Sunday’s Free Lance-Star took the opportunity to compare Spotsylvania Republicans to the Khmer Rouge. My response was printed in today’s paper:
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Spotsylvania Republicans include members of all races, religions, ethnicities, cultures and opinions. We share one premise: that of limited government and a better way.
Not everyone shares that opinion, to be sure, but for these individuals to compare Republicans to one of the most brutal regimes in modern history belittles the serious nature of what the Khmer Rouge did to the people of Cambodia [“Mr. Hill’s indictment,” Feb. 26].
The Khmer Rouge were responsible for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians during their reign of terror.
Malnutrition was rampant. Medicines were rejected in favor of local traditions, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of thousands.
Children were forcibly separated from their parents and turned into soldiers. Religious institutions, schools, hospitals, banks, family: All were banned.
Being of a different ethnicity, espousing an idea, expressing religious sentiment, or being educated all meant an arbitrary death at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.
To even show sympathy for those sent to the “killing fields” was to merit death at the hands of the butchers of Cambodia.
The Free Lance-Star should be above this kind of hyperbolic rhetoric. This only cheapens political discourse and dishonors the memory of those who suffered at the hands of the Khmer.
How was this egregious and offensive remark missed?
Spotsylvania Republicans will continue to hold our elected officials accountable to the principles of limited and ethical government, and are quite happy to stay above the current legal debacles made manifest by our elected officials and our press.
Shaun Kenney is chairman of the Spotsylvania Republican Committee.