Apologizing for the Truth

It is a sad statement about the state of our culture when a governor apologizes for speaking the truth. Talking about a dramatic increase in theft from railroads, California Gov. Gavin Newsome recently said,

This is not one-off. This is organized theft. These are organized gangs of people that are coming out.

In response to criticism over his use of the word “gangs,” Newsome apologized.

Forgive me for saying “gangs,” that’s not a pejorative. They’re organized groups of folks that move from site to site.

A gang is an organized group of criminals. Newsome was correct to call the thieves a gang. He was wrong to apologize. Nobody should apologize for speaking the truth.

When Newsome toured a railroad site and saw trash strewn across the tracks from the gang’s looting, he remarked,

What the hell is going on? It looked like a third world country.

Some criticized the governor for using the term “third world country” rather than the more politically correct term “developing nation.” Again, Newsome was attacked for speaking the truth.  The fact is, many third world countries are not developing. They are ruled by dictators and socialists who ignore property rights and make production nearly impossible. They are the ultimate gang.

Conservatives correctly pointed out that it is Newsome and his political allies that have created the mess California finds itself in. But the fact that Newsome and his cronies support destructive policies does not mean that they should be attacked for speaking the truth.

This is no different from what the media did to Trump. They were quick to point out his errors, of which there were many. But they refused to give him any credit when he did something right, which admittedly wasn’t often.

A large part of the nation’s political divineness is a consequence of refusing to acknowledge that the other side might occasionally be right. Anyone who is truly concerned about the truth and what is just doesn’t care who speaks truth or promotes justice. And they certainly don’t demand apologies for speaking the truth.