First let me thank you for your service. I don't believe I've written much about the extent of racism in the military having not served. I came up just as the draft ended as did the Vietnam War and most of my comments I recall about the military have been about historical segregated units like the 133rd Artillery in the Army and the Black soldier that was blinded in South Carolina trying to get home on a bus in South Carolina when local police dragged him off a bus and beat him senseless. That case helped instigate the desegregation of the armed forces and federal government under Truman in 1948. I've also written about the number of bases named for Confederates. I have gotten involved socually recently with a group of veterans, the stories they tell suggest there was/is quite a bit of racism in the military. Maybe you have to be on the side experiencing the racism to have an idea how much there is?

I have written a whole lot about voter suppression. You might be surprised tom learn I have no problem with voter ID and nothing against voter registration. You stated it's easy to register in every state. That depends on what part of the state, look up the areas in the Black Belt in Alabama where one office in each of several counties was open once a month for drivers license registration, during the week and during normal work hours. Black people often had to take off work to fulfill registration requirements. State issued IDs by colleges aren't always accepted though gun registrations are in some states. Poor people often have their licenses taken away in traffic court for not being able to keep up with insurance requirements. Poll locations are often less convient for college students and minority communities. What you've been told about drop boxes doesn't match up with reality. You've been lied to,

The Constitution has been slow about recogizing who can vote. At first it was generally white men who owned land. Black people generally got the right with passage of the 14th Amendment, women in 1920, Native Americans officially later. Did you know that some Indian nations were still legally able to own Black slaves until the mid-1900s? It can be quite expensive to vote. Moving to a different state may require an original birth certificate which may have to be ordered at a cost from the state of birth. If needed in a hurry before an election, there may be expedited shipping charges. I once paid $48 to make sure I had my paperwork in order to vote. I mention that because it could be considered an illegal poll tax. College students are allowed to vote where they go to school yet those states often don't accept their state issued ID cards nor their home state drivers license. Voting isn't always easy, or free.

I also write about when laws or Amendments were passed, how new ones pop up to take their place. When slavery officially ended for most Black people in 1865, those laws were replaced by The Black Codes which virtually duplicated slavery. When those laws were abolished, they were replaced by Jim Crow Laws. Many of the voter suppression laws of the post-Civil War have been reinstated as recently as the past few years. Gerrymandering and redistricting now insure the same white stranglehold on minority representation although a few representatives are allowed that have no voting strength in the bodies they represent.

You talk about the Court packing that Democrats want while you ignore what Mitch McConnell has alresdy achieved. I can believe your experience hasn't been racist, or that what you did notice in the military didn't seem that bad. You are living in a different world than the current situations I write about that aren't historical in nature. I really could go on and o but I won't. If you're still in PA, I'd be happy to share what your state is doing to suppress votes. If you are in another state, the offer still stands, just tell me where you are. Take care!