This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There is a simple logic to all hostage taking that negates Lynda Ashcraft's contention that Mike Lee is behaving in a moral and patriotic manner ("Mike Lee is the real deal," Forum, Oct. 14). The logic is the same for airline hijackers or Somali pirates or this small group of political belligerents that Mike Lee is leading.
They are counting on their victims to be more decent and moral than they are. Mike Lee, along with Jason Chaffetz, Rob Bishop and Chris Stewart, are willing to damage the country, inflict financial hardship not just on federal employees but everyone who relies on the services they provide.
They are willing to jeopardize the financial stability of the country and possibly even the world and they trust the rest of Congress and the president to be better than they are and prevent them from doing it by giving in to their demands.
Regardless of whether you sympathize with their cause or not, it should be clear they have proven two things quite clearly. They are not patriots and they're unfit for public office.
Ray L. Worthen
Mountain Green