To the Editor:
As retired teachers who maintain a strong interest in the development and education of children, we find the boos and “You lie!” coming from the mouths of certain members of Congress an embarrassment to the nation.
When government officials act like unruly children in public, we wonder what the nation’s children think. Where are the mature, respectful role models children so desperately need and deserve?
Mel Minthorn
Gail Minthorn
Wilton, Conn., Sept. 10, 2009
To the Editor:
Although Representative Joe Wilson’s “You lie!” comment was inappropriate for the setting, it is wrong to portray Republican and conservative protesters at recent town hall meetings as out of line.
Activists from the left are just as shrill, just as organized and far more common than those on the right. Conservatives from Middle America rarely protest, while liberals from college campuses and Hollywood are always agitating.
In the last decade alone, the left has demonized George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and other Republican leaders as liars, incompetent and/or evil, and the mainstream press has accepted and amplified such rhetoric without batting an eye. What goes around comes around.
Mark R. Godburn
North Canaan, Conn., Sept. 10, 2009
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 