Richard Wall urges CFD to return to its morally pure past

As promised, local Radical Right activist Richard Wall blessed us with the second of two columns today in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle.

Some promises really should be broken.

He hammers away at Cheynne Frontier Days for its links with the Susan. G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

He doesn't think that CFD cowboys and cowgirls are "tough enough to wear pink."

In the course of his 750-some words, Wall provides not a shred of evidence that Komen supports abortion services through Planned Parenthood or embryonic stem cell research.

"Some local residents have defended the CFD-Komen link by saying that no money from our rodeo has gone to Planned Parenthood or embryonic stem cell research. 

"But even if true, that fact is irrelevant. Cheyenne's local Komen group still is affiliated with the larger Komen organization."

That's the problem with moral purity as practiced by Wall and others of his ilk. If the facts don't fit, call them irrelevant or just make them up. This, of course, will satisfy his followers who get their world-view from Morally Pure Rupert Murdoch's Fox News and/or Tea Part rallies.

Rumor has it that Mr. Wall plans to run for the state legislature in 2012. If so, he will be answering the call by anti-abortion group WyWatch to purge the RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) from the Wyoming Legislature, those representatives of the people who did what the people asked and voted down bills that would force pregnant women to watch videos of their fetuses before going through with the procedure. Another morally pure bill would have enforced biases against married LGBT citizens. Even my freshman Republican state senator voted against the governmental intrusion authorized by these bills.

One more clue that Mr. Wall is more motivated by Radical Right political purity than factual accuracy: Obamacare. You only have to say it once to prejudice yourself, Mr. Wall. It's called the Affordable Care Act. Maybe you didn't research this part of your presentation. You can do that here.

On the same op-ed page today is long-time Wyoming newspaperman and columnist Bill Sniffin. Mr. Sniffin is a moderate Republican from Lander. He once ran for governor. In the long run, common-sense moderate Republicans such as Sniffin and Sue Wallis and Cale Case and Al Simpson will determine the future of Wyoming. Democrats won't be able to do it in my lifetime -- they are too few and too disorganized. That hasn't stopped us -- and the Dem 14 in the legislature -- from plugging away.

One thing that Democrats can do is speak out loudly and strongly when they see Wyoming principles being sacrificed. We can also ally ourselves with sensible legislators, no matter the political party. And we can write letters to the editors. Lots and lots of letters to the editor. People like me and you still read newspapers.

BTW: Great op-ed page today WTE. Wall, Sniffin, Rodger McDaniel, funny editorial cartoon and a great staff editorial calling on the City Council to grant one of its available liquor licenses to a downtown establishment, notably the Cheyenne Depot Museum. It says that retail liquor license,s the most valuable variety at the city's disposal, "be used as tools for economic development." Since a vibrant downtown is crucial to the city's future, one of these licenses needs to go downtown.