Dismayed by Council

It was disturbing to watch the June 15 Whitefish City Council meeting when councilors directed staff to review street or place names for racism/offensive language and to also look into banning offensive symbols. What I would like to know is who is going to determine what is offensive and then ultimately where this ends?

When determining what to ban, what First Amendment right will our municipal government attempt to take from us? I was personally offended when our American flag was held upside down and dragged across our City Hall sidewalk. Regardless of my personal views, our country is fortunate to have freedom of speech which protects such behavior.

Therefore, I would like to know what specific symbols and language the city is proposing to ban.

So where does this end? Will the next directive be for staff to search for books in the Whitefish Community Library that could possibly be deemed offensive to someone and then hold a book burning party in Depot Park?

This is a very slippery slope our country and community are in and I encourage everyone, especially our elected officials to read, or reread, Orwell’s 1984. It should serve as a reminder to everyone what a totalitarian society could look like. In closing, here is one passage from that book that’s eerily familiar with what is happening today: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered.”

Koel Abell, Whitefish