Protests, demonstrations, division and intimidation are all around us.

Why are there so many people unhappy with everything? Our country is the greatest country in the world. Freedom and opportunity are everywhere. Yet there are so many people who want to change what has worked for the majority of everyday people.

There are numerous special interest groups who feel they are being slighted and even ignored. These groups want to be part of the mainstream and will do anything to get what they want. Acceptance of their agenda is their goal. There is no respect for any other opinion or viewpoint. The rights of others are not what they care about, only their rights.

Using protests, demonstrations and intimidation with shouting, yelling and vandalizing, they try to make their point. What they are really doing is proving just how immature and selfish they are. They are not scoring any points with the general public. If anything they are losing support.

Whether it is gay marriage, civil rights, Critical Race Theory or gender identity, these activists are in the minority. They are trying to force the rest of society to follow their beliefs. They feel they are right and the rest of us are wrong.

They are trying to recruit the young, the innocent and naive. They won’t take “no” for an answer. Everyone must accept their viewpoint, otherwise you are bigoted or racist.

Selfish and immature attitudes won’t solve the multitude of problems we face.

There seems to be a desire by some to make our nation into something only a handful of activists want, with no regard to the vast majority of Americans. Any thoughts of what we the people want is criticized, protested, maligned and scorned.

What these activists don’t understand, is the fundamental basis for our nation — the U.S. Constitution. They argue that it is outdated, having been written almost 250 years ago, and what was important then is no longer applicable today.

Well, activists, there are provisions in the Constitution to do this, peacefully, and legally. Follow the rules, follow the procedures.

But the activists don’t believe in this. They believe in demands, intimidation, demonstrations, even violence. They don‘t want to follow the rules.

Think about the illegal immigrants who are coming over the border, seeking freedom and opportunity. What will they think when they realize that this country is heading in the direction of complete chaos, violence and government control? This is what they are fleeing from in their home country. They might even think “Why did we come here?”

Our country is not perfect, but it is better than other countries. Which is why so many have come to our shores, legally and illegally. Why do these activists want to change it? There really is only one answer: Control of everyone’s life, and no freedom.

Herb Dettmer is a retired Bowling Green resident, U.S. Army veteran and writes this column representing the viewpoint of “Joe Average” citizen. He is freelance writer and author of “Others,” a devotional book. Call or text “Joe” with comments at 419-494-4641.