Dear Congresswoman Schmidt...
In yesterday's blog we called for a short moratorium on the escalating mud-fest in Congress. The nearly hand-to-hand combat that broke out Friday over Rep. John Murtha's call for a troop withdrawal was still fresh and tres offensive. As the echo of name calling dissipated, we gave some more thought to the issue.Our conclusion was that we still don't support an immediate withdrawal. A full-fledged retreat is dangerous for everyone and after what we've done to Iraq, the least we can do is be a good neighbor and help them out of the hole Shrub dug and pushed them into. Sort of the international equivalent of returning the borrowed lawn mower with a full tank of gas if you will.
Still, we'd like to see a plan built on something more than "trust me and things will be fine". We weren't inclined to give the administration any slack before the "debate" and even less so now. How we got there is yet another issue that we'll probably will never get to the bottom of.
However, our feeling about the "right" decision in exiting Iraq - for who truly knows what that is - took second place to our feelings about the smearing of Murtha. After Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-Asshat, OH) took to the floor to savage Murtha's reputation we found ourselves with such a foul taste in our mouth that we decided something - even a symbolic act should be done.
Our symbolic act? We sent the following letter to Schmidt:
Dear Congresswoman Schmidt,
I am a former resident of Ohio who is outraged by your comments on the
floor of the House regarding Congressman Murtha. I've seen
many actions by politicians on both sides of the isle that make me cringe,
but your tirade about "cowards" and cutting and running is beyond the pale.
Furthermore, your half-hearted "apology", in which you claimed you
never intended any offense or meant to call him a coward was so unbelieveable
as to be laughable.
Please, show that YOU are not a coward and do the right thing in
attonement for this unwarranted attack, tender your resignation
immediately.
A True Patriot,
(Our Real Name Here)
Of course, we're under no illusion that Rep. Schmidt will do any such thing - or even answer the letter as we requested. Those who sink this low rarely have the ethical fortitude to do the right things. However, we felt a little better after having vented our spleen. We encourage you to do the same. Send Rep. Schimdt, or any other politician (regardless of party) a similar letter if you feel they acted inappropriately during this shameful event.
It is the least we can do for the country, it is what patriotism is all about.
Truth Told by Omnipotent Poobah, Sunday, November 20, 2005
