Last Thursday, the American Legion’s scheduled speaker was Ron Branster, billed by a letter to the editor as representing the Albert Lea chapter of the Coalition for Immigration Reduction.

Mr. Branster is a minuteman from California. You know I had to go to bear witness — a lesson I learned from my days as the chairman of the Albert Lea Human Rights Commission. 

Not counting the table full of us progressives, there were about a dozen folks, plus three Republican former and present legislators. One running for the U.S. Senate, another for governor and our own state representative — Peggy Bennett. Representative Bennett told Mr. Branster:  “It’s good to be here.” 

I did not hear much about immigrants but I sure heard a lot of lying, race baiting and fear-mongering about Somali refugees.

If you remember the Glen Beck routine where Beck would throw out some ridiculous sequence leading to a fantastical conspiracy that he seemed to make up on the spot; this coupled with a doctored video ala Breitbart productions, and there you have it.

Anyone who believed this scorching hatred for Somali refugees is not a nice person.

Ted Hinnenkamp

Albert Lea