Dear Editor:

As a non-Republican, I am trying to understand how a “RINO” is determined. I grew up in a Republican household; my folks were big fans of Sen. Everett Dirksen’s oratory (who wasn’t?) and admired Republican leaders from Barry Goldwater to Nelson Rockefeller. The thing is, not all Republicans thought and spoke alike in those days. Like Democrats, they seemed to represent a variety of views.

Now it seems, to be a Republican you have to think and say only what the party tells you to think and say.

Shouldn’t it be embarrassing to claim to believe in Wyoming’s so-called “western” values, such as “individualism” and “independence,” and still call yourself a Republican?

Anyway, my question is: Who decides who is a bona fide Republican? Is it current and former elected leaders?

Apparently not. Is it lifelong and thoughtful Republicans? Not likely. Thoughtful people don’t call other people names, not over honest disagreements.

That leaves the party apparatchiks and the self-appointed Thought Police. And that leads to my belief that true Wyomingites who are independent enough to be called RINOs will embrace the distinction.

Paul Fees

Cody