The Friendship State

Seriously, we've got to move out of this state. I think the only thing keeping us here is the fact we live on a progressive little island surrounded by a sea of people who apparently can't agree that lynchings might deserve an apology.

WACO, Texas - A resolution denouncing lynchings in the 1800s and early 1900s was rejected Tuesday by county commissioners, while the City Council agreed to try to draft a document both bodies can accept.

McLennan County commissioners decided against adopting a community group's measure apologizing for the lynchings by a 4-to-1 vote, but then said they would work on a resolution all could accept.

In a separate meeting Tuesday, the Waco City Council agreed to meet in June to draft its own resolution. Members said they hoped to work with county commissioners to draft an acceptable document.

Both bodies had been urged by the Community Race Relations Coalition to apologize for the "failure of past leadership to uphold and defend lynching victims' most basic rights to life, liberty, and due process." Of the more than 4,700 lynchings nationwide during the 1800s and early 1900s, about 500 were in Texas.

What, exactly, is objectionable about that? The story keeps referencing how the county commissioners and city council are hoping to develop an "acceptable document," but I, for one, would like to know what's unacceptable about the resolution. How hard is it to say, "Lynchings are wrong. We're sorry anyone had to suffer that kind of treatment, and we're sorry anyone had to deal with the lingering pain a crime like this leaves on the survivors. Together, we can move forward."

I don't think anyone is shouting from the gallery, "You! You commissioners and council members, admit to your sins, you bastards!" And I don't think every past misdeed should necessarily get an official apology (though I do think they foster goodwill and serve to acknowledge histories people are usually too willing to sweep aside). But these lynchings aren't ancient history. They're barely not-so-ancient history.

There are people alive today who remember lynchings very well - they didn't end in the early 1900s. There are still people who can tell you what it was to live in fear for their lives, and people who can tell you how they knotted the ropes themselves. And, maybe more importantly, the children and grandchildren of those people are still around, each with their own personal family histories. What stories do they remember? What have they learned?

If they live in Waco, they've learned that nothing much has changed.