My letter to Todd Platts, PA-19:
A couple of months ago, I had the opportunity to meet you at an Eagle ceremony for the son of a long-time friend. I, too, am an Eagle, and find myself among the one in a hundred who considers this achievement more important than his college degrees.
Watching you speak, I began to think about the Republican Party which you represent, and which is so much different from the party of Scranton, Mathias, and Rockefeller, which is the one I registered to vote for when I turned twenty-one.
Here's how well the current Republican Party obeys the Scout Law:
Italics from my Boy Scout Handbook. (c)1959
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Trustworthy --
If we couldn't trust other people, the work of the world would soon come to a standstill. Your party has betrayed the nation's trust at every turn. This administration broke faith with the American people by spying on them, by peddling influence, by lying about their opponents during political campaigns (e.g. McCain, Cleland, Kerry).
Loyal -- The only loyalty is to the Republican Party, and that loyalty is only upward. If a Republican underling breaks ranks, he or she is punished. Which I'm sure you're well aware of (again, see McCain).
Helpful -- In your Scout Oath, you pledge to help other people at all times. Katrina. Need I say more?
Friendly -- Tax policies, anyone?
Courteous -- This is just another way of saying that a Scout is a gentleman. You will have many opportunities every day to show whether you are one or not. Perhaps a little less smirking from the President and the Attorney General when addressing the nation and Congress would be in order?
Kind -- You have to understand when [they] need food and water and shelter... Nothing like trying to extend tax breaks for the rich while cutting support for the poor, eh?
Obedient -- ... being obedient goes beyond the obedience you owe to certain individuals. It also means obedience to your country's laws. The President and the Republican Congress swore an oath of obedience to the Constitution, which they have subsequently broken. At a minimum, this administration has already admitted to breaking the law by violating the 4th Amendment.
Cheerful -- Well, ya got me there. The President and his administration (OK, except for VP Cheney) keep smiles on their faces while they're cuttin' brush. Gosh, I wish I could have a beer with these guys.
Thrifty -- Do the words "Budget Deficit" come to mind? This administration squandered (there's an appropriate word for everything they've done!) a budget surplus and created a larger deficit during one administration than we've had in the previous 242 years!!
And, on another note: One of the most important ways in which you can show that you are thrifty is the way you go about protecting and conserving our country's natural resources - its soil and water, its woods and fields, its wildlife.
Brave -- When it was time for them to serve, Bush and Cheney dodged the draft. Oh, you can talk about the National Guard, but in the 60s, you couldn't get in without pulling strings. I was there. I know.
And, again from the Handbook: It takes bravery to stand up for what you think is right when others try to make you do what you know is wrong. It takes backbone to admit a mistake and apologize for it.
Clean -- The simplest way of being clean is not to get dirty in the first place. No amount of money laundering, smearing, and attacks will help. Again: There's another kind of dirt that won't come off by washing.
Reverent -- There's a big difference between proclaiming your faith and living it. The Republicans in this administration have completely missed the distinction between the two.
From the Handbook: Many great men in history have been men of deep religious faith who have shown their conviction in deeds. [Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower] had many things in common: love of the out-of-doors, human kindness, and an earnest vigor in working with God to help make a better world.
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Mr. Platts, I'd be embarrassed to be in your shoes. You simply have to do better, and change your party for the better. Stand up for country over party. There is no other way to say it.