In case anyone missed it, there were two recent despicable opinions over the past week, with similar themes of wishing harm or even death on others.

One came from an elected official — a leader of the Rhode Island Democratic Party, Kate Coyne McCoy. She tweeted about Lindsey Graham’s Covid diagnosis and wondered if it was “wrong to hope he dies.”

And then our own Bristol Phoenix included a piece submitted from a Senior Chief, U.S. Navy (retired, thank God), who would like to see us “thin the herd.”

As is common today — and apparently people feel empowered — opinions of those exercising their choice to not get vaccinated include judgements of self-centered, arrogant, and the adjectives go on. If I was one of the unvaccinated, that rhetoric would make more more resistant to “fall in line.”

What happened to people respecting one another, including their beliefs, choices and more? Smarten up, people, the children are watching and listening.

Kathy Calandra
Bristol

Ms. Calandra signed her letter as a self-described “conservative resident of Bristol since 1993.”