1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I am writing out of anger, disbelief, and genuine fear. The Washington Post has reported that the United States Coast Guard is reclassifying swastikas and nooses—not as hate incidents, but as merely “potentially divisive.” This is not a bureaucratic tweak. This is a moral collapse. A swastika is not “divisive.” A swastika is a threat. A noose is not “divisive.” A noose is a warning. These symbols were used to terrorize, intimidate, and dehumanize generations of people. Everyone knows exactly what they mean. The Coast Guard knows what they mean. And Congress knows what they mean. So I am asking you—no, I am demanding—that you take a stand. 1. Say it publicly: the swastika is a symbol of hate. Say it publicly: a noose is a symbol of hate. If you cannot say that, then you cannot claim to represent the safety or dignity of the American people. 2. Demand an immediate investigation into how and why this policy was approved. We deserve to know who believed it was acceptable to soften the definition of extremism inside a U.S. military service. We deserve to know who thought this was normal, or harmless, or anything other than dangerous. 3. Answer two simple, unavoidable questions—clearly and directly: • Do you believe the swastika is not a symbol of hate? • Do you believe nooses are acceptable symbols in the United States military? There is no “middle” position here. There is no neutral ground when dealing with hate imagery whose entire purpose is to terrify and divide. Your silence—or your hesitation—will speak volumes. This should never have happened. And unless you intervene, unless you speak loudly, unless you act immediately, it will send a terrifying message about whose safety this country values and whose it does not. I am urging you, as strongly as I can: take a stand now.