To the editor

Reflector journalist Max McCoy. The end of his article was right on, calling for a state designated Indigenous Peoples Day. I don’t see why we don’t have one. I’d certainly call on our legislators to designate one like our neighbor Oklahoma has. I bet most Kansans would.

What disturbed me though was Mr. McCoy’s portrayal of the purpose of Fort Larned. He painted a picture of the forts purpose as putting his “autonomous nervous system on alert.” To describe the Forts purpose as part of a “pageant of brutality” in our expansion to the west was inappropriate. Sure there were some brutal things that happened, but to say that was the Forts purpose was wrong. And talking about autonomy, the Native Americans were the same as any nation. They tried at times to expand into other tribes territories. They were not always as restrained as our government was most of the time. They’re original efforts were to assimilate the Native Americans into our world. It was not brutality! We were simply expanding our nation like others all over the globe before us.

Lastly I’d like to mention that the Kansas Reflector newspaper is an extreme left leaning publication. Most of this area are right leaning citizens who don’t appreciate the attacks of our history like they make.

Jim Hulsey

Larned