Jul Thompson’s Speech at the BPS Board Meeting – May 17, 2017

I hope to clear up some gross misconceptions about our Spirit of America Rally, and hopefully provide a little insight.

I PULLED THE PERMIT, and our group TEA New York, dedicated to fiscal responsibility and Constitutionally Limited Govt, along with SCOPE – the Shooters Committee on Political Education, COSPONSORED the event, and THIS is the summary, published in part, online:

The purpose of this event “was to join the chorus of similar events across the nation, fellowship with other liberty-loving Americans, and generally express our love and support of America’s founding principles enshrined in the divinely-inspired US Constitution.”

We opened in prayer to God through Christ, we recited the Pledge, we listened to great speakers including the Sheriff who properly instructed us on the Rule of Law and we displayed patriotic signs and flags.

Yet without missing a beat, some clearly partisan politicians and others here called it a “radical event” that featured “nasty signs and inciteful hate speech,” all together fueling the BIG FUSS… over NOTHING.  Conspicuously missing were any criticisms over the black-veiled “anti-fascists” doing everything in their power to shut down our free speech.

The Gadsen and Confederate flags appear to be a source of confusion for some, BOTH of which are symbols of opposition, not to the abolition of slavery but to an ever-encroaching federal government.  The FACTS ARE that between 60 and 93,000 Blacks willingly and BRAVELY fought for the South.  “Black Southerners in Gray” by Richard Rollins provides some insight into WHY the Confederate Flag is a source of pride to many Blacks.  Whether we disagree or refuse to acknowledge the facts, on this we are unlikely to find ANY common ground.  But the President of the Confederacy himself said “We are not fighting for slavery.  We are fighting for Independence.”  No one at our event disrespected the Black community.  We simply have different views about the symbolism of the Confederate Flag.

That said, we know that many racial groups form specific groups to work for common interests they feel must be defended — looking out for their own interests, not always or necessarily for the good of the whole.

We have the NAACP, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Hispanic Caucus, the Asian Caucus, LA RAZA, who are all asking “what’s in it for us?”  Here, in a multi-racial school district, we even demanded a Black Superintendent.  Some of us were appalled at such a demand, but we’ve come to understand, this is just a group looking out for their own interests they feel need to be defended.

Contrast this with a Board Member who represents no such group, continually subjects himself to disproportionate outrage and assaults on his character simply because he wishes to SHARE the wealth, lift UP the inner cities and RAISE the level of achievement to foster a little hope and a future where hope and prosperity have become stagnant here over the last 50 years.  We can now easily forgive 50 years of failure, but continuing the same mistakes of the past?  We cannot accept.

On some things we simply will never agree.  But hopefully, we can agree that overall, the Buffalo Public School System is NOT a success story. We can only encourage you to embrace some very necessary and long overdue change.