A response to letters on Obama, civil rights

Some recent letters to The Gazette beg for rebuttals. One faulted President Obama for taking a vacation in wartime. While I object to almost everything the man does, I'll defend his right to take his family on a vacation. The presidency should not be a prison sentence. Maybe after a vacation, his conduct of affairs will improve.

And then there was the letter blaming Republicans for the decades of delays in granting civil rights to colored people. I'm old enough to remember the times in the '30s and '40s when Republicans and northern Democrats tried to push through Congress anti-lynching and anti-poll tax bills, only to be defeated by solid opposition of the Democrat leadership from the South, the likes of Lyndon Johnson.

There's enough blame to go around for the country's treatment of minorities. Let's move on to fair and equal treatment of all citizens.

Chuck Dunham

Deep River