Well...

Mr. Cose makes the claim that there are a few specific actions on the part of the government are are of importance to victims of historic injustices, or the descendants of the victims. He says that official investigation, an apology, and restitution are three things that these victims should not be denied. The easiest way to relate to this idea is to think of it as something that has happened to you before when the perpetrator walked away and forgot about the incident rather than trying to make amends for the damage they caused. In this way, Cose's idea makes sense. Nobody wants to be a forgotten victim overshadowed by the glory of the current state of things. For society, this gives a 'warm-fuzzy-homemade-cookies' type of feeling when the citizens see the mighty government humbly apologize for wrongdoings. It creates a sense of loyalty and pride on the part of society to see a strong group admit that they were, in fact, wrong. Too bad none of the current political figures seem to understand this concept. I personally would love to feel 'warm-fuzzy-homemade-cookies' feelings. But I guess that's just me.