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The clamor to drive former U.S. Marine Christopher Pohlhaus from Maine for being “neo-Nazi” sounds to me like something the KKK would have done if a black family moved into a neighborhood in the South a century ago. The article in the BDN on Aug. 10 doesn’t cite anything illegal that’s being done, but Maine lawmakers apparently want to forget the Constitution and run him out of the state on general principles. The vaunted “inclusion” of the left doesn’t last long when someone actually disagrees with it.
This country has had conflicts with two major groups in the last century — Nazis (mostly in Germany) and Communists/Socialists (mostly with Russia and China, in Korea, Vietnam and elsewhere). There is very little Nazi activity today, but there are actually politicians on local, state and national levels who flaunt their Communist/Socialist beliefs and make it clear they want to destroy the capitalist system that made this country great. I think these leftist politicians are doing much more harm to the country than an alleged neo-Nazi in Springfield, Maine.
As said in a quote often attributed to Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” I agree with that sentiment, but it’s out of fashion today.
Lawrence E. Merrill
Bangor