In his letter Feb. 13, Clyde Pingree stated how he stands on health care, military tribunals and the Obama administration. It was his last paragraph that intrigued me. He wrote, “It is evident that Salerno (someone in favor of health care reform) has been well-indoctrinated in the liberal precept that a lie will eventually become truth if often repeated.” He added that this tendency to lie is “dangerous and un-American,” attempting to establish the notion that “liberals” always lie and are un-American.

Right now in American politics, we cannot disagree without calling names. We often cannot disagree without calling the other person “un-American.”

That is bunk.

I have listened to conservatives claim there are “death panels” proposed in health care reform proposed by Congress. I have listened to conservatives insist the president is an alien, which is a blatant and certifiable lie. I have watched video of conservatives speaking at rallies where people waved signs claiming Obama is a communist and a Nazi (mutually exclusive terms).

I don’t question Pingree’s Americanism. I question his accusation that anyone who doesn’t agree with him is a liar and un-American.

To believe one political group has a monopoly on the truth and patriotism and the other always lies and is un-American is harmful to our democratic process.

George Washington warned about placing party above country. One sure sign of super partisanship is the belief that in order to be a true patriot, one must agree with a particular political point of view.

Rodney Abbott, West Paris