>>> THE DEBATE OVER CRITICAL
RACE THEORY BOILED OVER ONTO
CAPITOL HILL YESTERDAY AS
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF
STAFF OF THE NATIONS FIRST
BLACK DEFENSE SECRETARY
TESTIFIED BEFORE THE HOUSE
SERVICES COMMITTEE. TWO MEMBERS PRESSED THE LEADERS
TWO MEMBERS PRESSED THE LEADERS
ABOUT INCLUSION IN THE MILITARY.
>> WE DONT EMBRACE CRITICAL
RACE THEORY AND I THINK THATS A
SPURIOUS CONVERSATION.
AND SO, WE ARE SO FOCUSED ON
EXTREMIST BEHAVIORS.
>> ON THE ISSUE OF CRITICAL RACE
THEORY, ET CETERA, ILL HAVE TO
GET MUCH SMARTER ON WHATEVER THE
THEORY IS, BUT I DO THINK ITS
IMPORTANT FOR THOSE OF US IN
UNIFORM TO BE OPEN MINDED AND BE
WIDELY READ.
AND THE UNITED STATES MILITARY
ACADEMY IS A UNIVERSITY.
AND ITS IMPORTANT THAT WE TRAIN
AND WE UNDERSTAND -- I WANT TO
UNDERSTAND WHITE RAGE AND IM
WHITE AND I WANT TO UNDERSTAND
IT.
SO WHAT IS IT THAT CAUSED
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO ASSAULT
THIS BUILDING AND TRY TO
OVERTURN THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WHAT
CAUSED THAT?
I WANT TO FIND THAT OUT?
I WANT TO MAINTAIN AN OPEN MIND
HERE AND ANALYZE IT.
ITS IMPORTANT WE UNDERSTAND
THAT.
BECAUSE OUR SOLDIERS, SAILORS,
MARINES, THEY COME FROM THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE SO ITS
IMPORTANT WE DO UNDERSTAND IT.
IVE READ CARL MARX, LENNON,
THAT DOESNT MAKE ME A
COMMUNIST, SO WHAT IS WRONG WITH
UNDERSTANDING, HAVING SOME
SITUATIONAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE
COUNTRY WERE HERE TO DEFEND.
I FIND IT OFFENSIVE THAT WE ARE
ACCUSING THE UNITED STATES
MILITARY, GENERAL OFFICERS,
COMMISSIONED, NONCOMMISSIONED
OFFICERS OF BEING, QUOTE, WOKE
BECAUSE WERE STUDYING A THEORY
OUT THERE STARTED AT HARVARD LAW
SCHOOL YEARS AGO, AND THERE WERE
LAWS PRIOR TO THE CIVIL WAR THAT
LED TO A POWER DIFFERENTIAL AND
THEN WE HAD A CIVIL WAR TO
CHANGE IT AND BROUGHT IT UP TO
THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT IN 1964,
TOOK ANOTHER 100 YEARS TO WANT
TO CHANGE THAT.
I RESPECT YOUR SERVICE WERE
BOTH GREEN BERETS, BUT I WANT TO
KNOW.
IT MATTERS TO OUR DISCIPLINE.
>> THEY GOT MORE THAN THEY
BARGAINED FOR WHEN THEY ASKED
THAT QUESTION.
IT HAD TO BE DIFFICULT FOR
MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE SITTING
THERE TO HEAR YESTERDAY BECAUSE
SO MANY FANNED THE FLAMES OF THE
INSURRECTION ON JANUARY 6th AND
HE WAS DIRECT IN HIS REBUKE
THERE.
>> HE WAS CORRECT IN TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT THE RAGE THAT DROVE
PEOPLE TO ASSAULT THE CAPITOL OF
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND
SHRED THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNITED STATES.
ITS INTERESTING, MIKE BARNICLE,
WHEN YOU SEE A GROWN UP ACTUALLY
IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS MISERABLE,
THIS MISERABLE EXPERIENCE WHERE
YOU HAVE CHILDREN RUNNING AROUND
OF ALL AGES, ACTING OUT AND
PLAYING TO THE LOWEST COMMON
DENOMINATOR.
