Editor, The Herald:

Why punish a flag for a crime committed by a deranged individual? All the rhetoric and press and all of the one-sided political actions taken in response to the terrible event in Charleston, S.C., serve only to further divide a nation that is already being pushed to radical behavior among culture, economic and racial classes by those who find such actions beneficial to further their cause.

Violence in any form is bad. What went on in Charleston is about a sick and violent young man bent on doing terrible damage, shooting up a church and killing innocent people. Yet the media and those who are all about dividing a nation already under stress from our various differences appear completely satisfied to use this event, and others like it, to further their activist agendas.

Why not call this crime what it is instead of prosecuting innocent Americans by censoring and limiting their right to free speech and expression? Limiting what people have on their license plates, or what they wear on their clothing, or what they fly in their back yard will not serve to reduce the violence in America. The only thing that will do that is good leadership from our most senior elected officials and representatives from the White House on down -— and leadership from our educators and some of our parents. (Perhaps they could all take time to revisit with our young people the old adage about sticks and stones.)

Sadly, it seems, all of this is exactly what we are missing in the United States today.

Peter Kapuscinski

Dillwyn