Civil Rights

Assertion: The term “civil rights” is often applied within strictly defined discussions on race, and race relations, but it should in fact apply to all Americans, of every race, creed, color, gender, and ethnicity. “Civil,” after all, refers to the citizenry, to all citizens, and to our interaction with each other. We believe that the true intent of civil rights should, in fact, be construed as a commitment by all Americans to assume an equal share in all of the rights and privileges, as well as the duties and responsibilities implicit in American citizenship; that this equality rightfully translates as an equal opportunity for all Americans; and that granting any sort of favored status to one group, in order to curry favor for, or from, another group, is discrimination against all groups.

As it turns out, while these kinds of governmental policies may have had their time and place, the long-term consequences of such policies have actually served to dampen and diminish the competitive fire within a great many Americans, whether it be the business or organization being told who they can hire or those who are hired but must then wonder if they would have been good enough were it not for government-sanctioned discrimination.

We believe that all Americans are created equal, and that the Federal government has no business setting quotas for any reason, least of all for the expressed purpose of achieving or attempting to achieve a racial or gender balance through discriminatory policies and practices.

Why This Is Important: America is the Land of Opportunity and home of what Lincoln called “the True American system,” whereby any one of us can rise just as high as our abilities and determination will take us. This “American Dream” has driven countless Americans to greatness, and propelled our society to achieve more in 230 years than some civilizations have achieved in 2300 years. We are motivated by the mere opportunity to succeed, and when that opportunity isn’t earned as a matter of simply being an engaged American citizen but rather through Federal intervention, it diminishes both the citizen and the achievement itself.

Constitutional Basis: There is no constitutional basis for racial or gender gerrymandering of any sort. However, our Founders did assert, and great wars have been fought, to confirm that we are all "created equal.” Our government was instituted to secure certain rights, including Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. But note that last part; it is the Pursuit that we are entitled to, not Happiness itself.

Quote: “I have a dream…that one day my children will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.