Editor,

Back in the 1970s, in a border state where party registration was required, my mailbox was being filled with literature from the Republican Party promoting the thoughts of former governor and future President Ronald Reagan and his pal “Moses” Charlton Heston.

Their concern was that world population was exploding among less educated people both here and in nearby continents who soon would be surging across our borders to have what we’ve built and developed here.

It was an interesting concern. They proposed and even got their message included in California’s Republican Party platform.

They argued for sex education in public schools, free dissemination of birth control devices, family planning courses in community colleges, public-financed family planning clinics located near communities that provided government-subsidized abortions.

Then Mr. Reagan became president, but to win reelection was advised to drop the “ZPG” Zero Population Growth issue to encourage the so-called religious right or evangelical Christians to come on board. Suddenly, abortion became murder while war was righteous … as in Grenada and later in Iraq.

Second Amendment rights got included in order to garner support from rural areas where law enforcement is scarce.

These all became the mantras of the new Trump-dominated Republican Party.

So where are we now?

We aren’t heartless people, but should we be foolish? We did pass the referendum to include appropriate sex education in public schools.

Will we tear down the border wall so less educated hordes will come and turn our nation into what they came from? Already they are demanding that their language and culture, which includes spray can graffiti, be ordained and honored.

Even southern border immigrants who came legally and honored our rule of law, decry illegal intruders and the abominable sanctuary cities.

Yes, we were immigrants too who brought European culture, education, rule of law and democracy with us. But we also transformed a stone age culture into the industrial world power we’ve become.

What value is our freedom and citizenship if we don’t protect it?

Anyone got a solution?

Al Williams

Oak Harbor