Alison Newton: A bad person is not representative of all who look or pray alike

To The Daily Sun,

Yesterday I was yelled at by a stranger for believing that CoVid-19 is a real virus. Yesterday I heard someone talk about his desire to commit violent acts against peaceful protesters. And, yesterday, I read that men with assault weapons decided to climb a roof to monitor the behavior of other private citizens who were exercising their right to peaceful assembly.

Sadly, yesterday was not unusual. Here are the relevant facts:

— A virus is not political. It has no agenda other than to find a host and reproduce itself. Look it up if you don’t recall your high school biology class.

— A gun in your possession is not an invitation to deputize yourself and pretend that we live in a John Wayne movie.

— A brutal police officer is not representative of all police departments.

— A bad person is not representative of all who look — or pray — like them.

— A bad check is not deserving of being killed in the street. That’s for the most extreme situations like stopping a mass shooting.

— A protest is not a riot. A protest is legal in non-fascist countries.

We are in the midst of multiple crises. We need a leader who will unite and not divide us. It is very disturbing that the president fires those who do not sing his praises, wants to control the media, disregards the wisdom of medical and environmental experts, and called an elderly New York man an "Antifa provocateur."

Antifa is short for being anti-fascism regardless of conservative or liberal leanings. If our so-called leader is opposed to those who are anti-fascism what exactly does that tell you? If you still support him and the very un-American behavior of his worshippers, what does that say about you?

Alison Newton

Meredith