You reported on April 18 that the Club for Growth would be sponsoring ads that criticize Olympia Snowe for voting against President Bush’s tax initiative. Monday morning, one of the local stations aired one of those ads. It portrayed Sen. Snowe as a disloyal Republican and American for standing in the way of what’s best for the country.

May I make the point that the senator has been helping her party long before the president entered politics. She helped his father enter the Reagan Revolution as vice-president, eventually becoming president, and then helped the younger Bush become president.

Sen. Snowe has been a solid congresswoman and senator. She has tirelessly represented the people of the state of Maine through numerous crises with dignity, resolve and common sense, doing what she feels is best for her constituents.

I hope everyone recognizes these ads for what they are, an extreme and transparent attempt by the administration to put pressure on our senator to do its bidding. That’s not the way our system is supposed to work.

We should let them know.

Ron Russell, Auburn