Collective punishment called into question

Perhaps you recall the humorous definition of chutzpah. A man convicted of killing both of his parents begged the judge for mercy because he was an orphan. In its full-page color ad in the Tidewater Trader, the Republican Party of Kent County has taken a page from this playbook (and the tried-and-true Trumpian victimization scam) and whined loudly that it was “ousted” by the 2024 Tea Party committee.

The “ouster” was a response to an adherent of that same Party loitering around its 2023 Tea Party booth with a sign that expressed his opinion that “Go Brandon!” was insufficiently graphic. Even when informed about the offensive display, the managers of the booth seemed unable to “see” the perpetrator. Interestingly, this same Party was banned from the Farmer’s Market for non-family-friendly signage at its official booth in that venue.

What really makes this entire story more ironic is that the GOP’s apparent inability to maintain a level of community decency at its booth location in two separate venues, resulted in BOTH parties being banned from BOTH venues. I do not quibble with the banning of an offensive Party, but I do take issue with collective punishment.

William J. Herb

Chestertown