Do more to promote mutual respect
Loud alarms should be ringing to alert all of us about the dangers of what happened in Charlottesville. Hate-filled people marched in Nazi regalia, shouting out their anti-Semitic and racist sickness. Although many of our grandparents fought and died in a world war to protect us from this hate, the president of the United States needed to be prompted by his own party to say more than nonsense.
White supremacist websites saw the president's initial response as a form of implied support. While there will always be hateful people on the fringe protected by the First Amendment, the ambivalent response of some leaders is the main reason to worry. I applaud the Daily Herald editorial board and Mayor Burns of Geneva for clearly announcing that this ideology and behavior is unacceptable. We need to see all our mayors and community leaders publicly condemning the events in Charlottesville and the ideology of racial supremacy. Promoting diversity with mutual respect is a great value - let's encourage it.
Jon Kessler
Elk Grove Village