Statement on Basic Truths

​

In these unprecedentedly crazy times, it may be worth reiterating a few basic truths, the self-evidence of which we must continue to believe will defuse the troubling degree of controversy with which they have of late been surrounded. All lives matter. There are two genders: male and female. Killing babies in the womb is a terrible thing. Racism can go both ways, though few people are racist. Criminals ought to be treated as criminals, and sick people as sick people, not the other way around. Communism is bad. Opinion is not the same as news. Self-righteousness is a very poor substitute for righteousness, and virtue signalling for virtue. Saddling real or perceived marginalized groups with a heightened sense of self-pity, anger, and victimization, while throwing them deeper into a welfare trap, is a sure way to increase division and hardship, not to decrease it. Consensus can have no bearing on whether or not something is true or right, while recognizing as much can play a major role in whether or not truth or rightness will have a powerful bearing on consensus. China poses a serious threat on many levels, and its government is not to be trusted. We could and should be taking better care of our planet, but we are not facing an imminent environmental apocalypse. Police are important. The economy matters—a lot. Freedom of expression and diversity of opinion are ever requisite to moving things forward, not inimical to it. Human beings are more than highly-evolved apes. Respect is due to those who have earned it, while civility is due to all. Worship belongs to God alone.