Poverty and Family Structure

            Tons of studies have shown that poverty is the greatest cause of developmental problems in children. Children who grow up poor are far more likely to do poorly in school, to run away from home, and to commit suicide. As adults they are far more likely to abuse drugs, commit crimes, and go to prison.

            Other studies have shown that the United States has the world’s lowest rate of children living with both parents. That rate is 69%, compared to China where the rate is 97% and in neighboring Canada where it is 85%. Racial differences are just as startling: only 39% of African-American children live with both parents, compared to 74% for white households. It is not racist to point this out; this unfortunate reality is a serious problem for the black community.

            The link between poverty and family structure is undeniable. Roughly half of all families headed by single mothers are likely to be poor, while 10% of families headed by both parents are not.

            One would think that Black Lives Matter, a social movement advocating racial justice would care about that. Strangely, its mission statement on this issue goes in the opposite direction.

            At its launch in 2012, the founders of Black Lives Matter made no secret of their Marxist ideology and their national goal of removing our system of democracy and capitalism and replacing it with a totalitarian communist state. But since the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson and especially after the brutal murder of George Floyd and the violent protests that it engendered, BLM’s focus has been on building a network of local chapters of like-minded organizations opposing police violence against black people.

            To broaden its appeal, Black Lives Matter is stressing inclusivity by displaying empathy for all blacks who suffer from discrimination based on sex or gender identity, age, religion, immigration status, or what it calls “the tight grip of heteronormative thinking,” otherwise known as the domination of our culture by straight white males.

            But when it comes to problems associated with single-parent homes, it doesn’t place the blame on the deterioration of family values. Instead it seeks to “dismantle patriarchal practice,” and identifies the problem as caused by “Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirements.” In other words, it minimizes the importance of having a father in the home. Instead, it prefers “extended families and ‘villages’ that collectively care for one another, especially our children…” Where have we heard that before?

            On another subject, it is sad that some of us were not able to celebrate the 4^th of July as we have in the past. Few fireworks or parades, no family barbecue. But one person was not unhappy with that. Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback who made his mark kneeling during or national anthem, called the celebrations commemorating the nation’s founding “a celebration of white supremacy.” I wonder what football fans in New England would have thought if the Patriots had picked up Kaepernick to replace Tom Brady. Better still, would Colin have insisted that the Patriots change the team name?

           

This Is War

            Sometimes a leader of Black Lives Matter reveals the truth about the organization’s intentions. In a recent TV interview, Hawk Newsome, President of Greater New York Black Lives Matter, said quite candidly, “If this country doesn’t give us what we want, then we will burn down the system and replace it.”

          It doesn’t matter whether Newsome was speaking figuratively or literally: the desired result is the same. Antifa, the violent military arm of Black Lives Matter, has already demonstrated its power; it has torched stores, offices, police precincts, and even churches without opposition. The message is clear: violence and destruction will go on until BLM’s goal is met.

          What goal is that? It’s not ending racism. Racism is only the pretext, the excuse for going to war with America. Racism is the Trojan horse. Black Lives Matter is a serious ideological movement that opposes our democratic system of government, the system that has made us the freest people in the world, and it rejects the capitalism that has made us the most prosperous.

          Black Lives Matter despises our values and our culture. It wants nothing less than the destruction of western civilization. The toppling of statues by BLM-inspired mobs is a clear signal that our very history must be erased. And if you think that Black Lives Matter will be satisfied when all the statues it finds offensive have been torn down, read what BLM activist Shawn King wrote:

          “All the murals and stained-glass windows of white Jesus and his European mother and their white friends should also come down. They are a gross form of white supremacy created as tools of oppression. Racist propaganda. They should all come down.”

          There you have BLM’s enemies list in a nutshell: European (Western) civilization and white people, with Christianity thrown in for good measure.

          Check out Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, the co-founders of Black Lives Matter. They boast of being radical Marxists whose avowed goal is to completely remove democracy and capitalism from this country and replace it with a totalitarian, communist state. And they will do it unless somebody stops them.

          Now, America doesn’t want to go to war with Black Lives Matter. After all, BLM has some serious gripes about our slave-owning past and our racist cops. Right? So let’s try appeasement first. Let’s not defend that Minneapolis police precinct under attack by the mob. Let’s rename Washington’s 16^th Street NW, call it Black Lives Matter Plaza, and paint the new name in bold, yellow letters on the pavement so even the president can see it. Let’s not interfere with the creation of an armed autonomous zone in the heart of Seattle. Let’s apologize to Colin Kaepernick and promise to kneel with him when he returns to the NFL. Let’s remove the likeness of Aunt Jemima from our box of pancake mix.

          The fools in Congress think they will deliver peace by putting handcuffs on the police. Corporations and Hollywood elites think that donating millions to BLM will buy justice. The mainstream media thinks it speaks for all Americans when it shows empathy for Black Lives Matter. We have become a nation of cringing, guilt-ridden apologists.

          We don’t want war, but we don’t realize that the enemy is already inside our gates, spilling from the Trojan horse.