Letter: Obama following through on platform

Regarding Donald Rae’s August 29 letter (“Herger bashing is hypocritical”),  I examined my statements to the press, and nowhere did I call anyone “nasty names” or any name.

I did question Rep. Wally Herger praising a man who claimed to be “a proud right wing terrorist.”

A “terrorist” is someone who uses violence to intimidate others for political purposes: a terrorist assassinated John Kennedy in 1963; a terrorist assassinated Martin Luther King in 1968; a terrorist assassinated Bobby Kennedy in 1968; a terrorist killed 168 Americans in Oklahoma City in 1995; including the hijackers, terrorists killed almost 3,000 people on Sept. 11.

No more violence, please.

Rep. Herger had a teaching moment. He could have become a statesman by explaining that terrorism is not to be encouraged in a democracy where each citizen’s  vote and voice are part of our freedoms.  From the video, it appears he pandered to his conservative attendees and fluffed his opportunity. Pity. 

Mr. Rae, my husband and I were hard-working Americans before we retired – at age 65. My husband died four years ago after fighting leukemia and lymphoma. With the help of Medicare – a government managed health care system – we were spared bankruptcy.

And as I remember, the majority of Americans elected Barack Obama president of the United States last November. And as I remember, he ran on a platform of health care for all Americans. 

Jo Anderson
Yuba City