To The Eagle:

Recent July 4th celebrants in the South displayed large Confederate battle flags flying from private property that were visible from many interstate highways and other public locations. Those flags are an arrogant declaration of white supremacist’s values in the darkest hearts of Dixie. Happy Independence day, y’all.

Our nation is remarkable throughout the world for the stability of its government, the reach of its power, the depth of its generosity and the intractable racism deeply staining the fabric of American society.

In this land of the free and home of the brave, this nation’s neighborhoods have passionately hated, discriminated against and in many cases murdered members of any social grouping designated as “colored,” be they America’s Native Peoples, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Pakistani, or Hispanic immigrants, descendants of enslaved Africans--did I miss any? Pick any dark color. That’s all one needs to have in this society to be considered less than a person.

I suspect that, the reason Donald Trump has spent an inordinate amount of effort trying to destroy the legacy of Barack Obama, root and branch, has nothing to do with party politics - Trump has none, or governing policies - Trump doesn’t understand them, or personal philosophy - Trump doesn’t have one beyond his own ego and prejudice.

It is my opinion that our Bigot-In-Chief cannot abide to be overshadowed, or even stand next to, the shade of a guy with a colored face, particularly one who can speak more coherently than him, in complete sentences. For Trump, that’s just too "uppity."

“It’s a free country” is a care less axiom of the entitled white half of this nation. The other, less than white, half of this country are marching down our streets, again, shouting “respect my existence or expect resistance.”

Those protesters are thinking exactly what you have been. Enough is enough.

JB Bouchard

Puget Island