Can America Be Forgiven? 

My friend, columnist, commentator and talk radio host Dennis Prager, has a powerful column at Townhall.com today. He writes that he was deeply moved by the relatives of the slain black church members who told Dylann Roof that they forgave him. But he also disagreed with their gesture.

Prager argues that under his Jewish faith and under standard Christian doctrine only the victim of a wrong can forgive the perpetrator of the wrong. I would remind my friend that the families are victims too, and in that sense, their forgiveness is noble. Sadly, there is no surplus of forgiveness in America. 

But what intrigued me even more in Prager's column was his main point: When will America be forgiven for sins committed by ancestors who are long dead? This is not the America of 1850 nor even the America of 1950. 

Most of the country desperately wants racial harmony. Millions of white Americans voted for Barack Obama for that very reason -- they thought his election would heal the wounds of the past.

Killer Dylann Roof's murderous rampage is not evidence of widespread racist sentiment in white America any more than the New Black Panthers and their frequent calls for violent revolution represent the sentiments of millions of God-loving black Americans. 


Confederate Flag Controversy 

Yesterday South Carolina's Governor Nikki Haley (R), flanked by a bi-partisan coalition of lawmakers, including South Carolina's two United States senators, called on the state legislature to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the state capitol. Haley said:
 

"We are here in a moment of unity in our state without ill will, to say it's time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds. A hundred and fifty years after the end of the Civil War, the time has come."

Governor Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants. Standing with her yesterday was Senator Tim Scott (R), the first black senator in South Carolina's history. 

Almost immediately after the Charleston church shootings, the left-wing media went into attack mode. Virtually every presidential candidate was asked about the Confederate flag in a not-so-subtle attempt to entrap conservatives with "gotcha questions." 

But here's something the liberal media won't tell you: The Confederate flag was first flown over the South Carolina capitol by Democrat Governor Fritz Hollins in 1962. 

Now that this issue has been taken off the table, I hope we can move on to more important trends hurting our nation, including the breakdown of the family and the growing disrespect for faith in America. 


The U.N. Does It Again 

Anyone looking for examples of overt bias should look no further than the United Nations. Once again, it has produced a biased report accusing Israel of war crimes in last summer's Gaza war.

Yesterday the U.N. Human Rights Council issued a report on the conduct of the war. It claimed that there were "serious violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law by Israel and by Palestinian armed groups," some of which "may amount to war crimes."

This is beyond absurd. Yes, mistakes happen. Yes, innocent people suffer. That is why we say "War is hell." 

But between the nation of Israel and the terrorists of Hamas, it is absolutely clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. The moral equivalency in the U.N. report is repugnant and totally unacceptable. 

It was Hamas -- not Israel -- that was caught digging terror tunnels in order to launch sneak attacks on religious holidays. 

It was Hamas -- not Israel -- that was caught hiding weapons in schools and hospitals.

It was Hamas -- not Israel -- that placed rocket launchers in civilian neighborhoods. When Hamas did that, it committed war crimes and became responsible for any civilian deaths that resulted from Israel acting in self-defense. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully denounced the U.N. report yesterday as "flawed and biased." Here are some excerpts of his remarks:
 

"Israel is a democracy committed to the rule of law. Time and again it is forced to defend itself against Palestinian terrorists who commit a double war crime: They deliberately target civilians while deliberately hiding behind Palestinian civilians. . . . In defending itself against such attacks, Israel's military acted, and acts, according to the highest international standards. 

"The report in hand was commissioned by a notoriously biased institution. . . The United Nations Human Rights Council has a singular obsession with Israel. It has passed more resolutions against Israel than against Syria, North Korea and Iran combined. In fact, it has passed more resolutions against Israel that against all the countries of the world combined. 

"So, Israel treats this report as flawed and biased, and it urges all fair-minded observers to do the same."