LETTER: Bishop shouldn’t shush students

To the editor:

As a political science major, I was very excited to attend a question-and-answer session given by Rob Bishop at Utah State last Thursday. As a graduate of the high school he taught at, I had heard many wonderful things about the congressman, and I was interested to hear what his plans were for this troubling political time. I assure you that there is no topic of partisan politics that has ever stirred me to offense or anger: yet I left Representative Bishop’s speech feeling thoroughly offended and disheartened for the future of our state and our country. There were, in this Q-and-A session, various Bishop supporters, who used their question time to compliment him. This he graciously accepted.
   
However, there was one young college student who asked him a very relevant question about land rights in the state of Utah. It was clear to me that this issue was a matter of great concern to the student, and that he had attended in hopes of expressing that concern. Bishop used all the power of his rhetoric to undermine the validity of the student’s question, and then attempted to move on to the next question without a hint of respect for the student. The student spoke again, trying, in vain, to be heard. This is where I take great offense. In a moment of unrestrained frustration, Bishop waved his hand at the young man, and condescendingly shouted, “Shh!” This behavior in a political representative is unacceptable.
   
Representative Bishop, the man who represents our voice in Washington, has the arrogance to not only demean, but silence the voice of one of his constituents. Representatives should not tell us what to think. They must listen to what we think, and then make decisions on how to represent those thoughts. In this nation, that student is equal in importance to every person under our flag. His opinion, whether Bishop agreed or not, should have been heard, and responded to with respect. There are no exceptions to this rule. Silencing a person’s voice is not the action of a representative: It is the action of a dictator.
   
I am disheartened by his display of arrogance and superiority. I simply cannot vote for a representative that silences his people’s voice.

Jason Whitaker