Recently, Marxist radical Angela Davis learned she was descended from Stephen Darden, who owned slaves after moving to Georgia.  She was surprised to learn she is related to someone she hates.

Anyone who's done any ancestry going back to colonial days never even blinked.  We are all descended from a wide range of nations and tribes.  I have everything from royals to indentured servants in my lineage, which has no bearing on who I am today other than the components that go into making me a genetic mutt.

All Americans are mutts, which is genetically healthy.  There is no such thing as a purely anything regarding origin, short of Africa going back enough generations, since that is the origin of man.

Those who look at skin color and see nothing else miss what makes each of us the individual mutts we are.  That genetic mixture that results in the physical appearance is nothing compared to the internal, which is where talent lies.

Being too closely related, which would be the result of a pursuit of any so-called master race, would lead to severe genetic problems, as was the case in the still polygamous town of Short Creek, on the Utah-Arizona border.

Several years ago, numerous outlets, including the BBC, reported that children from Short Creek were suffering from the rare condition of fumarase deficiency.  It is fortunately very rare in the world.

According to the NIH:

Fumarase deficiency is an inherited condition that affects the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Signs and symptoms may include a small head (microcephaly), severe developmental delay, poor feeding, weak muscle tone (hypotonia), failure to thrive, seizures, and distinctive facial features. Most people with this deficiency are not able to speak or walk. A variety of brain abnormalities may be detected on MRI. Fumarase deficiency is caused by genetic changes in the FH gene and inheritance is autosomal recessive.

One does not have to be closely related, which is what happened in Short Creek, for genetics issues to arise, which is the reason sickle cell disease continues.

According to the CDC:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the hemoglobin is abnormal, which causes the red blood cells to become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a "sickle." The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious complications (health problems) such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.

Sickle cell requires both parents to carry the gene in order for children to inherit the disease.  Unlike what most falsely believe, it is not only Americans who happen to classify themselves as black who can have it, but Hispanics as well.

According to CDC statistics:

SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American births. About 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with sickle cell trait (SCT).

Intermarriage with people of other races greatly reduces the risk of children being born with the disease.  Genetic diversity is a good thing, since it is healthier for both populations mentioned.

Fortunately, America is a land of mutts.  Legal immigration going back to colonial days, and carrying through today, is beneficial, since we are better off from having those global genetics added in.

America is a land of mutts, which is a good thing for my country.

Anyone who thinks race means anything should do his own ancestry, since records are easily available for the research, or take a DNA test to find out another way.  What it will reveal is a wide range of people with varying colors leading to who you are today.

Bob Ryan is a writer who has an MBA.  He is an American Christian Zionist who staunchly supports Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state.  He has been a weekly blogger at the Times of Israel since 2019.

Image: Public Domain Vectors, public domain.