AND ITS SO INTERESTING, MIKE.
YOU AND I GREW UP IN A TIME
PERIOD WHERE REPUBLICANS CLAIMED
TO REVERE THE MILITARY.
OVER THE PAST MONTH WEVE SEEN A
UNITED STATES SENATOR CIRCULATE
RUSSIAN PROPAGANDA, SAYING THE
U.S. MILITARY IS EMASCULATED.
WE SEE A FORMER MEMBER OF THE
ARMED SERVICES YESTERDAY
ATTACKING THE MILITARY AS WOKE.
JUST AGAIN, JUST SHOWING
COMPLETE AND UTTER IGNORANCE.
AND GENERAL MILLEY SETTING HIM
STRAIGHT.
>> JOE, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS
ABOUT GENERAL MILLEYS
PRESENTATION THAT WAS SO
IMPRESSIVE, AMONG THE MOST
IMPRESSIVE WAS ODDLY ENOUGH THE
CUT AWAY TO CONGRESSMAN GAETZ
SHAKING HIS HEAD AT GENERAL
MILLYS TESTIMONY.
BUT GENERAL MILLEY SPOKE FROM
THE HEART, THOSE WERE NOT
PREPARED REMARKS, UNLIKE THE
QUESTIONS THAT MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS HAVE FROM THEIR STAFF.
AND GENERAL MILLEY WAS SPEAKING
ABOUT AN INSTITUTION THATS
MULTICOLORED REFLECTS AMERICA IN
TERMS OF ITS COMPOSITION.
PEOPLE WITH MANY RACES SERVE IN
THE UNITED STATES MILITARY AND
GENERAL MILLEY WAS RIGHT ABOUT
WANTING TO ASSESS WHERE WE ARE
IN TERMS OF RACE IN THIS
COUNTRY, WHAT IT IS THAT WE
DONT UNDERSTAND.
WHAT IS CRITICAL RACE THEORY.
I SUSPECT ITS NOT A MAJOR AN
ISSUE AS WE MADE IT OUT TO BE IN
THE MEDIA.
BUT WHAT IS IT ABOUT AMERICA
THAT BRINGS PEOPLE TOGETHER?
THE MILITARY IS THE ONE
INSTITUTION WHERE PEOPLE COME
TOGETHER, WORK TOGETHER, LIVE
TOGETHER AND UNFORTUNATELY FOR
THEM, BUT FORTUNATELY FOR OUR
CULTURE AND OUR COUNTRY, FIGHT
TOGETHER.
AND GENERAL MILLEY OUGHT TO BE
APPLAUDED NOT ONLY TODAY BUT
EVERY DAY THAT HE GOES TO WORK.
>> THAT WAS AN EXTRAORDINARILY
POWERFUL MOMENT FROM THE GENERAL
THERE AND SHOULD BE REQUIRED
VIEWING.
HE IS SOMEONE WHO WAS PART OF
DONALD TRUMPS ILL FATED PHOTO
OP THROUGH LAFAYETTE SQUARE AND
LATER APOLOGIZED FOR IT BEING
THE MILITARY SHOULD NOT BE
INVOLVED IN A POLITICAL STUDENT
LIKE THAT, NO OTHER WAY TO CALL
THAT, OTHER THAN STUNT.
BUT MARA I WANTED TO GET YOU
INVOLVED ON THIS AS WELL.
TELL ME, FROM YOUR ESTIMATION
HERE, WHY WAS YESTERDAY SO
IMPORTANT?
WEVE HEARD THESE ATTACKS, RACE
THEORY IS THE SHORTHAND, THE GOP
TALKING POINT, AND REPORTING
THIS WEEK THAT TRUMP ADVISERS
FEEL THAT COULD BE THE KEY TO
PUTTING REPUBLICANS BACK IN
POWER IN THE MIDTERMS OF 2022
AND PERHAPS THE PRESIDENCY OF
2024, THEY FEEL THE DEMOCRATS
HAVE FALLEN IN THIS RABBIT HOLE
OF WOKENESS AND CANT GET OUT OF
IT.
