Rep. Dick Armey

It amazes me that as a “Christian” Cal Thomas can quickly excuse House Majority Leader Dick Armey’s (R-Tex.) “Barney Fag” comment, then turn around and attack Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), his fellow Democrats and indeed all non-right-wing fundamentalist Christians for bristling at Armey’s “slip” (Column Right, Jan. 31). Since when is it Christ-like to call others names?

Thomas, rather than agreeing with the obvious fact that Rep. Armey’s comment (made for whatever reason) was rude and improper, labels Armey’s critics as blasphemers, flag burners, condom advocates, evolutionists and losers. Not only is this irrelevant to the issue at hand, it reads like the rantings of a psychotic.

Thomas advocates a “Christianity” of hate, not love.

BRIAN P. McENTEE, Altadena

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Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) didn’t mean it when he suggested on Nov. 22 that President Clinton would need bodyguards visiting military bases in North Carolina; Rep. Dick Nazi (oops, I meant Armey) “stumbled” and didn’t mean it when he referred to Rep. Barney Frank as “Barney Fag.”

How are we supposed to know when these mean-spirited congressmen mean what they say? Maybe we should get them in a room with Russia’s Vladimir Zhirinovsky; it sounds like they’d all get along quite well.

BARRY GREENFIELD, West Hollywood

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After listening to Dick Smarmy, I mean Armey, talk about how he was brought up not to speak the way he did about Rep. Frank, I looked up the word smarmy and it fits!

IRVING M. APTAKER, Pasadena