Let’s take our country back

by Jerry Esmay, Stevensville

Time for me to again make a few observations about our current political situation.

The WOKE movement continues.  As I understand this stupid philosophy, if one or more folks find something offensive, we must get rid of that “thing”.  “Thing” has ranged from statues, books, political party, religion and history.  This week I read that the city of Charlottesville, VA, has not only removed statues of Civil War generals but decided that the statue of Lewis & Clark with Sacagawea must be removed as well since some folks thought it showed Sacagawea placed in a subservient stance.  You got to be kidding me!  This crap has to cease!  I say we stand up and state that we find these left-wing radicals offensive and they are the ones that must be REMOVED!

And then there is this CRITICAL RACE THEORY movement.  As I understand this equally stupid philosophy, you are automatically racist if your skin is white, and you need to admit it and agree that we need to not only re-educate everyone but we need to change most of our laws and rewrite our Constitution since it was written by white men.  I heard this week that they even want our flag replaced since it is a sign of racism.  Again, I say this crap has to cease!  This nation has been a beacon for the rest of the world since it was formed and has saved the world at least once.  If we are so bad, why are so many from around the world trying to get here.  To me, this is Communist propaganda being spread by radicals who want this country to fail.  Since I have sworn several oaths over my life time “to protect and defend this country against foreign and domestic enemies”, I want these folks who are buying into this movement to know that I consider them a domestic enemy.

How about our “street people” problem???  Am I the only person that thinks we need a new approach on how to handle the increasing numbers of folks who are living on the streets of our towns and cities?  These folks have been referred to with a number of different labels in my lifetime.  My parents referred to them as “bums” and felt very little sympathy for them.  However, the makeup of this group was very different from today – most mentally unstable folks were being housed in mental institutions, drugs other than alcohol were not readily available and there was generally a very strong work ethic.  Around the 1960s or 1970s our society decided that those in mental institutions should be allowed to live on their own and many mental institutions were closed.  Then over the last 50 years or so, Marijuana and other hard drugs became more widespread and available.  And, along with these trends, generous welfare programs were developed to help the poor (who then became dependent upon these programs) and the work ethic started declining.   Along with these changes came a changing of the description of these folks – no longer “bums” but “street people” then “transients” then more recently “homeless”, and just this week I heard they are now referred to as “illegal campers” in Missoula.  I suggest that our society HAS TO STOP giving into these folks and feeling sorry for them.  We need to take an in-depth analysis of what’s happening and develop new approaches on how to handle these folks.  You can’t convince me that allowing mentally unstable individuals to live on the street is in their best interest nor society’s best interest.  These folks are living like animals.  Similarly, we must re-think how we deal with drug addiction.  Continuing to allow them to contaminate our entire society by pushing drugs and steeling anything they can their hands on HAS TO STOP!  I also think it’s necessary to review our liberal welfare programs – people need to get back to work!  Allowing folks to live indefinitely on “free stuff” HAS TO STOP!

Finally, I just must address the “DEFUND THE POLICE” movement.  As I have stated many times before, I believe this is probably the stupidest proposal I’ve ever heard.  The left-wing folks seem to think that the police are the ones who commit the crimes and if we do away with them, eutopia will occur and we can all get along and do away with prisons.  I would like to borrow an old phrase, “what planet were these folks born on?”  It doesn’t take an Einstein to predict what will happen when you defund the police – crime will go UP!  Coupled with this stupid concept, some cities/states have also reduced punishment for criminal offenses, enacted “no bail”, and closed prisons.  As anyone with any understanding of crime and criminals should have been able to predict, CRIME HAS GONE UP!  Politicians in these liberal locations don’t seem to understand, though, and have recently blamed the Republicans for their problems.  HELLO!

Folks we have to take our country back before the lunatics/communists take it away from us!