BUT HOW POWERFUL WAS THAT AND
WHAT SORT OF MESSAGE DO YOU
THINK IT WAS, TO HAVE HIM REBUKE
WHAT HAPPENED ON JANUARY 6th AND
SAYING THIS IS THE UNITED STATES
ARMED FORCES WERE HERE FOR
EVERYBODY.
>> GENERAL MILLEY DID SOMETHING
VERY POWERFUL WHICH IS THAT HE
CUT THROUGH THE CODED SPEECH AND
LANGUAGE AND RHETORIC AROUND
CRITICAL RACE THEORY AND STARTED
TALKING ABOUT WHAT IT ACTUALLY
IS TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
DIRECTLY.
I THINK THATS VERY IMPORTANT,
CRITICAL RACE THEORY, WHICH WAS
ASSERTED BY DERRICK BELL AT
HARVARD, ALL IT IS IS THE STUDY
OF RACISM AND HOW IT HAS BEEN
EMBEDDED IN AMERICAS LAWS AND
INSTITUTIONS FOR GENERATIONS.
AND SO, THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF
THAT, YOU KNOW, JUST TO THROW
ONE OUT THERE WOULD BE
REDLINING, IN WHICH ESSENTIALLY
THE GOVERNMENT ITSELF TOOK OUT A
MAP AND SAID, BECAUSE BLACK
PEOPLE LIVE IN THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS, WE WILL NOT GIVE
FEDERAL LOANS TO ALLOW AMERICANS
TO BUY MORE GAJTGAGES IN THESE
NEIGHBORHOODS AND EVERYTHING
THAT FOLLOWED FROM THAT, YOU CAN
SEE GENERATION TO GENERATION THE
LOSS OF WEALTH AND CAPITAL THAT
TOOK PLACE WHEN THAT OCCURRED.
THATS JUST ONE EXAMPLE.
SO WHAT CRITICAL RACE THEORY
SUGGESTS IS AMERICAN RACISM IS
NOT SIMPLY THE PRODUCT OF
INDIVIDUAL BIASES, RIGHT, BUT IS
ACTUALLY EMBEDDED IN THE
STRUCTURE OF AMERICAN
INSTITUTIONS.
THAT IS, BY THE WAY, NOT A
THEORY.
THAT IS A FACT AND A HISTORICAL
FACT.
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT ABOUT WHAT
THIS IS.
>> REV WHAT DID YOU THINK AS YOU
WATCHED GENERAL MILLEY
YESTERDAY?
IT WAS EXTRAORDINARY THAT HE
TOOK THAT MOMENT ON THAT STAGE
TO ADDRESS THAT AUDIENCE ON THAT
ISSUE?
>> I THINK ITS EXTRAORDINARY
BECAUSE OF WHO HE WAS AND HOW HE
DID IT.
I REALLY THINK WE CANNOT UNDER
ESTIMATE THE IMPACT OF HAVING A
MILITARY OFFICER OF HIS STATURE,
WHO HAS LEANED POLITICALLY TO
THE LEFT IN ANY WAY SAY, I WANT
TO KNOW THESE THINGS.
AND THAT WE NEED TO KNOW THESE
THINGS.
AND THE HISTORY OF OUR BLACKS
WERE CONSIDERED LESS THAN HUMAN,
I DONT THINK YOU COULD HAVE HAD
A BETTER WITNESS TO AN AUDIENCE
THAT NEEDED TO BE CONFRONTED IF
THEY COULD NOT BE CONVERTED.
I THOUGHT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE
MOMENTS IN HISTORY WE OUGHT TO
FREEZE AND PLAY IT OVER AND OVER
AGAIN.
>> EVEN AFTER THE HEARING SOME