I saw this story in the Loudoun Times, and thought it would be worth posting the video on YouTube. Here’s the short version of what happened earlier this week in Leesburg, as Council member (and self-described “proud” “conservative”) Tom Dunn rambles on about how government didn’t really free the slaves (uh…ever hear of the emancipation proclamation? the Civil War fought by the Union army and government? the 13th amendment to the constitution?), and how “God” supposedly did (even though God and religion were used by many/most slaveowners as justification for holding slaves). Dunn also rants against diversity and commissions and government in general, commenting, “I don’t know why folks feel that the government has to give their race legitimacy.” More to the point, why did voters give this guy and his out-there views any “legitimacy,” and when are they going to do something about that situation by booting him out of office?
Tuesday’s hours-long hearing on the diversity commission was punctuated with a weighty oration from Dunn, who said American slaves were freed by God, not government.
Within his speech, Councilman Dunn chided Phillip Thompson, the local NAACP president, for invoking slavery into the conversation.
“Shame on you, Mr. Thompson, for throwing slavery into this discussion,” Dunn said. “There are people who feel that government, I guess, is supposed to be the answer to everything. Mr. Thompson, I don’t believe government freed our slaves that we had in this country. That was an evil that this country had. It was the hand of God touching the hearts of man that freed those slaves. And it’s the same hand of God touching the hearts of man that will bring unity within diversity. It’s not government.”
Dunn continued, “Jesus said, ‘I give you one commandment, and that is to love one another.’ He could have said, ‘go out and create a diversity commission,’ but he didn’t … I don’t know why folks feel that the government has to give their race legitimacy.“
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