Western democracies have been known to tout self determination as a value, but history tells another story. Were the Palestinians given a say about their future when the state of Israel was established by foreign powers?
Consider what happened to Hungary.
In a speech marking the occasion in the Hungarian Parliament, President János Áder reminded his countrymen that:
In 1920, Hungary lost two-thirds of its territory. Its population shrank from 18 million to 7.5 million. More than three million Hungarians were left as minorities in neighbouring countries. Romania alone gained more territory than Hungary had left. A significant part of our cereal-growing areas, 90 percent of our forests, and two-thirds of our rail network were ceded to neighbouring countries.
The dissonance between political rhetoric and the Palestinian and the Hungarian reality is as striking as the dissonance between the slogan of "justice for all" and the dehumanizing effects of systemic poverty, racism, and violence.
In the USA, the killing of George Floyd was the match to the tinder. It is naive to believe that a political party can fix these problems. The virtue signaling of politicians on right and left simply exacerbates the turmoil. To stand in front of a church holding a Bible demeans both church and sacred Scripture. It also demeans the office to which the person has been elected.
Citizens of the United States of America should look seriously at themselves and their elected leaders. Either we will determine for ourselves what kind of society we want to be, or foreign powers will gladly do that for us.
Relate Reading: A Bitter Centenary for the Hungarian People; Anarchy and the Elites; What Are American Ideals?
