Writing to Rep. Peter King

I just got off my butt and wrote a letter to my Congressman.

Dear Rep. King,

I am a constituent of yours in the Third District. I am writing you because I believe you have both the position and the moral authority to reduce the most caustic elements of our national debate - if that is something you deem worthwhile.

I am referring, specifically, to Ann Coulter's recent remarks. A month ago, she said of the 9/11 widows, "These broads are millionaires, lionized on TV and in articles about them, reveling in their status as celebrities and stalked by griefparrazis. I have never seen people enjoying their husband's death so much."

Gov. Pataki has condemned these remarks and called for a retraction. Sen. Clinton has done the same. To date, I have not heard any opinion of these remarks coming from your office. I can't imagine that you would approve of a single word of this statement under any circumstances, given your work supporting all of us who were affected by 9/11. I also doubt that you are close to Ms. Coulter, seeing as she referred to you last week as "nuttier than squirrel droppings."

Unfortunately, statements with this destructive tone are all too common from Coulter, as well as from others like Michael Savage, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, John Gibson, and their ilk. As a constituent of yours, I would like to request, sir, that you take a strong stand against this style of vile rhetoric in our public discourse. Our district, and our country, deserve a fair and frank discussion of issues - not slander against the victims of 9/11 and comparisons of elected officials to fecal matter. I am sure I speak for the majority of your constituents when I say that I have had enough of this.

Sincerely,

(name and address supplied)