Senator Hatch,
I came to your town hall on April 7th, 2010. I confess, I almost decided not to come, because despite the fact that I’m a hardworking, taxpaying mother and veteran who takes care of her family and her civic obligations, I have watched with growing consternation the actions of the “tea party” when it comes to dealing with people who do not march in lockstep with their opinions and had no wish to subject myself or my family to the possibility of violence by someone who questioned my “patriotism”. However, I refuse to be cowed by people who want nothing more than to continue stifling discussion in this country; if I give in, they win. Thus, there I was in an uncomfortable metal folding chair at 6:45 PM, waiting for you to speak, hoping for an open and honest dialogue with my senator.
What I got, however, was a flag-draped Tea Party Talking Points extravaganza, underscoring the fact that even among our elected representatives, true political dialogue has been abandoned in favor of emotional rhetoric and factless-but-snappy one-liners that fit easily on protest signs.
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