Was It Something I Said?

<p>The good news is that I was referenced in another news-and-opinion site.&nbsp; The bad news is that I was said to <a href="http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=14236&amp;tag=">&quot;indulge in sanctimonious historical revisionism.&quot;</a></p>

<p><br />

That’s because I <a href="http://www.washingtonindependent.com/view/franklin-and">cited</a> Benjamin Franklin verbatim, and within the original context. Citing historical facts is not the hallmark of revisionism.&nbsp; The short post at issue made the point that some things being said about immigrants today were being said long ago, even by a revered national figure.&nbsp; I was afraid that some readers would miss that.</p>

<p><br />

Paul Campos is a law professor at the University of Colorado.&nbsp; I know law professors.&nbsp; I’m a lawyer myself.&nbsp;&nbsp; And I don’t disagree with the substance of Mr. Campos’ column, except for that high-fallutin’ adverse description of my post.</p>

<p><br />

However, I’d like to point to his further note: &quot;After all, Franklin was merely expressing the conventional wisdom of his time and place.&quot;</p>

<p><br />

I suppose that he has the data to support that, but I’m pretty sure that the Indians and Africans of the Thirteen Colonies did not agree with him.&nbsp; Also, given the opinion quoted, I’m sure that neither did the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians, Swedes and Germans of that time and place.&nbsp; And we can add to that the black and tawny people in the rest of the world, as described by Franklin, excepting Anglo-Saxons.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />

It sounds like Mr. Campos meant to say &quot;the conventional wisdom of Anglo-Saxon colonialists, especially the slave-owners, of his time and place.&quot;&nbsp; Not that Franklin was a slave-owner, but he did hang out with folks who were.</p>

<p><br />

Every time I get to feeling good about the progress we see in race and national relations, I run into someone like a professor who hasn’t quite made the adjustment to new thinking.</p>

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I hope that didn’t sound sanctimonious.</p>