Higgins’ Apology Rejected –Anne Frank Center Playing Politics — Opinion

Let's face it, in today's political climate, with both sides battling it out on a global level, it's almost impossible to do or say anything without someone getting all up in arms about it. Now, State Representative Clay Higgins is no stranger to controversy, but I feel like I need to point out that Higgins' actions not meant to offend.

In case you missed all the hubub, it seems that Higgins was at the notorious Nazi death camp, Auschwitz and he filmed a video in there that was meant as a tribute to people who lost their lives in that horror factory, but evidently good intentions are no longer forgivable. As soon as Higgins saw that his actions were being misunderstood and his intentions misrepresented, he issued the following statement to the press:

I filmed the Auschwitz message with great humility. My intent was to offer a reverent homage to those who were murdered in Auschwitz and to remind the world that evil exists, that free nations must remember, and stand strong.

However, my message has caused pain to some whom I love and respect. For that, my own heart feels sorrow. Out of respect to any who may feel that my video posting was wrong or caused pain, I have retracted my video.

The atrocities that happened at Auschwitz were truly despicable, and we must never let history repeat itself in such a way. I have always stood with Israel and all Jewish people, and I always will. We live in a dangerous world, and massive forces of evil do indeed yet exist. We must all stand united against those evils. My Auschwitz video has been removed, and my sincere apology for any unintended pain is extended.

I'd call that a very sincere apology, but it seems that the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect won't accept that apology. Instead  of accepting his apology, he got what amounts to a lecture from the Anne Frank Center's director, Steven Goldstein,

"It is the site of genocide and tragedy for the Jewish people that you have disrespected. Not only must you apologize, but you must also get the sensitivity training appropriate for your continued service in the U.S. Congress."

Had not Higgins apology been so to the point and so sincere, I'd agree with Goldstein, but it's obvious that Goldstein is playing the politics game and it wouldn't have mattered what Higgins said. I mean just look at Goldstein's response to Higgins' apology:

Not only must you apologize, but you must also get the sensitivity training appropriate for your continued service in the U.S. Congress."

Seriously? Sensitivity training before he can continue to serve in the House? It's very obvious that there is nothing Higgins can do in this case. It's obvious that the problem is not that Higgins filmed at Auschwitz because only a million documentaries have been made there. The problem isn't what Higgins said while he was in there. The problem is that it was Clay Higgins and he is a well known conservative and that, my friends, is not forgivable.

For Goldstein to slap away the apologetic handshake is downright deplorable. It seems he's more interested in fighting the whole left-wing/right-wing battle than he is with his mission.

The moral here is simple: If you don't belong to the right party, nothing you do will be right. Nothing.