Why we now boycott Under Armour
We were heartbroken and distraught to read that Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank praised Donald Trump and called him “a real asset.” For people who may say “that’s his opinion and he has every right to express it,” we would agree, but there are consequences for what you say and do (“Kevin Plank, Donald Trump and the fallacy of the businessman president,” Feb. 8).This soul-crushing election was never about an opinion of who liked who or who supported who. It was so much bigger than that! To us, it was about the core values of our lives and everything we’ve worked for and who best exemplifies them. By supporting President Trump in any way, by praising him in this particular way, Mr. Plank came out in support of racism, sexism, homophobia and (let’s call it like it is) fascism. And he indicated opposition to health care, education and the United States Constitution.
Those are the facts, not an opinion. As citizens who support the principles upon which this country was founded, we are sadly boycotting Under Armour products from now on. Another dark day for us and for Baltimore. Betsy and Frank Schindler, Baltimore
Don’t judge Plank on a single observation
The lack of intellectual candor — and en masse rush to judgment — displayed on social media following Kevin Plank’s remarks praising Donald Trump’s probusiness agenda is staggering but hardly surprising (“Kevin Plank, Donald Trump and the fallacy of the businessman president,” Feb. 8). Not only is the Under Armour CEO investing hundreds of millions of dollars of private capital in Baltimore, a city weighed down by a $3 billion unfunded pension obligation and an eroding tax base, he’s doing so with a plan to generate thousands of jobs, in addition to thousands already employed by Under Armour, while fortifying the local tax base like few other organizations can or will.
Mr. Plank is also unique among his peers in that he has made a priority of manufacturing his company’s apparel in the U.S.
Wake up, people. Kevin Plank is one of the good guys. Must we be so binary and narrow-minded in our thinking, or so desperate to be a part of the cool crowd, that we overlook an extraordinary track record of good business and good deeds for a one-off sound bite specific to economic policy — not immigration, women’s rights or a host other issues on which, in my personal opinion, President Trump is way, way off base? Robert C. Knott, Baltimore
How ordinary people become monsters
I was very surprised to read of the unprofessional behavior of federal immigration employees working to carry out President’s Donald Trump’s travel ban at U.S. airports (“Ordinary Americans carried out inhumane acts for Trump,” Feb. 6).
I am a retired Customs and Border Protection officer who worked at BWI Airport for 30 years. During that time we had strict guidelines on how to treat people in our custody with respect. We also had separate guidelines on the treatment of minors, with emphasis on their age and family.
The examples of behavior by federal employees that Mr. Edelson describes, if true, were just not the way we were trained to act when there was a custody issue.
I would suggest that Mr. Edelson read Daniel Goldhagen’s book “Hitler’s Willing Executioners.” I hope then he might get the proper perspective on how ordinary people could carry out inhumane acts in the name of a despicable leader such as Hitler.