To the editor:

Blind faith can be dangerous. I think most of us know that to be true.

Blind faith and propaganda are what enabled German citizens to ignore, in silence, the capture and murder of their Jewish countrymen.

Government control of news, media, and internet access keep the people of North Korea sheltered from any reality that their government disapproves of.

My point is that people are people, and Americans are not any more immune to brainwashing or desensitization than our fellow human beings.

That being said...

America is an idea. It is not a religion to be held sacred and holy above all else, it is an idea.

Ideas are not infallible, nor are they rigid. They can be brainstormed, analyzed, pulled apart, strengthened and fine-tuned.

Ideas can be wrong.

Our founding fathers gave us many liberties. Freedom from British rule, free speech, the right to vote (for some), and the right to due process.

But they allowed a country to be founded that accepted slavery. They founded a country that did not allow women, slaves, and non-landowners to vote. Even in the beginning, America was an idea that needed work. And it still is today.

There is inequality in our justice system. From the number of African-Americans and minorities incarcerated compared to whites, to the way police interact with minorities. Should all police officers who use lethal force be punished? No. There are situations where such force is warranted. But when time after time, video after harrowing video we are shown that police brutality, especially against minorities, is real and happening now, we all, as Americans, should be unified in the defense of our fellow citizens.

But we aren't.

When Colin Kaepernick takes a knee during a national anthem in protest of a country that has turned a blind eye to life-threatening issues that affect minorities daily, why is he ridiculed? When every last one of us has seen a video, or heard audio where unwarranted police brutality is evident, why is it the NFL players’ peaceful protest that is the subject of rage and ridicule and not the law enforcement community who, yes, does a lot of good, but is also responsible for the taking of innocent lives?

When a peaceful protest draws more criticism from our President than the murder of innocent Americans by white supremacists, we know our country is broken.

And when our country is broken, it is our civic responsibility to challenge the idea that is America. When the flag we so proudly fly represents inequality to any of our countrymen, we need to protest our flag. Because we are the people, in a government for us and by us. And we cannot hold the flag in such high standing that we are afraid to challenge it.

No one is calling for the end of America. But like an unruly teenager on the path toward maturity, sometimes we need to tell America “No, I won’t stand for this.”

Gerald Nutini

Tiverton