Before writing anything else, I wish to make something abundantly clear.

I find rape and comparable crimes to be disgusting and vile and am in no way trying to engage in victim shaming, as the topic here can easily be misconstrued.

A local business owner recently made a post on his business Facebook page regarding his opinion about a person who waited decades to report alleged abuse. There are one of two horrendous crimes involved. Either someone was raped, or somebody has political motivations to make false allegations.

Both crimes bring unspeakable pain to the victim and loved ones, and both take a monster to perpetrate.

Our country is polarized regarding this issue. Nobody is using this issue to say rape is OK.

The person who posted this on their business page is somebody who I know fairly well, and while I understand the sentiment of their post, think it was not very bright to put on their business page. I’ve also publicly disagreed with them on other statements they’ve posted.

However, someone else in our community has decided that this view, differing from their own and posted on a business page, should be grounds for the person to be terminated from their business contract. I’m unfamiliar with the exact details of this contract, whether it’s for the city or school district, but find it childish that a small group wants to have this person’s services to our community terminated because they posted a political view different from theirs on a business page.

I watched the intolerance swell in our community as Ted Nugent came to town, and a small group was not simply satisfied to voice their opinion and boycott the fair, but to stage a counter-event. Now, if you make a comment they disagree with, you should not provide services to a local entity.

I cannot speak directly for the person who made the post, but I agree with many Americans that the allegations against our Supreme Court nominee reek of political opportunism. Like several recent incidents, unfounded and unprovable allegations that come out at the eleventh hour during a heated political event (if Kavanaugh is not nominated by the election, and should the congressional makeups by chance change, the makeup of the Supreme Court could change drastically) do not make sense unless the political motivation is considered.

A citizen should not have their business ties cut from government because they shared a belief that others misconstrued as supporting rape vs. condemning false allegations for political gain.

Some of the people advocating his business lose its contract are people whose businesses I’ve supported, despite knowing they have differing political views. As Americans, we need to grow up and stop demanding that people with views different from ours should not be able to do business in our community.

I read in the history books how somebody once made a case that because Jews and Catholics were different from him, they shouldn’t be able to do business, either.

Brad Kramer

Albert Lea