EDITOR:

That breaks my silence. I just saw a picture of Mt. Rushmore and a quote from the South Dakota Governor saying, “Not on my watch.” I thought maybe tourist numbers were down or there was environmental crumbling. Nope, Washington and Jefferson, founding fathers, owned slaves. Lincoln to some was racist too — him next and then — Teddy is to go as he offended so many. Bully up, Governor.

This “tearing down” to “build up” is foolish. Riots, looting, burning and taking over city blocks and college buildings is illegal and wrong. It backfires. Two wrongs do not make a right. Whatever happened to civility, reason, commonsense? I know it’s lost in D.C. where no party can get a bill even discussed. Peaceful protests, yes, yes, yes! Stop there! BlackLivesMatter, with some good intentions for equality and some peaceful protestors is hindered by their founding tenets by those intent on destruction. And, their basic tenets (look them up, please) go against the principles of Christianity in the areas of family, education, policing, sexuality and abortion. Why would BLM affirm abortion? Even many minority politicians and clergy do not support BLM. Martin Luther King is turning over in his grave.

Our nation, despite its shortcomings has the best democracy and human rights record in history. Don’t dismantle or Obama-transform us. Let’s turn protests into policy. Systemic racism exists. Bandages and riots do not work.

I wish weeks ago the Democrat party leaders and minority celebrities would have come out strong in condemning riotous behavior. A recent poll of self-identified Democrat students indicated that 61% of them found looting and rioting “appropriate behavior.” What? One so-called professor teaches online the best way to topple statues. The next stray bullet will nail a 5-year old bystander.

Stevie Wonder and GOP rising star black politicians are criticized for being “not black enough.” The police everywhere are archenemy #1, oops, “the community-sanctioning members elected for one-year terms and hired and fired by voters”.

I’m afraid to invest in ancestry.com in that my great-great grandfather might have run a Swedish white-slavery, prostitution ring or that in 1968 I told a me-too insensitive joke. Oh, yeah, the Dixie Chicks are no longer, just “iffy Chicks” now. And the John Wayne Airport- — soon gone.

Some art really offends me, but I don’t feel destined to destroy it. American civil–ization provides legal means to change what we don’t like. Nothing good comes from letting loose the wilds of anarchy.

When entitled leftists declare themselves the sole arbitrators of truth, it’s important for all of us to rally behind “free speech” fully!

I don’t want our currency bills to have pictures of Gloria Steinham, Al Sharpton, Cheech and Chong or Rachel Maddow, or our national motto to be, “In PC We Trust”.

Recently a video showed two 4-year old boys who recognized each other though 10 yards apart. It showed them racing to each other hugging and jumping for joy. One-black, one-white. The dream is still his/ours/God’s.

Mike Chief Olson

Escanaba