I think the Sun Journal is trying a little too hard to admonish Sen. Lois Snowe-Mello. While it is true that she is well-known for her stridency on certain issues, I don’t think she went too far by using the term “Gestapo tactics.”

She was using a common rhetorical term that is used extensively in today’s public discourse. A quick Web search of the term “Gestapo tactics” turns up numerous references – and not all of them are left-wing bloggers referring to the Bush administration.

Those who have used the term recently include a Newsmax.com columnist referring to actions of the FBI, an aide to the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair referring to tactics used by the British police and a recent “Free Republic” article by Ben Stein titled “Gestapo Tactics Got Larry Craig.”

The term is used extensively in modern discourse to describe any sort of authoritarian behavior, from overzealous law enforcement to bill collectors.

I would be interested to know whether the term has ever been used in past Sun Journal editorials. In any case, use of this term to describe an action or behavior is in no way akin to smearing a person or government agency as “Nazis.”

Ken Lindell, Frankfort