Closed minds fail to see

I continue to be amazed at many of the letters to the editor.

The superficial understanding of issues, use of platitudes and the constant drumbeat of the conservatives on their favorite issues: guns, God, gays and greed (this is what it is all about for them: greed).

Typically, they hide sanctimoniously behind religion and patriotism. Most of it phony and just open display with no substance or understanding of why many “patriotic” Americans are not as proud of who we are and how we treat others. When you are brainwashed to believe that only America is great and everything we do as a nation is good then anyone that does not fit this belief is disparaged and threatened.

The latest issue is NFL players demonstrating at games. The conservative sees this as defaming the flag and anthem. They want them to leave the country, or at least shut up.

These conservatives have no appreciation for the issues being protested, namely, police killing unarmed blacks, an unprecedented number of blacks incarcerated, massive lack of opportunity for a large portion of Americans who are not white, among others.

When you put blinders on and believe the propaganda, then it is impossible to understand what is happening. The flag and anthem are merely symbols. The Constitution is what we fight for and should cherish. When all citizens are truly treated equally then we can feel good about America.

Given the closed-minded letters to the editor, I am not hopeful.

This story was originally published October 19, 2017 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Closed minds fail to see."