I did not want to write this letter but my heart and soul is hurting for what is happening. I [like you] hail from the Midwest [Ohio] of Cuban and Spanish [Galician/Basque] Blood but above all AN AMERICAN who is hurting.

I am neither Republican nor Democrat, I am AN AMERICAN who believes that the political parties damaged our country to the point of no return. Our society has run amok.

A day does not go by without hearing news about [certain] people toppling statues and spineless politicians collaborating [with them] in this mass destruction of American History. The City of Columbus, Ohio is now removing the statue of its namesake which was given to them by the city of Genoa, Italy in 1955 using excuses that have nothing to do with the 21st Century.

These same people now have their eyes set on Mount Rushmore because of the past of the Presidents and the sculptor Gutzon Borglum. We will not deny the past of these Presidents and the sculptor but to destroy a monument of historical value will not erase that history and can lead to more destruction.

Instead, it will create the image of a United States that has gone insane in the same vein as the Taliban of Afghanistan when they destroyed the Bamiyan Buddhas in 2001 [after almost 1700 years of existence]. In fact, many countries are already scared of what is happening and are deciding to visit other areas instead of the USA (because of the impression «The Country that destroys its history») when things become better.

Afghanistan, Cambodia, and other countries who have committed similar atrocities [in their history] will be replaced by the image of America destroying its own [history]. This will scare potential tourists who might want to see historical sites and this could hurt South Dakota as well.

If these statues are replaced by «so called Revolutionaries» or «Personalities of the 21st Century who became famous via Tik Tok»,[there will be] less reason for those people with a desire to visit America [including South Dakota]. It is with this E Mail that I implore your state to protect your natural resources [including historical] from those who want to destroy it. I have repeated this plea many times because of my bróken heart

I write this knowing that this may be a lost cause but aware that a country without its history is like a sand castle next to the ocean. I take leave with my personal quote «Diversity Without Diversity Of Opinion Is Dictatorship».