I emphatically agree with C.J. Karamargin's call for "greater civility, respect and understanding" in public discourse.
However, I'm gravely disappointed by his disingenuous approach to the issue in his recently published guest opinion, where by deliberately conflating threats of violence with civil dissent, his own rhetoric serves to suppress rather than encourage respectful opposition.
For example, in his first paragraph, Mr. Karamargin lists "threats of violence" alongside "predictions that loved ones will die." They are not equivalent. The former has no place in civil discourse. The latter is an anguished cry for our elected representative to contemplate the consequences of her votes. It is entirely appropriate, and it's based on an objective analysis of the AHCA.
By equating these dissimilar ways of speaking, Mr. Karamargin is himself doing precisely what he praises Mayor Bob Walkup for condemning: using rhetoric intended to de-legitimize those whose opinions are different from his.
Steve Diamond
East side
Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.
