Re: letter from a friend

[robert <http://dummy.us.eu.org/robert>]

I converted the office format file to text below.  Just FYI.

 > From: Noelle <http://dummy.us.eu.org/noelleg>
 > Date: Mon, 24 Feb 2025 07:36:06 -0800 (PST)
 >
 > PS this guy is a military vet who has PTSD, got in trouble with the 
 > law, was in prison, now is trying to stay out of trouble. He is very 
 > articulate and passionate.
 > 
 > D.E. in Lancaster, PA, writes: Below is a copy of an e-mail I just sent to my Congressional
 > Representative, Lloyd Smucker (R-PA):
 > 
 > Dear Representative Smucker:
 > 
 > I read this evening that Elon Musk sent an e-mail to federal workers
 > asking them to justify their jobs in five bullet points. His initial tweet
 > said that failure to comply would be taken as a resignation letter. Let me
 > just say that I am disgusted beyond belief at the way that decent,
 > hardworking Americans are being treated by this... I'll bite my tongue and
 > not say what I really think.
 > 
 > Look, I get it, your political philosophy is for smaller government and
 > you probably believe that there is massive waste and fraud in our federal
 > government. This letter is NOT about that argument. If there is waste and
 > fraud—and I do believe there is, but nowhere near the extent
 > that Musk and DOGE thinks there is—then present that evidence
 > to the American people, chapter and verse. If there is fraud, then charge
 > those people with whatever crimes they committed. In all the madness of
 > the past month, not one person has been charged or let go of their job
 > because of provable fraud. That should be concerning for you and every
 > American. There is also the matter of Musk's horrendous track record.
 > First he fired the people who safeguard our nuclear stockpile, but then
 > had to find them to try to rehire them. He fired the people who counseled
 > veterans who might have suicidal thoughts, only to discover we might need
 > them after all and rehired them. He fired the summer employees at our
 > beautiful National Parks, only to discover they might actually do a
 > worthwhile job and then not only rehired them but increased the number of
 > positions. Sadly, the list goes on and on. Musk, by any legitimate measure
 > of effectiveness or competency, is doing a half-ass job. But again, that
 > is not what this letter is about.
 > 
 > What has me beyond livid is that our federal workers are our fellow
 > Americans. A goodsize portion of those workers work for our government
 > because of a sense of duty, patriotism and honor; some even put their
 > lives on the line for their jobs. We should be thanking them for their
 > service like we do for our military. If there is waste in our
 > government—and waste is sometimes in the eye of the
 > beholder—it is not our federal workers fault. They didn't
 > create the waste, another group of individuals who work where you work
 > created the "waste," most of which was done with the best intentions.
 > Yes, root out the duplicate efforts or the causes that are out of date;
 > but the fact that Musk and his barely-into-puberty band of delinquent
 > hackers, like Mr. "Big Balls" (if you're not embarrassed of that, then
 > shame on you), has consistently had to rescind their firings should tell
 > you that these DOGE activities are neither competent or thorough.  But
 > even this point just misses the cause of my anger.
 > 
 > After reading the news about Musk's tweet and e-mails, I found myself
 > wondering "What's next?" Is he going to demand that every federal worker
 > don a tutu and jump through a plastic hoop? These are fellow Americans
 > that we are treating like filth and toys, between the buyout that wasn't a
 > buyout, the confusing directions, the probable illegality of the whole
 > operation and the just sheer crappy way they are being treated.  These are
 > people whose careers, economic prosperity, family security and sense of
 > selfworth are being treated in such a horrific, cavalier manner. When did
 > America become so callous and cruel that it treats its fellow citizens
 > this way? Would you like for your children, family members and friends to
 > be treated like this? Do you treat your hardworking staff in such a
 > slap-happy and indifferent approach? My God, Representative, where is your
 > decency as an American, a Christian and as a human being, to watch people
 > being abused by drugged addled megalomaniac, like a small boy pulling the
 > wings off a fly? I am asking you to speak up and use your power as a
 > Congressman to demand that some structure and accountability take place
 > with rooting out waste and abuse, and when waste is identified that the
 > workers, through no fault of their own, they are treated with the same
 > amount of decency and respect that you would demand for yourself or a
 > loved one. Let's bring back a kinder American government and do things the
 > right way and not willy-nilly and half-assed.
 > 
 > Thank you for reading this letter. I sincerely hope you had a much
 > pleasanter weekend than the majority of the federal workforce had this
 > weekend.
 > 
 > I would also like to note that, knowing the track record of Representative
 > Smucker, I am not holding my breath for a response that isn't some red
 > herring Fox News Talking Point that does not show one spinal membrane in
 > it. I would like to be pleasantly surprised and will always foolishly let
 > myself hope that decency is not dead.
 > 
 > I would also like to ask each and every Electoral-Vote.com reader, if you
 > are also outraged at this whole DODGY Fuji Mermaid Side Show Scam (or at
 > the way the White House is treating the good people of Ukraine; or Trump
 > "palling around" with Putin yet again; or his Don Quixote-like land grab
 > endeavors; or his flaunting of rules, laws and our Constitution; or his
 > firing of our military leadership; or on and on and on ad nauseam), THIS
 > is the time to write your Senator and Representative, especially if they
 > are a Republican! You might have heard that there have been some
 > Republican Town Halls or Town Hall-like events, where the attendees have
 > been angry, loud and completely not willing to take Republican bullsh**
 > excuses. The Republicans might be scared of Trump, but I say that the
 > American people should show them something to be really scared of,
 > something that will make their hair curl and wet themselves in fear every
 > night.  To everyone who works for the federal government, I thank you for
 > your service and dedication. I feel just complete disgust that you are
 > being treated and abused like this. I stand with you in heart and spirit;
 > and, if need be, I am ready to find a pitchfork and a torch and join you
 > at the barricades.  "People should not be afraid of their governments.
 > Governments should be afraid of their people."
 > 
 > Sic Semper Tyrannis!
 > 
 > P.S.: I wanted to let you know that after I sent this letter, I followed
 > my own advice and sent a similar copy to Senators John Fetterman and David
 > McCormick (R-PA). While McCormick, like Smucker, gave me unlimited space
 > to express my concerns, Fetterman limited my letter to 1,200 characters.
 > As you are aware, brevity is not one of my writing virtues. I guess
 > Fetterman is too busy getting down to Mar-a-Crapo to kiss His Orangeness'
 > ample butt to be bothered to read our letters.  Let me just say, for a
 > freshman senator, Fetterman is skating on some very thin ice with
 > me—and the air temperature is only getting warmer. Each day,
 > Fetterman reminds me more and more of former Virginia Senator Jim Webb,
 > and that's not a good comparison.