that it is impossible for us to fully understand the injustice that our Black (capital "B," of course) neighbors, friends and loved ones experience and have endured, and whereas our Black students, staff and families continue to suffer through inequities in education, healthcare, employment, housing and liberty… now, therefore, we endorse Black Lives Matter during School Week of Action."

Due to that pernicious policy, my Hispanic — "people of color," that is — grandsons are subjected to three 45-minute online "social justice" discussions per week, and I'm proud of them and their parents for speaking up in opposition to this flagrant and obvious attempt at ideological indoctrination. The four of them want no part of it, and I fully support them.

As my friend and fellow columnist Jim Hartman wrote recently, "This 'cancel culture' movement is a purging of America's history," and once again, we want no part of it.

Guy W. Farmer, of Carson City, spent 28 years in the U.S. Foreign Service defending American culture and values.