Apparently Ms. Bachmann thinks it's time to revive the House Unamerican Activites Committee. She would love to chair it if she could.
Dear Congresswoman Bachmann,
I watched your discussion on Hardball with Chris Matthews with deep dismay. Now you said you were "misunderstood." In this age of You Tube and instant replay,what you said is not easily dismissed. You have accused liberals of being "anti-American." So, let me tell you about my husband and myself, both proud liberals.
First I'll tell you about my husband. He's a man of whom I am incredibly proud. He is 63 yrs old and retired from the US Civil Service last year. He worked for the Department of Defense. His job was to test ammunition. He spent many a restless night worrying about having bad ammunition go to the troops. He took it PERSONALLY, Congresswoman! He didn't want any Americans in Iraq or Afghanistan to die because he wasn't careful enough. He got laughed at behind his back. People thought he was difficult. He is a Vietnam Veteran also. He was the eldest of four children. His parents didn't have the money to send him to college. He was also a Democratic committeeman in Philadelphia BEFORE HE COULD VOTE. I'm sure you will count THAT against him. He got into college with the combination of a small scholarship and ROTC. He didn't just go into the ROTC for the money. His father was an active army reservist who retired with the rank of Lt Col. He is a WWII veteran as is his uncle. Another uncle also served after WWII. We still have a picture of him with his father and uncles in their reserve uniforms when he was sworn into ROTC.
My career hasn't been that distinguished. However I have been a PROUD LIBERAL for as long as I can remember. I was 13 when John F Kennedy ran for president. I found it hard to believe that there was even a question of his fitness for office based on his religion. I still remember the venom coming from the so-called religious groups who thought that to be Catholic meant you swore some kind of fealty to the Pope. All through Catholic School - all 12 years of it! - we started our day with the Pledge of Allegiance. Who knew I was so suspect?
When I was just a teenager, VP Spiro Agnew was spewing the same kind of hatred as you are today. I remember crying about that. My parents saw it as just a stupid politician mouthing off. I knew better.
Quite frankly, Congresswoman, I'm sick and tired of people like you. HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY PATRIOTISM! Who do you think you are? How DARE you go after a Senator and candidate for President in that manner! How DARE you suggest that Congress should investigate ANYONE based on whether they are "anti-American" or not!
Disagreement and dissent are, in their very nature, AMERICAN. Remember that the next time you are asked for an interview. However with luck, your last interview will be the one that takes place when you lose your re-election bid.