Recently, on a popular national morning news program, a clip was shown of a high profile Republican female in a public forum offering up an ample serving of “Obama-bashing” to an attentive audience. I was sickened. What happened to respect and honor for the position of highest ranking officer in the country, Commander-and- chief?

For two-plus years we listen and observe while candidates throw their hats in the political ring of fire and vie for the coveted title of President of the United States. We endure and tolerate the debates filled with variable tongue-lashings as the nominees scourge, beat, punish, whip and pummel the day lights out of each other. We allow a deluge of campaign advertisements to repeatedly penetrate the core of our intelligence as we struggle to sift through and filter out the misrepresentations from the truth. On the first Tuesday in November of the election year, we finally have the opportunity to exercise our democratic right to vote and chose our elected official. This is March, people. We are several months into the new presidential term. Isn’t it time we put our political differences behind us and support the leadership that was chosen?

Furthermore, there is a way to express differences in opinion without dragging our political counterparts through the mud. What kind of a message are we sending around the world in this age of mass media news coverage by way of modern technology? It is this writers opinion that we jeopardize our national security when we publicly display the animosity and discontent between our political figures and the population in general. Where there is dissension there is division. United we stand, but divided we fall.

And what are we teaching our children? Freedom of speech is a privilege we are allowed as citizens of this great country. It is not a license to belittle and verbally abuse our fellow Americans, especially those in authority and leadership positions. We can’t expect the future generations to exhibit respect, honor and courtesy toward others unless we are practicing these virtues ourselves.

Lisa Guttormson, Austin