Respect earned

The office of president deserves respect, but the person holding that office has to earn it. Did Bush lie? Yes. Did he attack a sovereign country? Yes. Do his policies violate human rights? Yes. So what is the problem with Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson speaking the truth? I am tired of elected officials saying they "misspoke." When our children say untrue things, we call it a lie. They are held accountable for it, and they learn their lesson. Too bad we don't hold our leaders to the same standard. Now, the new war marketing theme is fascism, and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has made incredible comparisons of Iraq to Nazi Germany. The only legitimate comparison is that when we blindly follow what our leaders say without challenging them to be truthful and fully disclose facts, bad things happen. Ann Gillespie, Audobon - Published in the Courier Post, September 15, 2006