Patriots come in all politics

Dear editor:

In response to Mr. Bradbury's very opinionated letter, I'm going to write my last letter to this paper. I don't want a running debate with this man so I'm going to have my final say. I'm too sick to waste my time and energy on a self-appointed so-called patriot whose opinion is the only way of thinking is his.

First of all, I do not need you to lecture me on the condition of our country. I fought for my country, too, although I did not serve in Vietnam, a sad chapter in our history. You seem to have the undying need to be thanked over and over for your service. We got it! Job well done. My cousin John did not make it back from there. It ripped my family to no ends because John Bilenski was a good man. He was killed on his third tour. Marines, I might add. The Agent Orange cancer you have was courtesy of Dow Chemical. Seems big business caused that. And you can thank them for that.

You infer, sir, that I blindly follow whatever Mr. Obama has to say or write down with his poison pen. What a crock! Do you mean to tell me that only people who served in the military are worthy of respect and admiration? What of people who fought for civil rights in the country, or volunteer their time at the VA to help me and my fellow vets get better from this miserable affliction I have. They were and are civilians.

Mr. Bradbury, you state Mr. Obama made a world-wide apology tour. This is a lie! Fox News, in their smug, know-it-all opinion, concocted this, and nothing you can say or debate will change my opinion of this. This man, like any man, has faults and foibles. I can and do disagree with some of his actions, but to hold up W. as your hero, well, all I have to say is, mission accomplished and great job brownie. You remember that, don't you? Plenty of blame to go around for that.

Not all politicians are liars. Just your precious Tea Party nuts. They are rock-ribbed Republicans with no desire to move any legislation because it would compromise their twisted principles. Meaning, you can rig election were only Republicans can win and that no other opinion or votes county. No wonder Congress as a ten percent approval rating.They can't compromise or even seem to get along.

When a congressman (Republican) from South Carolina can shout "you lie" at the president's State of the Union address, it is rude and disrespectful. I know this hurts you to the quick, but we did elect a black man as our president. To me, this should not enter the equation on whether he or maybe she should be fit for that high office. Your selective memory omits the names of Nixon, who should have gone to jail for his crimes but escaped with a pardon. I can name countless Republicans who have scarred this country and brought shame on us. Does McCarthy, Cheney or Rumsfeld come to mind?

The president is not going to take away your constitutional rights. You drink the Tea Party kool-aid lie that Fox News, you know, Hannity or O'Riellly or A. Coulter dish out. As a gunowner, I do not feel Obama is going to take away my guns. No sire, not for a minute. But I refuse to join the NRA or listen to that idiot LaPierre saying that he speaks for me. As an adult, I choose to have my own opinion and principles.

Where was security in Libya? Your Republican House gutted funding for that security. The closest military base in that Region is Aviano AB, Italy. This incident was tragic but Republicans made it a political show. This was loathsome, trivializing this event.

You don't want to accept this man as your president, fine. You have that right. God bless with that. But, on the other hand, I will not accept the rantings of a so-called Patriot and the Tea Party. It is a bigoted, my-way-or-the-highway opinion and I do not like it one bit. And spare me the patronizing attitude about the Constitution. I know it, too, and I don't need a lecture from you on how to interpret that wonderful document. It's for everyone, all Americans, not just one political party.

The real enemy is big business. Ship jobs overseas, destroy unions or cut workers' salaries so they can't have a living wage. Look around you, you see empty homes all around this town. People are hurting!

And your Republican Party doesn't give a darn. Everything is just fine. As long as we go back to Leave-It-to-Beaver World, which never existed, anyway.

And don't think for a minute Obama enjoyed a "Kodak Moment" with that thug Putin. He ain't handing over Snowden and I'll bet you the bank neither Obama nor any other American likes it, too.

Do you like to find fault with any opinion or policy that doesn't agree with you? It sounds to me that you are an angry man who hates the fact that people disagree with you.

This country will still be strong and stand for good in the world long after you and I are gone. I still believe in this country and it's principles. We are a lucky people. We come in all colors, religions and opinions. Diversity is what makes us unique in this world. The American Dream. I still believe in it.

You, on the other hand, want to tear down and degrade anyone whose idea of America differs from yours.

And while we are on the subject, my friends and family call me Walt. While a sincerely respect (but don't like your opinions), please refrain from calling me by my first name. We are not buddies or pals!

-- Walter F. Bilenski III, USAF (ret.)