Letter to the editor: Are we still land of the free?

The far right often talks about the supremacy of freedom and liberty. America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. However, their actions have consequences that diminish the freedom of some.

In Georgia, vigilante supporters have targeted election workers with death threats and physical intimidation. Texas abortion law permits citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion after six weeks. The law allows ordinary citizens to be deputized as bounty hunter. Vigilantism is replacing the rule of law. There has been an increase in death threats, spying, hate mail and bomb threats.

There are 191 bills across 40 states seeking to limit classroom instruction on gender, sexual orientation, race and American history, according to Mother Jones magazine. In Florida, Palm Beach County schools were instructed to remove books that even implied the existence of systemic racism and sexism. In New Hampshire teachers can lose their license if they teach about race, sex, gender and other sensitive issues. Schools can be sued by anyone, and informants are being offered a $500 bounty.

Rather than the land of the free, this sounds like an authoritarian surveillance state. One reminiscent of Hitler’s Germany or the communist government in East Germany, where citizen informants reported on their families, friends and neighbors. Is this who we want to be?

Gloria Gralewski

Manor