Re: ‘use the right bait’

by Von Dailey, Florence

I wrote a letter to the editor that was printed August 10, 2022. It was titled , “Divided You Will Fall”. The LTE did not single any person out and was intended for the Bitterroot Star audience and definitely not for Susan McCreary personally. For her to assume my letter was a response to her LTE on August 3, 2022 seems to fit the definition of narcissism very well. I hate to break the news, but Susan McCreary was not even on my radar screen when I wrote my letter to the editor. But apparently I struck a nerve and she felt it necessary to lash out and make it personal.

In her letter dated August 17, 2022, Susan said I’ve never introduced myself, never talked to her, I didn’t bother to find out where she is from, what she believes or if she goes to church. Yet, I apparently know what she is, what she thinks and her knowledge of the Bible. Well, she’s partially right. I didn’t think of her or get her approval or personal information before I wrote my LTE. But, I actually have talked to Susan McCreary. I’ve personally seen her on multiple occasions by herself at Glen’s Cafe in Florence. On each occasion I offered a salutation but she chose not to acknowledge me. Beyond that, what I know about Susan McCreary is that she is a member of the Ravalli County Republican Central Committee (RCRCC) for precinct 20. She’s also the Education Chair for the RCRCC. I know, if she shows up to RCRCC meetings to represent the people in precinct 20, on many occasions she leaves shortly after roll call. And, in the last 15 months, she has done nothing visible in the education arena as the education chair. So I’m not sure why she is a representative for precinct 20 or why she was chosen to be the Education Chair.

Just to be clear and to set the record straight, I’m not a member of the RCRCC as she alluded in her letter to the editor on August 17, 2022. However, I do attend most meetings as a resident of Ravalli County and have spoken during the public comment time on a couple occasions. But, again, I’ve never singled anybody out by name. I stand by my letter to the editor on August 10, 2022, and 

Susan McCreary solidifies my stance, ‘divided you will fall’, by calling both Doug Bohn and me frogs, extreme right John Birchers, Libertarians and the real Republicans in name only. These obviously are not words to unify but are words to segregate, divide and ostracize. And, they’re from the camp that boldly touts unification. That thought makes me go, hmmm!

There are basically two additional points I want to make. First, Doug Bohn knows the truth, he lives by the truth and would die defending the truth. I’m talking about the truth that Jesus came to testify to and I have the utmost respect for Doug and I know he’s always going to be a straight shooter. Anytime someone puts me in the same camp with Doug Bohn I’ll consider it an honor. So my thanks goes out to Susan. Second, Susan McCreary was correct, I don’t know her, I don’t know what makes her tick, I don’t know why she resorts to name calling to try to get her point across, I don’t know where she is from other than Stevensville, MT, and we have not been formally introduced. I don’t know her literacy of the Bible and she hasn’t shared with me if she has or doesn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. In most cases that is Information I see as private that most people generally share with only close friends and family. What I do know is that the Bible says in the book of Matthew, chapter 7, verse 20: “Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”  

I’m here to go on record, anytime Susan McCreary would like to sit down with me in a public place, like Frontier Cafe, to get to know one another I’d be happy to do so. She has my permission to reach out and contact me to make arrangements for such a meeting. I promise to be cordial and I expect the same.