Negative Action

Twenty years ago, Washington State voters outlawed ethnic discrimination within our state. Initiative 200, passed by a decisive popular vote, specified that employers or those granting contracts, “shall not discriminate against nor grant preferable treatment … on the basis of race, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.” This past Sunday during their last minute session, our legislature struck down the people’s initiative. Ethnic background is now a required criteria for evaluating new employees and granting state contracts. Proponents base their support on claims that it will make up for past discrimination. They claim some minorities need a boost in order to compete, and the initiative will enhance diversity. I think they are wrong on all counts.

Past wrongs can never be erased. I returned home from my last combat tour in Viet Nam to an ungrateful, often hostile, nation. I was spit on while running through SEATAC to catch my plane. We were prohibited from wearing our uniforms off the base to avoid negative encounters. I will never forget how we were treated. As time passed, national attitudes toward our military have changed. Many movie theaters have special rates for veterans. As a retiree, I am sometimes offered a discount at hardware or grocery stores. I appreciate these gestures and honor the spirit with which they are given, but they can never wipe out the hurt of my homecoming. I do not question that prejudice is still present in America. Americans of color have had to overcome barriers that never should have been there. But allowing them special privileges now will not eliminate those past wrongs. We can only make sure they never happen to anyone again.

Special privileges for any racial group is discrimination against all other ethnic groups. It is wrong. Those who claim that Affirmative Action is not discrimination should talk to the Asian protesters who were ejected from the legislature following the vote last Sunday. Asians are not considered to be among those who need a boost in order to compete. Our legislature deems it OK to place them below other less qualified applicants solely because their ancestors came from Asia. Or talk to the small business owner who struggles to keep his enterprise afloat. His bid for a state contract will now be scored lower than less competitive bids because his ancestors came from Europe ten generations ago. Someone should try to convince him he is not being discriminated against because of his race. Affirmative Action is discrimination.

When did diversity, in and of itself, become a desirable goal? I had the privilege to be invited to my friend’s ordination ceremony when he became a minister. To achieve diversity, the program manager invited a Navajo and a Chinese to participate. There was only one person there who spoke Navajo. If there were more than one Chinese speaker, I was unaware of it. It looked good, but they did not communicate with anyone. The artificial attempt to appear diversified degraded an otherwise sacred ceremony. Diversity should not be a goal; it should be a product of integration. If we accept all ethnic backgrounds equally, we will achieve true diversity. I have been in many situations overseas where languages flow naturally through the crowd like breezes. Multilingual attendees ensured everyone understood what was going on. These events, are enlightening but cannot be achieved artificially.

The legislature chose not to place this new initiative on the ballot for a popular vote. Proponents say it would be too expensive. We will have a general election next year, and the cost of one additional ballot initiative would be insignificant. Legislators should not be allowed to overturn a popular vote during a last minute session. It is wrong. I agree with the Asian protesters whose signs said, “Vote them out.”

(Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and a long time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free lance columnist for more than 19 years.)