To the Editor:
I believe in freedom of speech as long as it is not irresponsible! This letter addresses the flags and posters publicly displayed by Trump supporters that use blatant profanity directed at the president of our United States and his supporters.

There used to be an unspoken level of etiquette with regard to our public expressions of political disagreements in the United States. Since the Republican Party has been dominated by Trump and his Trumpers, acceptable discourse by a president has been reduced to extreme name-calling and a level of bad behavior unbecoming a president of these United States.

Trump is no longer in office but his term as president degraded how politicians deal with people. He has lowered the bar for what was proper political discourse and communication. His followers, the Trumpers, continue to follow his leadership in demonstrating their unethical behavior, often.

The Trump-backed insurrectionists of our U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 is a prime example of what Trumper Republicans think is acceptable behavior. They call it “legitimate political discourse” now and dispute the video evidence that clearly shows the dishonorable behavior of that day and the facist ransacking of our capitol.

Republican politicians lie about their initial reaction to the events of Jan. 6 when they condemned Trump supporters even when their disapproval was recorded on camera and audio!

In my neighborhood and around Albany County, there are flags flying that say “F**K BIDEN and fuck you for voting for him” The gap between the primary “F” and “K” is filled with a U.S. flag while the remaining “and fuck you for voting for him” is plainly spelled out.

The one in my neighborhood is on a power pole. The man who lives there is a self-proclaimed Trumper, but I wonder if he has really thought about the consequences of that public display.

I’ve heard Trumpers say many times that they believe in family values. Do these family values include publicly flying flags or wearing shirts that say “F**K BIDEN and fuck you for voting for him?”

Every day, I watch the school buses loaded with children go down our road. The children are from every age group and I wonder what they think about what it says. I know if they are too young to understand the older kids will explain it to them especially if those older kids live in a Trumper family.

Are the local school boards aware of these types of political expressions? How about the leaders of our towns? Is it legal to put up signs that include profanity? Is the town proactive in the removal of these political signs or do they wait for a complaint?

I’m a user of profanity but it is contained to private adult conversations. I printed it here in my letter only so you can see for yourself what Trumpers think is OK. Don’t blame the messengers for accurately dispensing the facts and the truth as it is already displayed publicly in our community, and up until now nothing has been done about it.

Do the Trumpers who fly these profanity-laden flags score extra points with other Trumpers for their boldness? Do they think their neighbors are proud of the example of dishonorable proclamation they share?

Trumpers and Republicans don’t want you to say “gay” in front of children and they want to remove books from public access as did the Nazis, Stalinists, and Maoists, but it’s OK to flay flags that say fuck our president and display it for everyone to see along the road in front of their residence.

That’s something you can be proud of! Not! C’mon, Republicans, reconsider who’s dominating your party and where you place the bar for appropriate behavior. Another blatant example of Trump hypocrisy.

Come on, Trumpers, tell us how you justify your double standards and how you have reduced the once respected Republican National Party to the level of the narcissist Donald Trump, his lack of proper etiquette, and his absence of honorable behavior.

The only reason Donald Trump still matters is because so many Republicans still shamelessly and figuratively get on their knees to worship him! They are his minions, his blind followers!

Take down the flags and stop corrupting the children with our publicly displayed profanity!

Timothy Albright

Meadowdale

Editor’s note: The Enterprise took an in-depth look at United States Supreme Court rulings after Voorheesville residents complained about political signs [“Complaints about political signs lead village to look at drafting law”], concluding that local governments cannot restrict an individual’s speech based on “its message, its ideas, its subject matter, or its content,” according to the Supreme Court.