I originally read an editorial in the paper about your remarks from the House floor where you incorrectly attributed a horrible statement to President Lincoln. I hoped that somehow you had been taken out of context. I then saw video of these remarks at www.crooksandliars.com, and found out that you had once again dragged the good state of Alaska through the mud by making these despicable comments. The fact that you still stand by these remarks makes the following abundantly clear:
You do not represent me, you do not represent Alaskans, and you most certainly do not represent the American people.
I've listened to you make asinine statements about global warming that completely contradict overwhelming evidence and the scientific consensus. I've heard you patronize constituents after they've contacted you about a specific issue on multiple occasions. I've watched you throw temper tantrums and call your colleagues 'terrorists' when they hold a position that's based in logic and fact.
And now, to top it all off, you say that "Congressmen...who damage morale and undermine the military...should be arrested, exiled, or hanged"? I'm tempted to use a quote that can actually be attributed to Dick Cheney (hint: he said it to Sen. Leahy), but I feel that would be stooping down to your level which, right now, is horrendously low.
The fact that you made these remarks shows an extreme lack of respect for your colleagues and the United States Congress. The fact that you approve of this escalation shows a lack of respect for the American people and a majority of those currently serving in our armed forces. Above all, the fact that you still stand by these comments and still mistakenly attribute them to Lincoln highlights your long-standing disrespect for facts.
If you really wanted to put these comments to good use, I feel that underfunding veterans health care and having inadequate treatment for our returning wounded soldiers is extremely damaging to morale. I think that sending these additional troops to Iraq without adequate body armor or properly-armored vehicles undermines the military to an unacceptable degree. I think that most people would agree with these positions, and yet you have done little to nothing to fix these problems.
Rep. John Murtha, himself a combat veteran, will soon be introducing legislation that would ensure that our troops would not be sent into theater without first receiving adequate training and equipment. I expect to see you voting for this measure when it is introduced, or else I trust that, at the very least, you will turn yourself over to the proper authorities.
Sincerely,
Bryan 'Sed' Charic
CC: Don Young, Anchorage Daily News