TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Hernando Today

Out of the mainstream

ADVERTISEMENT

Hernando Today

Published: November 2, 2009

In the Oct. 27 edition of Hernando Today, I was rather amused by Dallas Dunlap's letter in which he pretty much calls me a hypocrite and uninformed.

I find it interesting that Mr. Dunlap brings up Jose Padilla, a convicted terrorist and traitor, as an example of a victim of someone being tortured under the Bush administration. Of course, what Mr. Dunlap doesn't tell you in his letter is that Padilla's lawyer accused the Bush administration of torturing him, and it is just that - an accusation. As for The New York Times reporters who wrote that article for which they won the Pulitzer Prize, who particularly cares? They have had their reputations tarnished during the past few years.

I also object to Mr. Dunlap's remarks about some of these teabaggers, his use of the word "sedition" and comparisons to the Oklahoma City bombers. There is no doubt some of these people at these demonstrations got a bit carried away, but it happens. Just look at some of these anti-war demonstrations. Did anyone accuse them of sedition? I know I did not use the word sedition against anti-war demonstrators. I might not agree with them, but I did not think of them of being anti-American even though they made outrageous and stupid statements.

I would also like to set the record straight about me. I am a conservative. I do not belong to the Republican Party. I am an independent. I vote for those who stand for the basic principles this country was founded on.

I am not a fan of big government. I believe you cannot spend your way out of debt. I am not a big fan of George Bush when it came to his domestic policies; he did not govern as I hoped, but I did not hate the man, just like I don't hate Barack Obama, I just think he is inexperienced and too liberal.

I believe in allowing people with opposing points of view to speak freely, unlike progressives. About 40 percent of the general public today call themselves conservative; 20 percent call themselves liberal or progressives, according to a recent polling.

So who is out of the mainstream and a member of the fringe element, Mr. Dunlap? It is certainly not me.

Peter Stathis

Spring Hill

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT