Kudos to Bill Vana (Letters, Herald, Oct. 28) for pointing out the painfully obvious. Democrats/liberals/independents need to wake up and start doing something about the current tea party crop of delusional religious nut cases trying to force their archaic beliefs on the rest of us.

We have freedom of religion in this country. That means we can believe in any religion we want or not believe in any religion. It doesn’t mean that your religion is better or holier than anyone else’s or that you can try to force your beliefs on others.

We also have separation of church and state in this country. That means keep your religious beliefs out of politics and government and in your home or church where they belong. They are your beliefs, not mine.

Do you really want a president or representative who doesn’t believe in evolution and bases decisions on biblical tales of Sodom and Gomorrah, believing the Earth is only 6,000 years old? These people are not grounded in reality. Times have changed in the last 2,000 years.

All of the current Republican front-runners are perfectly willing to go to war with just about anyone over religious beliefs and fight against Sharia law. They bloviate about religious freedom, all the while trying to enact legislation that supports their own bizarre version of Christian Sharia Law, where women have little to say about their own health, education and reproductive rights. They shamelessly espouse lies because their base is easy to fool.

Half the planet is now involved in some kind of war over religious beliefs, with the most horrific crimes against humanity ever witnessed. And really Republicans, Donald Trump? He’s about as presidential as Charlie Manson.

Ken Van Zee

Durango