GUILFORD-To the editor of The Commons and voters in Vernon and Guilford: As kids we used to play a card game that consisted of laying one, two, three, or more cards on the table face down and declaring they were "three aces," or whatever. Your opponents have to decide if you are telling the truth or bluffing. A simplified version of poker.
In polite circles, it was called, "I doubt it," which is what you would say if you thought your opponent was lying. Teenage boys usually called out something else.
Regarding Jason Herron's paid political advertisement in the June 5 issue of The Commons: if you have experienced Jason at a public meeting, you know he is guilty of the incivility he complains about.
Guilford has always had healthy disagreements in political discourse, but the tone he brings to public meetings is a new low. I would even quote George Washington, to say that it "agitates the community with ill-founded jealousies and false alarms."
The current round of political games begins with a flurry of advertisements and letters to the editor. I don't know who paid for Jason's ad, but the taxpayers of Guilford would be better served by a contribution to the town's legal defense fund.
The picture in the ad is a wonderful photograph of a handsome family, but as for the text below, I want to call it what the teenage boys would call it.
In an effort to lower the temperature of public debate, I will just say: I doubt it.
Arthur Pettee
Guilford
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
This piece, published in print in the Voices section or as a column in the news sections, represents the opinion of the writer. In the newspaper and on this website, we strive to ensure that opinions are based on fair expression of established fact. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, The Commons is reviewing and developing more precise policies about editing of opinions and our role and our responsibility and standards in fact-checking our own work and the contributions to the newspaper. In the meantime, we heartily encourage civil and productive responses at voices@commonsnews.org.