Editor,

It is disgusting to see Republicans — and a so-called investigative “journalist” like Jason Rantz — attack Semi Bird with disinformation, distortions and outright lies. Behind the Reichert campaign are big-money “establishment Republicans” who prefer a candidate who will bend to their will. They are part and parcel of the uniparty.

Semi Bird’s military career has been maligned by unnamed, anonymous accusers. The law says we have the right to face our accusers, but Bird’s accusers are designated Green Beret #1 and Green Beret #2. No names. (I understand there is now a third anonymous accuser.) How honest is this?

To find out just what Semi Bird’s military record is, Google “Semi Bird’s press release for stolen valor accusations” and read for yourself about his military service.

Despite all the lies and all the expensive “detective” work done to dig up dirt on Bird, this honorable man refuses to respond in kind to his opponent. He focuses instead on what needs to be done to turn this state around “for all of us.”

I, however, am not as nice as Semi. I find what the Dave Reichert campaign has done with its lies and distortions to be despicable and beneath the honor of a man who would lead this state. Moreover, Reichert’s record in Congress is not exactly stellar. According to The Heritage Foundation, his “conservative” score in the 114th Congress was only 33%; his lifetime score 36%. The average for his fellow House Republicans was 65%. If you are looking for leadership and a change, Reichert is not your candidate.

Reichert has massaged his part as a member of the team that apprehended the Green River Killer in 2001 into personal fame. In 2004, he published the memoir, “Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer,” where he touted his leadership. However, former supervisor Frank Atchley claimed publicly that Reichert was “more of an impediment to the investigation” than a leader.

And Seattle University journalism and criminal justice professor Tomás Guillén said Reichert impeded the apprehension of Gary Ridgeway by insisting that a cab driver named Melvyn Foster was the killer and refusing to consider other suspects, seriously delaying Ridgeway’s capture. Nevertheless, the Reichert campaign continues to use the Ridgeway arrest to promote his leadership and integrity.

Voters seeking a change, who are looking for a return to American values and respect for, and a clear understanding of, both our federal and our state constitutions, should seriously consider Semi Bird and vote for him in the upcoming primary, then again in the general election. Semi Bird knows the problems facing us, that are destroying our society, ruining our education system, and costing us dearly, thanks to unwieldly, unworkable “solutions” foisted on us by our state government — and the uniparty.

Peggy Shekem

Coupeville