Dear Editor,

I would like to respond to Mr. Charley Pemberton’s inane and vitriolic letter of Sept. 2nd. I would ask Mr. Pemberton “Where have you been for the last 8 years?” We have had a government that conducted illegal wiretapping, secret CIA bases, extraordinary rendition (the process of extraditing prisoners to countries that allow to extreme interrogation methods), refused to answer congressional inquiries (Cheney’s refusal to reveal his “secret” energy policy board) and spent countless hours and dollars trying to legally justify torture. This sounds a lot more like the actions of a dictatorship than anything we are seeing now.

The new administration is trying to see that everyone has access to health care. The makings of a dictatorship? Hardly. “Our representatives have pledged to vote against this bill” says Mr. Pemberton. Do “our representatives” also condone the utterly childish response that the right has had to Mr. Obama? Hitler? Shouting matches? Gimme a break.

All this anger is generated because an administration says that we should, as a country, lift everybody up and make sure that everybody gets fair and decent health care. Why is this so frightening to the right? Bill Moyers was once asked if he considered himself a liberal. He replied that if that means that together we can do more for our communities and ourselves than we can do alone, then yes, he was a liberal. By that definition, I too am a liberal. One has to ask, in this situation, what would Jesus do?

I believe Mr. Pemberton is retired. Have you ever used the Medicare system, Mr. Pemberton? The Medicare system has had many years to “start the transformation to dictatorship” but so far we seem to be doing fine. Instead, Medicare made sure that my parents and grandparents, good working-class people with not a lot of money, got health care when they needed it. Together, we can do more Mr. Pemberton. Make the world a better place.

Frank Arnosky

Blanco, Texas