Las Vegas Sun

June 16, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Many Americans know real tyranny

Does wearing a mask or taking a vaccine mean we are now living in a communist country? With children ages 5-11 being approved for vaccines, expect to hear and read more ignorant rhetoric like this. But do people have a legitimate reason to compare mandates to tyranny or concentration camps? The short answer is: of course not, especially when compared with America’s egregious actions of the past.

Here’s a brief history lesson: For Black Americans, slavery didn’t feel like freedom (which the Constitution allowed for) and Native Americans are still waiting for this country to live up to its “greatness.” How about Japanese Americans who, during World War II, were forcibly rounded up and stuck in internment camps? There’s also Black Wall Street and dozens of other Black communities that were decimated with the help of or turning of a blind eye by local and federal governments.

All of these groups of Americans have justification for accusing this country of being communist or tyrannical. But complaints about wearing a mask or getting vaccinated to protect yourself, your family and the country is going way too far.

Most of the people screaming the loudest about America’s decline into tyranny mirror those who historically benefited the most when America truly was committing atrocities. But those parts of history aren’t thoroughly taught.