Selective outrage at the Statehouse

To the Editor:
    In the latest engagement of Justin Alfond’s Traveling Carnival of Democrat Oddities, Novelties, and Behaviors Bizarre, the former Senate president is demanding that a House leader be sanctioned for criticizing the president of the United States so that the Senate can “move on.” This begs the question: When did criticizing, mocking, or rudely depicting the president or the opposing party warrant a stoppage of legislature?

    A quick study of such behavior will reveal the “many” times that Justin Alfond has called for such similar and heinous behavior to stop so we could “move on”… or not. In actuality, this quick study reveals that Mr. Alfond has a heavy infection of selective outrage.
    While the Maine chapter of the NAACP are in the wings reminding us all that what Dr. King really meant by his famous speech is that the pigmentation of an individual’s epidermis holds a direct correlation on whether that person can be criticized or not, let’s take a trip down memory lane on the other times that Justin Alfond has stepped forward to wax eloquent on the moral virtuosity of abstaining from rudely criticizing those in political power:
    Ah nostalgia … remember the time Justin gathered together his political pluck to publicly chastise then Senate President Libby Mitchell for posting pictures of herself with images depicting President George W. Bush as a terrorist? You’ll remember that Maine media was ablaze with how Alfond rebuked the Senate president for her behavior and reminded everyone that we needed to “move on” from this kind of behavior. Amazingly despite the sanctions that Alfond called for, Mitchell was still able to run for governor. Remember that? Do you, because I’m having a hard time finding record of that anywhere.
    Oh, oh … and who can forget when Justin was so frothing mad at Cynthia Dill for asking her blog followers to trade their rice cookers in for .38 specials so they could deal with Republicans, publicly desecrated a war veterans memorial, ridiculed the supporters of those with Asperger syndrome, and mocked people with weight problems. You can just imagine the public rebuke she incurred from Alfond when he went to the media about that, scathing to be sure … I guess. Well it’s really hard to know … because … well there is no record of him saying anything. I guess you can “move on” really quickly when no one acknowledges anything.
    But, hey, don’t forget the time Chuck Kruger (D-Thomaston) posted that he hoped Dick Cheney met the same fate as Saddam and that he also hoped that there were cell cams. Alfond was so incensed he couldn’t “move on” for … at least … 30 seconds. Such moral virtue! Why is it, that despite the freezing temperatures out, I’m hearing the sounds of crickets?
    And then there were clown noses! Remember, how Alfond just uncorked on those two Democrats for wearing clown noses when the voters came to attend a public hearing on a bill. Without any prodding from Republicans, he just publicly let them have it for insulting Maine voters like that. I don’t think those two have ever recovered from the sanctions put on them. Do you remember that … because I don’t either?
    Justin Alfond’s calls for moral virtue have all the truth and sincerity of a desert mirage. One has to look only as far as the history of his own leadership to find the proof of his blatant hypocrisy. Justin Alfond needs to dispense with sideshow and carnival act, clown noses and all. It’s getting very old and bizarre.

Andy Torbett
Atkinson