March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

I am writing to express outrage at the behavior of those Republicans who are using their newly gained power as a pulpit for disrespectful and arrogant discourse. It is hard for me to imagine any citizen in this country being proud of what has come out of the mouths of some of the leaders (?) of this country. When disrespect and arrogance combine, anarchy is sure to follow.

On Jan. 29, National Public Radio aired a segment on the talk shows that are being broadcast from the Capitol. When questioned about House rules being broken because cigarettes were smoked during the interview, Rep. Armey was quoted as saying, “… you’re sitting with the rules.” Armey seems to believe he can suspend rules at will. If he is saying such things publicly, what is he capable of doing privately? Unrestrained arrogance has no place in a policy making body. The strength of this country rests upon reasoned deliberation, not inflammatory statements; upon respect for rules, not contemptuous disregard. It is not cute. Such behavior is normal for junior high school-aged children, but extremely immature behavior for an adult.

Statesmanship is defined as: respectful behavior marked by outstanding wisdom, ability and integrity. There are far too many individuals in Congress that fail this measure of leadership. Why are they there? I do hope they will not be there long. Until they are gone I will `turn them off,’ because I have too much self-respect to listen to such offensive rhetoric. It is my fervent hope that those who vote for such individuals will choose someone else next time, just as the voters of Illinois refused to send Mr. Rostenkowski back to Congress. Our country will be as strong as its weakest member and right now we need strength — personal and political strength — at all levels of our government. Abuse of power should be criminal behavior and punishable as such. Mary Ann Royal Winterport


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