Americans’ free speech is once again being trampled upon. The Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction float that was in the Albert Lea Third of July Parade was neither inflammatory nor hateful, it was the truth. Illegal aliens are the poster child to an even bigger issue, employer exploitation of slave labor.

The United States has a dark cloud of human trafficking and the exploitation of cheap labor for hundreds of years. With the innate ability to justify their actions, politically, economically and with the support of the churches.

The United States has been exploiting races of all kinds for centuries. The Irish, Chinese, Africans and in the early 1900s children as young as 5 working six days a week, 12-hour days in coal mines. Churches defended these action by convincing people it was moral, for the child’s mind is the devil’s playground.

There is no excuse for exploitation of a human. Yet we hire illegals to milk our cows, pick our rocks, work for low wages in slaughterhouses, and we excuse it for “jobs American will not do.” The truth is, Americans did it for years.

It’s no surprise that having a float in the parade exposing truth would draw attention to those who continue America’s dirty little secret. Many in the community cringe that maybe exploitation is not the right thing, but in the back of their minds try to justify their actions of knowing somebody that exploits for cheap labor.

Some fear the message on the float as inflammatory to those less fortunate, but those who criticize the message, leave little praise to their character. We celebrate the Fourth because of our independence and the freedoms to express our loyalty. These liberties were fought for by grassroots people hundreds of years ago and continue by the likes of Paul Westrum and the coalition.

If you think opposite of Mr. Westrum, then it’s your right. But it’s not your right to exploit people for profit.

Give the Minnesota Coalition for Immigration Reduction credit as to stay within the boundaries of the Constitution and the rule of law. Justifying the actions of employers continuing to exploit people only darkens the nation’s liberties even worse.

Furthermore, those who defend the actions of illegals residing in the United States do not respect the Constitution and the rule of law.

Patriotism is not free, it is not bought and by all means it should not be exploited.

While the parade committee is thinking of censoring your right to free speech and deliberately turning attention away from the crime of assault to victims of a race, then maybe we should not celebrate the Fourth of July, we shall gather in a park and pretend we’re in the ’60s and sing “Kumbaya.” And praise McCarthyism.

Or maybe we can stand up to the politically correct, wave our AMERICAN flag and thank those who still defend are Constitution at the grass-roots levels. Then say thanks. Thanks, Paul Westrum and your coalition, for your patriotism.

Ron Branstner

Cathedral City, Calif.