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Guest Column: Celebrate all types of diversity

By Tom Layson/for The Herald

We celebrate diversity in today’s Herald. It is obvious that accepting and respecting racial and cultural differences is vital if this Republic, and our little piece of it, are to thrive and survive the next 233 years.

But can diversity corrode our national identity and the bonds that hold us together as a society? Certainly, but to understand how it requires we break away from the notion that race is the only measure of diversity.

We cannot afford to celebrate diversity of purpose. There should be no safe harbor here for those who want to destroy rather than build. We may differ on policy, but our goals in support of family, a strong national and local economy, private property, freedom from religious, social, governmental and philosophical tyranny and security against enemies both foreign and domestic are not subject to compromise.

We can not afford to celebrate a diversity that divides us into groups rather than binds us together as Americans. We must speak the same language and insist on a values-based education that emphasizes the duties that go along with citizenship. Living here is a blessing, and we have a duty to teach our children to see it that way, too. We also have a right to require buy-in from those who want to join us from abroad.

We can not afford to celebrate a diversity that is willing to tolerate government subjugation to achieve its own ends. The start of one group’s rights must not signal an end to another’s. All groups must share rights and responsibilities together. Tribalism is a hallmark of failed nations and an open invitation to tyranny.

We can not afford to celebrate a diversity that devalues the rule of law. Being required to live in fear to satisfy misguidedly diverse views on this point gets our police officers killed and the rest of us beaten, raped or robbed. Allowing the aggressive rise of a criminal element for the sake of convenience is another harbinger of failed states.

In the end, celebrating diversity means celebrating the different things that can be added to the whole to make it stronger. Diverse people bring us new ideas, valuable cultural contributions and innovation. The best diversity is additive, not subtractive.

That is the kind of diversity we can all celebrate, together.

You can e-mail Tom Layson at Tdlayson@gmail.com.