To the Editor:
Editor’s note: This letter is in response to Kenneth G. Barcomb’s letter, “Conservatives governed by ‘cold logic’ — not emotions” which appeared in the Aug. 18 edition of The Sun.
This space recently shared a local man’s smug, self-congratulatory paean to conservativism. I’ll not identify the parroter of such hackneyed, spurious inanities. One’s name at the bottom of screed, that was as intellectually narrow as it was shallow, is embarrassment enough.
“Mr. Altona” cheekily suggested that his political tribe prefers settling issues through “secret ballot” rather than “demonstration and mob violence.”
He conveniently ignores Republican self-serving, racially-driven voter suppression tactics and hyper-partisan gerrymandering which corrupts processes at the very heart of democracy.
He’s also seemingly oblivious to the Isis-like terrorism of Charlottesville’s Unite the Right rally and its shielded phalanxes of armed Neo-Nazis and Klansmen, both welcome in the Republican tent.
Flat rock man thinks that oxymoronic conservative compassion is the panacea for immigration ills and “border anarchy.”
I offer that blocking immigration reform, denying refugee families asylum, deporting the parents, kenneling their children in cages with no re-unification plans is the ultimate in border anarchy.
“Mr. Altona” believes that adding to the national debt is cruel and inhumane.
Fair enough.
But Republicans’ recent strong-arm taxation exercise in greed and economic malfeasance will add another $1.9 trillion to that debt, give 83 percent of the benefits to corporations and the top one percent, while ravaging working Americans and our most vulnerable and trigger efforts to pay for their thievery by cutting funding for our social safety nets.
The coda to his pettiness is calling liberals self-loathing and guilt ridden.
Well, I’m quite comfortable in supporting universal, affordable health, equal rights for all, a healthy planet, addressing climate change, protection for the indigent, children and elderly, a living wage and an increased emphasis on education, infrastructure, cyber-security and the truth.
All things ignored by the “compassionate conservatives.”
- Kevin Breyette, Rouses Point
