By Jerry Esmay, Stevensville
I just finished reading the letter to the editor entitled, “The Lie of Systemic Racism” by Henry Fowler in the June 24th issue of the Bitterroot Star. Thank you, Mr. Fowler, for bringing out the truth behind the current Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. I am of the opinion that this BLM protest is actually setting racism backward rather than forward. I am also of the opinion that the radical anarchists and revolutionaries have taken over this movement.
Here are a few of my observations:
1) The death of George Floyd was the spark that set off the associated protests by the BLM organizers. As a result of these supposedly peaceful protests, at least two law enforcement officers and others have been killed. Why is Mr. Floyd’s death more important than that of the others who have died? As his case progresses through the criminal trial process, I think we will find out that he was not an innocent black man being harassed by the police. Additionally, why is his homicide so much more horrific than a child killed by gunfire between blacks on blacks in one of our major cities this past weekend?
2) Allowing rioters and anarchists to loot and burn is beyond my comprehension. This had nothing to do with the BLM protests but was simply being used as an opportunity for criminals and terrorists to take advantage of leadership weakness in the cities and states where it happened.
3) And then, on to destroying statues and monuments that somehow were perceived to be linked to racism. BS. Another opportunity seized by these criminals and terrorists to further disrupt and threaten our Constitution and way of life. This week, one of the leaders in this terrorism (I don’t have his name at my fingertips but he was identified as one of the key fund raisers for Bernie Sanders) has declared war on Christianity. I heard him contending that Jesus was a “White European” and that all statues and stained glass windows of Christian leaders need to be destroyed. As a Christian, I take this as a direct threat to me personally.
4) Along the way, our law enforcement organizations have been identified as the root evil associated with this perceived racism, and a loud call to, “defund the police” has been sounded. Excuse me, but that is the dumbest thing I believe I’ve heard in my life! I agree that there are changes to the training and structure of law enforcement organizations that could and should be made, but doing away with law enforcement is simply a step back to the lawless frontier.
It has been said that to forget the bad mistakes of the past will result in making those mistakes again in the future. If the reader takes the time to see how Hitler came into power, I think you will recognize similarities to what is happening in this country. Although the citizens back then didn’t like what they saw happening, they were afraid to speak up. Well, I’m not afraid to speak up.
As a veteran, I took an oath to, “… support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic …” And as a member of The American Legion, I pledge to uphold the Constitution at every meeting. It is crystal clear to me that those trying to delete our history through the destruction of our past are DOMESTIC ENEMIES, and I don’t intend on silently standing by if this movement comes to our community. Thus, I have already encouraged the County Commissioners to hold a discussion on this subject and develop a resolution against this criminal activity. Similarly, although I do not live in town, I believe the Stevensville Town Council should do the same.