The recent letter concerning the protest of the Nuns on the Bus omitted an important detail. These protestors were not a fringe outside group. They are the leadership of the Republican party. State Representative Andy Thompson was a leader of the protest along with David White, a candidate for Washington County commissioner. Leslie Haas, chair of the Washington County Republican party was cheering the protestors and distributing signs along with several members of the Washington County Republican Executive Committee.
This whole ordeal is a huge black eye on the good citizens of Marietta. The National Catholic Reporter calls the protest in Marietta "a far different welcome than the sisters usually receive" and raises the question of what the protestors meant when they said these elderly nuns are "not pro-life enough." The Nuns on the Bus reminded the crowd that they are 100 percent pro-life but the protestors demanded that pro-life can only mean supporting Mitt Romney. The Nuns on the Bus are non-partisan and these Sisters endorsed no political candidates.
Despite what the Republican protestors claimed, all six of the Nuns who visited our town are in good standing with the Catholic church and have served faithfully for many years. Two of the Marietta visitors are Dominican Sisters of Hope, another is a Sister of Notre Dame, one is a Sister of Charity, one a Sister of Mercy, and the other is a Dominican Sister of Peace. None of them have ever been reprimanded by the church as the protest organizers claim. The Republican protest flyer had several other blatant lies. These Catholic Sisters definitely do not "spew hatred" and are unquestionably not pro-abortion or pro-secular.
I don't care what political party you support, false charges and verbal attacks on Catholic nuns is totally out of bounds.
Florence Beidler
Marietta
