A Gurnee letter to the editor: This is not patriotism

There is a store in Gurnee Mills that claims to sell items for "America's patriots."

Unfortunately, what I saw in the store led me to doubt the patriotism of the store's ownership.

This store is within miles of the Great Lakes Naval Station. There are sailors walking through the mall who might think that this store "has their backs."

But what I saw there makes me think otherwise. Rather than a store for patriots, is this a store for politics of a certain flavor?

In the front of the store is a display of T-shirts that read "Let's Go Brandon." I checked with the manager and the assistant manager of the store to see whether they knew what that meant. Yes, they did. As we all know, it's a hidden message of a crude four-letter taunt of the President of the United States of America.

Yes, the President of the United States of America, our Commander in Chief, the leader of all those sailors who are training so hard a few miles from here to defend our country.

So if this store disrespects our Commander in Chief, how can it purport to respect all the sailors, the soldiers, the Marines over which he stands? I don't think it does.

I would still be offended if I saw this at a political event, but it would be in its place. It is not in its place being hawked at a store that claims to be patriotic.

Diane Ricks

Gurnee