In his recent column, “Do you still desire freedom?” (July 2), John Balentine suggests that people who didn’t fight the mask mandate during the pandemic don’t like freedom. He further implies that “real” Americans should resist any intrusion on their individual liberties.
That staggering leap of logic may fly with Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity, but it should not go unchallenged.
So, I ask you, Mr. Balentine:
- Should “real’’ Americans support a president who instigated an insurrection at our nation’s Capitol? Were the insurrectionists patriots or traitors? Should members of the Senate and the House support an investigation into this heinous act of domestic terrorism?
- Should “real” Americans believe in the separation of church and state, that everyone should be free to follow any or no religion? A related question: Is America a Christian nation? (Reread the Constitution and the Bill of Rights before you answer.)
- Should “real” Americans believe that people should be free to marry and love another person, whatever that person’s gender or sexual orientation?
- Should “real” Americans believe that the president is above the law?
- Should “real” Americans cling to the notion that the Civil War was about “states’ rights,” rather than a rebellion against our national government?
Mr. Balentine, I am a “real” American, and I do believe in “freedom.” That said, I wore a mask to protect those around me, not just myself. I shudder to think where we would be as a nation today if every American subscribed to your odd definition of “freedom.”
David Treadwell
Brunswick
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