To the editor:

So Rep. Anthony Brown thinks Lawrence and KU are not widely respected because we’re “too liberal.” News flash, Jack. You right-wingers don’t rate high on our respect meter either. And the “Free Republic of Lawrence” signs are just a humorous way of expressing a commonly held opinion here: that we are an island of rational sanity in a sea of right-wing hysteria.

And what is “too liberal” anyway? The belief system of a “progressive” (a term I prefer) is based on reason, compassion and a sense of fairness. Judging by their political campaigns over the years, the belief system of a “regressive” is apparently based on fear, ignorance and intolerance.

Progressives are also problem-solvers. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the Peace Corps and Vista, labor laws, environmental protections, civil rights laws, laws protecting children and elders, aid to education, protection from abuse by credit card companies and insurance companies, tenant rights and a small claims court system are just some of the responses to state and national problems from the left. The list goes on and on. If we see a problem, we try to find a way to solve it.

By comparison, the list of legislative accomplishments from the right is pretty skimpy. Conservatives seem more content to take on imaginary problems, whether it’s Palin’s crusade against nonexistent death panels or Kobach’s crusade against nonexistent voter fraud.

So keep on hoping, Mr. Brown, that Lawrence and KU will one day march in lockstep with the rest of Kansas. Personally, I keep hoping that one day, the rest of Kansas will join us in the 21st Century.

Bob Rollins,

Lawrence