Dorothy Solomon [12/23/2002]

To the editor:In reference to Ron Figuly's "obnoxious" letter which appeared in the Sun on Friday, Dec. 13, I have no choice but to respond. First, I don't take advice from James Carville, and neither does the New Hampshire State Democratic Party. Neither I nor any of those who ran for office called anyone nasty names. However, I do think comparing Democrats to Goebbles, Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Castro, as you did, constitutes name-calling.Second, I do believe Democrats have gotten a great many things right. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a Democrat, brought this country out of a depression, led this country with courage and determination through a world war and developed some of the most progressive legislation ever. FDR's New Deal helped the people of America by getting legislation passed such as the Civilian Conservation Corps, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Civil Works Administration, Home Owners Loan Corporation and, most important, the Works Progress Administration. In the 1930s Roosevelt and the Congress gave us the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Wagner Act which led to the National Labor Relations Board, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Social Security Act of 1935. Under another Democrat, Harry Truman, came the European Recovery Program otherwise known as the Marshall Plan that revitalized Europe and benefited the United States. John Fitzgerald Kennedy gave us the New Frontier Programs, the Peace Corps, the Trade Expansion Act, and the American Space Program. And Lyndon Johnson, another Democrat, brought us the "Great Society" legislation which included Aid to Families With Dependent Children, Medicare and Medicaid, Head Start, federally- financed college loans, and the HUD program. Figuly's assertion that "the premiere left wing radicals in Albany called our soldiers "terrorists," I find personally offensive. I can only believe he is speaking of me, as I am an Albany resident and the Chair of the Carroll County Democrats. First, I wrote no such letter or ever called our troops "terrorists." I come from a family of men who fought valiantly for this country. Two of my brothers fought in World War II; one in Europe as a medic and one in Asia. My brother-in-law was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge. My third brother fought in Korea, and my husband is a veteran of the Korean War. No matter how many times you repeat untruths, they will not change the facts. I know no "Sandinista thugs" and frankly I don't know what you are talking about, nor do I think you do either. Stop labeling people who don't agree with your politics and stop accusing Democrats of "whining" because they stand for a cause or policy you don't like! The First Amendment has not been completely obliterated, and I, as any other citizen of this country and New Hampshire, can speak and advocate for an "income tax" or anything else if I believe it is appropriate.You "be alert," Mr. Figuly. I and other Democrats will speak out against policies we feel are not in the best interest of the people of New Hampshire and the United States of America. We are not in "rebellion " against a particular person, but we reserve our right to speak against radical and reactionary policies.Take your own advice and refrain from name-calling. It is wrong, it is un-American, and it is immoral!Proud and Courageous Democrat of Albany,