To the editor:

I can agree with the title given to Mike Proto’s letter in last week’s Phoenix. Candidates for public office should disclose their advocacy affiliations. That seems fair enough. I cannot agree with the contents of his letter.

We all have opinions. I make a good faith effort to ensure that my opinions are well grounded in fact. And that is where Mr. Proto and I part company. He needs to try harder and put forth at least a modicum of effort to confirm there is a factual basis to his opinions. He failed to do so again in last week’s letter.

He frames people and organizations he does not know as radical, racist and homophobic just because they stand up and take positions on important issues with which he disagrees. He goes negative and personal in his attacks.

The Bristol County Concerned Citizens (BCCC) is painted with the same broad invective brush for inviting decent, responsible, respected, hardworking and courageous individuals to speak to its over 300 traditional-value-minded members.

Erika Sanzi is the Director of Outreach for the national organization — Parents Defending Education (PDE). PDE is actively engaged in trying to improve the quality of our public-school education system – a very noble mission, in my view. She and her organization are not deserving of being smeared, slandered and insulted by people intolerant of different viewpoints.

Patricia Morgan is a republican member of our state general assembly. She was invited to speak to the BCCC on subjects of concern to many Rhode Islanders, especially parents with children attending our public elementary, middle and high schools – sex education and the insidious infiltration of critical race theory ideology. More recently, Rep. Morgan sponsored legislation promoting a parents’ bill of rights with respect to their children’s education. Unfortunately, her bill never made it out of the education committee. She was unjustly insulted by the committee chairperson and others, like Mr. Proto, who are bitterly opposed to affording parents greater access to and a stronger say in the education of their children. Her bill was not universally condemned. To say that it was, as Mr. Proto claims, is a classic example of misinformation. Too many people today excel at spreading misinformation but fail miserably at being truthful.

Readers interested in learning the facts can go to the PDE website, become better informed and then judge for yourselves the credibility of Mr. Proto’s nasty and unwarranted personal attacks.

BCCC strives to be nonpartisan. It does not endorse candidates. BCCC seeks to preserve, promote and protect traditional American and Bristol family values. Apparently, not everyone agrees. Our meetings are open to the public. Democrat state representatives Susan Donovan and June Speakman have attended our meetings. They were introduced and invited to ask questions and comment on the presentations by Ms. Sanzi and Rep. Morgan.

For anyone interested in learning about Bristol County Concerned Citizens, the public is always welcome to attend our meetings. You may also read the BCCC mission statement here.

Peter Hewett
11 Wendy Drive