In response to recent letters concerning “alternative viewpoints,” especially “Supply not matching demand for conservative letters?” on July 13, I will begin by stating that I was a longtime Democrat who, in recent years, became independent. The writer stated that seven cops died protecting our Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. As a FactCheck.org article states, that number is wrong. No protester killed an officer that day. To paraphrase an old quote: People may be entitled to their opinion, but not their own facts.

In fact, in a RealClear Investigations article, the comparison between the Jan. 6, 2021 protest and the 2020 summer-long riots is eye-opening (to say the least). Fifteen times more injured officers and 740 times more costly. Minority neighborhoods and businesses bore the brunt of this damage.

Let’s look at immigration. Funny how “open borders” used to be a right-wing (Koch brothers, Rupert Murdoch) scheme. Then, the Democrats adopted this because Donald Trump went the opposite way. But let’s look at the Democrats before Trump. President Obama’s administration removed and returned more than 5 million immigrants during his tenure. Did any judge block him? In fact, in 2009, American Apparel let go of 1,600 immigrants because ICE looked into their employment records. Any major protests then?

Journalism has eroded in the digital age, especially since many people receive their news from social media. It’s turned people into tribal camps. What’s the point of it? It’s destructive to humanity and serves no purpose. We should embrace our differences, not attack them.

Kevin Landry
Lewiston