Letters to the editors of the newspapers in America are fairly good indicators of what is on the minds of Americans. Letters are not only an indicator of what is on the mind, but also to whom they are listening, watching or reading. If the current trend continues, I am afraid that the “crazies” are taking over.
The “Neighborhood Watch” program has been an important part of many communities for many years. That program is nothing more than a neighbor keeping an eye out in the neighborhood for strange activity. That activity can include dangerous driving conditions, safety factors for children, or a myriad of other things. Another aspect is reporting to police suspicious activity. Most people find it reassuring that their neighbor is willing to keep an eye on their property and report suspicious activity to the police.
According to some of the entertainers on the radio, this watchfulness is indication that communists are now trying to take over our country. They are also not differentiating between the communists and the Nazis; often, they are interchanging those labels in their tirades. This is especially true in the case of two of the entertainers who are now trying to teach us American history. The entertainers are convinced that the Obama government is really attempting to take over the government for the sake of their own “regime” as one of the entertainers calls it.
Letters to the editor are beginning to show the impact of the entertainers. As police chiefs are asking for help in reporting crimes or possible crimes in neighborhoods, letters have been written accusing the chiefs of creating communism in their communities. One really wonders what is going on in the minds of the writers.
I did not see an outrage over the Bush administration’s secret wire-tapping without the permission of the courts. Nor did I see any outrage over the monitoring of emails and blogs during the same administration. It was okay to do it in the eyes of many Americans. I suppose since the Bush administration was not taking away property, but was only protecting us from the “terrorists,” everything the government was doing was acceptable. But if enough entertainers put the image of communists or Nazis taking over our government in the minds of some people, the local police become merely agents of “big brother.”
Part of being a good neighbor is watching out for one another. Being a part of humanity means watching out for the other fellow. There are too many anecdotal stories of the average American citizen standing by or being oblivious to a crime that have caused outrage among us. Even, if only once, a person is harmed while others look on and did not intervene, it is wrong. To have called the police is neither communism nor Nazism.
Too many people who listen and watch the entertainers do not take the totality of the verbiage into account. On one hand, they accept big government and on the other, those in government are plotting against them. It may be a day-to-day comment but eventually, it becomes the “truth.”
Most liberals are very much aware of the need for police power. It is the limit of that power that causes discussions. We do not believe the police are perfect nor do we believe they are always wrong. We do not believe they should spy on us, but we also know they sometimes need help from the communities they are policing. The police will become what we don’t want – we believe the entertainers who are calling our government communist, Nazi, or some other form of government other than a republic. We need to be aware of that, but in the meantime, be a good neighbor. Watch out for one another, and quit listening to the crazies.

jdlinden@satx.rr.com