I recently found a post that contained the names of the people who interrupted yesterday's proceedings within the SCIF being used to question people involved in the current matter of Ukraine. One of the names I found there was a representative of California, and because of that, I felt like I had a responsibility to reach out and let them know how I felt about their behavior. While I have similar concerns with the other representatives who were there to interrupt the investigation, because Duncan Hunter lives here in California, I felt a more personal connection and wanted to write him a letter expressing my feelings about what he'd done.
No. He isn't my current representative, and for that reason, I wasn't able to send him this letter (though I did try through his website: https://hunter.house.gov/contact#form_3F4F3585-C4B4-4800-9512-142CD7E3CF86 ). Apparently he only accepts contact from within his own distract, (I certainly can't fault him for that.) So, I had to resort to publishing my thoughts here. This was not something I wanted nor intended to do; I had hoped to simply leave these thoughts in an e-mail to him and his team and leave the matter a private discourse between us both--assuming he was willing to offer a reply to my obvious criticism; (he might not have thought it warranted a reply, after all, though I did check the box asking for one.)
Still, he represents California; he stands as a pillar of who we, as Californians, are. Certainly the concerns of his district are paramount, but in this particular instance, while he may have been representing the beliefs and concerns of a majority of his constituents, he was also acting in concert with the Republican Party--a national organization that has a greater reach outside of just his district here in California. And for that reason, as a citizen of this country, and as a resident of California, I believe it's important to speak to my fellow Californian, because, in a way, I feel his actions spoke for me.
Sir:
I just found out that you were involved in yesterday's storming of the SCIF. While I understand that you may have misgivings about the proceedings occurring within our nation's capitol, I had hoped that as a veteran and a Marine, you'd have more respect for the security of our nation than you showed yesterday.
As a resident of California, I was dismayed to find your name on the list that was posted on the Daily KOS ( https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/10/23/1894623/-Roll-discredits-here-are-the-Repubs-who-tried-to-barge-in-on-a-CLASSIFIED-hearing?detail=emaildkre ). Our country has laws and systems in place to ensure its continued good governance. I'm not saying that all laws are perfect, but that's part of the purview of our representatives in government--people like you. You represent our State, and today I found myself disappointed--not because you are trying to fight for what you believe in (even if I disagree with you,) but because the security of our Country was compromised by you. While it doesn't appear that your actions were unlawful, you were, after all, apparently taken into the SCIF by those who were cleared to be there, and I assume they monitored your time there--your reasons were not in keeping with the SCIF's intent; you were there to disrupt its proceedings--proceedings that -are- lawful and important to the continued well-being of our country and the continued discourse of its people.
I feel like you did this in order to gain some personal favor with the current President and ensure a better future for yourself and your loved ones--at the detriment of both your own District and the people of California and the country. I could very well be wrong in that assumption, but that is how it reads to me. I see it more and more often that people in power aren't doing things for a greater good, but rather for their own good. They prioritize money over what's right, and that, to me is unconscionable. I very much hope that you didn't do this for future grants of power or money, that you were, in fact, merely upset about lawful proceedings over which you felt you had no other recourse but to disrupt them in order to show that they are, in fact, being misused by those in power to discredit a patriot and champion of the Country (notably our President.) Even so, I feel that you made a poor decision in this, and if you have evidence that exonerates the President, that shows that all these people are, in fact, some grand cabal meant to undermine our democracy in order to preserve their own power--I urge you, strongly, to do the right thing and offer your findings to the American people and the non-corporate owned media. Maybe, then, I will retract my current sentiments with regard to your behavior.
I understand that I am not anyone in your eyes--not your constituent, not a friend, not a fellow veteran, or even a co-worker, but like you, I am a citizen of these United States, and I live here, like you, in California. And I believe that it is important to confront wrongs when we see them--assuming that we can and are able. And so, I wanted to reach out to you--to let you know how I felt--to let you know that what you did has consequences, an effect. If not in any real, measurable way--then perhaps in the future, because I've no doubt that, one way or another, our actions will bear out consequences on those around us, who in turn will do the same with others around them. And eventually, in this way, we will meet.
I hope you'll take a moment to consider these words, to value, if nothing else, the time and effort required to write them, and that they will give you a moment's pause in future--to know that there are people in this world who care deeply about this country and those who represent it.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and for your continued service to this country as its representative.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Gundlach
No comments:
Post a Comment