Pick your (or somebody else's) words wisely

For U.S. Rep. Jim Gibbons' information, we happen to know a few wood-chopping, cowboy boot-wearing, redneck, blaze-orange-vested folks in Nevada who question the Bush administration's policies in Iraq.

It doesn't make them un-American. It doesn't even necessarily make them liberals.

It does, however, indicate they are able to think for themselves and form their own opinions on national policy. By the looks of it last week, that may be more than Gibbons is capable of doing.

We weren't surprised to read about Gibbons' remarks in Elko to a Lincoln Day dinner crowd in which he railed against Hollywood types. He's a Gulf War veteran, staunch Bush defender and was talking to an audience who probably ate up his references to "tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals" opposed to the war in Iraq.

Gibbons is entitled to his own opinions.

Unfortunately, while they may be his opinions, they weren't his words. Most of the text was lifted verbatim from a speech given by Alabama state auditor Beth Chapman in 2003.

Stealing someone else's words and passing them off as your own is simply dishonest. Gibbons' excuse - that somebody sent him an e-mail containing the speech - is just lame. His staff may want to teach him how to use the Internet.

As for the gist of the speech, we think people have enough intellectual maturity they could support the efforts of American troops in Iraq and at the same time have grave doubts about the policies which put them there.

Freedom of speech is exactly the kind of ideals they're fighting for, Americans and Iraqis. Still, it's a good idea to choose your words wisely - especially when they're somebody else's.