From Diana Vance

Monroe

To the editor:

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo graduated first in class from West Point. One would expect him to be respectful when dealing with another person. Unfortunately, our Secretary of State treated a female reporter with extreme rudeness that included yelling, calling her a liar and using the f-word when he did not like the question he was asked. A reporter’s job is to ask questions and with some Republicans you do it until you get the truth.

Mike Pompeo’s petty vindictiveness against National Public Radio reporter Mary Louise Kelly lacked even an edge of respect. Instead Mike Pompeo insulted her not just once, which would have been bad enough, but he carried on with a tirade of epithets. I give a black eye to any character building at West Point when their top graduate acted like Mike Pompeo.

And of course the president had to get into this. In front of a good size crowd at the White House President Trump praised his Secretary of State for how he handled the National Public Radio reporter whom Pompeo had cursed, shouted and called her a liar after a contentious interview. Our President smiled at Pompeo and said, “I think you did a good job on her, actually.” So with this president, swearing, calling an innocent person a liar, which is something he is familiar with and yelling shows once again how disrespectful Donald Trump is towards women.

Women please remember this on Nov. 2, 2020. When he goes low, we go high.

I was curious to see what the plebes at Annapolis are required to develop in themselves — qualities that are reflected in their behavior. An officer of the Navy should be a capable mariner and a great deal more. “He should be as well a gentleman of liberal education, refined manners, courtesy and have the nicest sense of personal honor. He should be the soul of tact, patience, justice, firmness, kindness and charity ... every commander should keep constantly before him the great truth, that to be well obeyed, he must be perfectly esteemed.” (Quotations attributed to John Paul Jones) These naval standards came out of the USNA Plebe Handbook. Plebes are required to memorize these requirements.

Mike Pompeo would have flunked out of Annapolis.