Letters: Hoffa's angry words

I read with interest the article titled "Obama's union hard line" [News, Sept. 6]. I read it twice to see if I had missed Teamsters president James Hoffa's derogatory and threatening remarks, made in the presence of President Barack Obama, aimed at tea party members: "Let's take these sons of bitches out."

Not one word was mentioned either of Hoffa's words or Obama's failure to rebuke him. How much space would Newsday have given those comments if they were made by the tea party and directed against Obama?

George L. Repetti, Long Beach
 

Back in January there was a senseless slaughter in Arizona. One of the victims, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who thankfully survived and is doing miraculously well, is a Democrat. That party and virtually all of the media quickly jumped on the bandwagon assigning blame to the right.

As it turned out, the shooter was not a pawn of the right. There was much finger-pointing at Sarah Palin and the others who used gunsights and targets in political messages. No one in their right mind would think that anyone, left or right, was "targeting" anyone for anything except a defeat at the polls.

Now, we have union leader James Hoffa preaching to his choir. Excuse me for thinking clearly, but if this were a Republican saying such inflammatory words, it would have been Arizona all over again. Hoffa's wish to "take out" the opposition could be taken as a term for murder. Of course, I hope that is not what it means.

Also in recent weeks, we had Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) suggesting that the tea party "go to hell," Rep. Andre Carson (D-Ind.) making the asinine assertion that the tea party wants to see black people hanging from trees, and now this veiled threat by yet another Democrat and big supporter of this president.

The coming election is going to be dirty. We already know that by the words and the actions of the Democrats, but must we devolve to threats of violence, particularly when we have been admonished by the president to be kinder and more civil? Or is it, do as I say, not as I do?

Maybe we need a congressional investigation into the thuggery, intimidation and racist rhetoric we are already suffering.

John Savin, Massapequa