Letter: Were rude legislators scarred by childhood?

There was an overflow crowd at this week's meeting at the Legislature's public lands committee. From the overflow room, I could not always tell who was speaking, but Rep. Mike Noel was definitely one of them.

I was deeply saddened for the legislators speaking against the Bears Ears Monument because it seems they did not get the love and care as children that would have provided them with more compassion and better manners. Their rudeness to the public they serve, and to the native speakers they opposed, was shocking and embarrassing!

To suggest that the unprecedented coalition of tribes are being selfish, after all we have done to them over the last centuries, showed a completely unjustified sense of entitlement. Many thanks to Sen. Jim Dabakis for role-modeling a better way to behave.

Jill Merritt

Salt Lake City