Letters to the Editor published in the March 31, 2021 issue of the Tomahawk Leader.
NOTE: The following letters were sent via email to State Senator Mary Felzkowski and Felzkowski’s Chief of Staff Elisabeth “Liz” Portz. The first letter was sent on March 2, and the second was sent on March 18. The first letter was edited for length, with the author’s consent, before publication.
Concern for my country, democracy
Mary/Liz,
My concern is for my country and its democracy, currently, I do believe it is under threat from the Republican party.
I would like to communicate this to Mary as she is my senator and is a member of the party and is an accessible link for me to have my voice heard. These are my feelings and you are free to disagree, what I would like to discuss is regardless of if you agree my feelings are still valid and I would invite all three of us to explore why someone like myself (and there are many others out there) might be feeling this way. What actions, information, etc., are we all consuming to validate our own feelings and how are we paying attention to others’ feelings so that we can understand the path towards the reconciliation of this divided country – assuming that is what we all want.
Why do I feel our democracy is under threat?
I feel this way when I continue to hear Republicans deny that President Biden won a fair and open election.
I feel this way because of the Jan. 6 attack on our nation’s capital where I saw hundreds of people with Trump flags and MAGA hats.
I feel this way because Trump continues to lie about the election being stolen and the majority of his supporters believe him even though there is no proof and over 60 lawsuits have come to the same conclusion.
I feel this way when I see Republican legislatures passing laws that will negatively impact people’s right to vote. It is happening here as well.
I feel this way because of the widespread gerrymandering and the fact that Republicans are fighting to keep it in place, even though it is a non-partisan issue as everyone should feel that their vote counts regardless of political affiliation.
I feel this way because the Republican party is not condemning the hate and violence in a very strong way and continues to court groups like the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, and others while losing the more moderate members of the party who are leaving. I feel this way when I see elected Republicans posing in front of guns, holding guns, and making implied threats while doing so. While they are free to do what they like I think we can all agree a gun is a symbol of violence and in this current political climate sends a very specific message.
These are concerns that come readily to mind.
The above are my reasons for feeling the way I do and I would like to know Mary’s views on these issues and perhaps her advice on how best to communicate these concerns more widely. I did mention that I have also reached out to Tiffany and Johnson but have never received any replies with the exception of one form letter from Ron. I do credit Mary for responding. Thank you for taking your responsibility to listen to your constituents seriously.
I think I may be writing to both of you so I wish you both well.
Walt Hobbs
Tomahawk
Rush Limbaugh
Mary/Liz,
I wrote you the previous email on March 2nd, to date I have received no reply actually no surprise. In the event that you did not read it Liz, asked me to reconsider some of my comments as they may have been hurtful and non-productive, which I did. That said since that time I have only seen actions that confirm my earlier feelings. Ron Johnson’s racist, bigoted comments, republican attempts to limit the power of the governor at every turn, and now your resolution pandering to another racist bigot, homophobic excuse for a human being. How could you, were you not aware of his history? Let me give you some of the more despicable examples.
- Sandra Fluke a Georgetown law student who in 2012 advocated for mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives. Rush Limbaugh called her a “Slut” and a “Prostitute” Later saying that Georgetown should give its female students all the aspirin they wanted so they could put one between their knees to keep from getting pregnant.
- In 1994 after Kurt Cobain’s suicide Rush called him “A worthless shred of human debris.”
- At the peak of the AIDS epidemic he would mirthfully recite the names of dead gay men while playing “I will never love this way again.”
- He also referred to career-orientated women as “Feminazis.” I am thinking you both fall into this category.
- He said that 12-year-old Chelsea Clinton was “Ugly” and “The White House Dog.”
- He once instructed a black caller to “take the bone out of your nose and call back.”
- He consistently described African-Americans as lazy, crime-prone ingrates demanding redistribution of his listener’s money.
These are just a few of the horrible things that he said and the fact that you chose to honor him says way more about you and your republican colleagues than it does about him.
I really think that Liz is a caring, intelligent individual and honestly do not understand why she is working for you, a mystery to me. Liz, I honestly took your comments to heart, that said today’s republicans are not a viable political party, they are an evil cult, bound and determined to stay in power at all cost, d*** the democracy, d*** the constitution and d*** anyone who does not think like them sadly.
Walt Hobbs
Tomahawk