Dear Editor,

As a loyal ultra-conservative Republican who actually does occasionally think, I am dumbfounded by the behavior of some of my party's operatives.

While I adamantly support the definition of family as being "one woman married to one man," and the absolute sanctity of innocent life whether "inside or outside the womb," yet the illogical reaction to a pandemic by many of my fellow party members totally stuns me!

Witnessing the brinkmanship of each governor in the state of Florida, Texas, Alabama, etc., it seems that the citizens' wellbeing should be paramount over any spurious political stance. Even in Missouri, the motto emblazoned on the Great Seal - Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto, "Let the welfare of the people be the supreme law," apparently has not been adequately explained to our Attorney General who frantically sues any local municipality or school district struggling to protect the individuals committed to their charge.

However, I wonder if the right-wing hardliners have actually thought past the end of their noses regarding their militant reactionary stance. Honestly, this self-destructive sabotage of the party is not that hard to understand after the unbelievably tight voter margin during the 2020 election. Of the 692,000 recent Covid deaths in America, many were undoubtedly Republicans who vowed not to social distance, quarantine, mask, or vaccinate... the devil be damned, come hell or high water! But, unlike dead Democrats, dead Republicans usually don't vote which creates a real problem for the party's future.

In the upcoming Midterm Election of 2022 or the Presidential Election of 2024, I wonder if we might ever need any one of those three-quarter million loyal party members who forfeited their lives on the ridiculous technicality of wearing a mask or getting a shot. When the election night results are once again tallied and found to be razor-thin, we might regret our silly intransigence.

Oh, well... I suppose if we have enough horse de-wormer on hand, the GOP can weather any storm... or not. But time will ultimately tell, just as long as the "Grand Old Party" doesn't finally run out of time, as well as healthy voters.

Most respectfully yours,

Edwin Woolsey