To the Editor:

Rummaging recently through some newspapers first consigned to the trash but detoured to the fire place, I happened upon a mid-December 06 Union Sentinel letter-to-the-editor from a person who wanted to talk about members of either House of Congress who preyed on same and opposite sex minor children. The writer's case was made to show that Republicans are very good at not tolerating deviant behavior. I worked on Capitol Hill for nearly four years, during the 84thand part of the 85th Congressional terms, as a staff member for the National Republican Congressional Committee, and I submit without reservation that neither political party was more or less tolerant of sexual predators among Congressional Members. Members of Congress are the same as people everywhere; some are good, others bad. Most members of our U.S. Congress are honorable and hard working Americans.

Further, the news media know now quite well the identities of those legislators who are alcoholics, child predators, and generally of socially unacceptable behavior. When a solon is suddenly exposed for behavioral excesses, competitive media sharks swarm to meet demands of their editors.

I remain a Republican quite near the center of partisan difference, and I can't see the sort of boyish joy that comes from negative criticism of human frailty, the presentation of which is aimed at appearing clever to one's back slapping chums, the faculties of whom are generally of bar-spill depth. My focus falls upon a bit of black humor in which the writer speaks of "…a Democrat from the Archdiocese of Boston, err, I mean the 12th District of Massachusetts …" The writer's use of the verb 'to err' was appropriate; the last time I consulted a dictionary, 'to err' was said to be 'mistaken.' The writer was more mistaken than he pretended. Manifestation of power over the weak occurs at all levels of society, from penitentiary inmates to clergy of all religions, and even to pot-shot writers of disdain for institutions that are alien to their own limited intellectual resources. Some irresponsible writers gain a euphoric thrill from assaulting from cover entities incapable of refuting bigoted allegations, for the entertainment of the similarly simple minded.

The spiller of that dirt about the Archdiocese of Boston would do well to read the book The Power of Positive Thinking, by Rev. Norman Vincent Peale.

Tom McKevitt