'Frenemies' are invited to breakfast or lunch on me

To The Daily Sun,

Over the past few years, I have been attacked with regularity in the pages of this paper, often in response to letters I wrote criticizing votes taken by some of our sitting representatives. The letters against me have been amazingly personal, and often quite vicious, but fortunately I am not thin-skinned. If anything, I have seen humor in the comments of my detractors, even if the humor was not intended.

In the spirit of the New Year, I will quote briefly from some of these attacks, and invite each of my detractors to be my guest (one at a time, however!) at either a breakfast or lunch at one of our area restaurants. By the way, the offer is for only one meal, even for those who have attacked me on numerous occasions.

First, Norman Silber (“breach of ethics”, “shameful”, “hard left” person who has “no shame”, and more recently “so far left I have often referred to her as the Lakes Region’s Hanoi Jane”). Next, a person whom I can only call “Anonymous”, as the letter he sent in the mail in February of 2018 was unsigned (“colossal ignorance”, “NO CLUE,” “YOU DID NOT [know what you were doing]”, all of the capitals apparently intended for emphasis). Next, Rep. Raymond Howard, Jr., who was invited by me to a conciliatory breakfast in my phone call to him conceding the 2018 election but never took me up on it (“her confusion”, “tax and spend NJ”). From Alton, Chris Wittmann (“tax and spend politicians dragging us down the road of socialism”). Dick Burchell, (“disgusting letter from Ruth Larson”, a “committed leftist”, “an extremist”, and in a more recent letter, “screechy and preachy” and doesn’t believe in either the bible or the US Constitution, and still more recently, “a person of low character”). William French (“slimy New Jersey-brand politics”, tactics “out of the Saul Alinsky handbook”, “one wonders where her funding is coming from, George Soros … or ”) (that last comment may or may not be related to the fact that I am Jewish).

Next, Barbara Howard, wife of Raymond Howard (“long-winded half-truths and exaggerations”, “won’t be happy until New Hampshire becomes another New Jersey”). Thomas Bogan (“ignorant”, “you have no place in the discussion”, and later, “lie and deceive”, “clueless”, still later “liberal ignorance”, “Ruth humiliating herself”). Rick Notkin (“people who don’t understand firearms should not propose laws”). Steve Fiorini (“ultra-left wing-nut ideas”).

For any of my frenemies who would like to take me up on my offer, my email address is ruthlarson@msn.com. In the meantime, Happy New Year!

Ruth Larson

Alton