A March 29 “Speakout” guest op-ed by Margaret Fox on the Rocky Mountain News' website decried Iraq war opponents and claimed that "[t]he liberal and socialistic communities ... are pushing their agenda for the downfall of our Republic." Fox also condemned the “hoi polloi” as “the problem, not the solution,” and insisted that "[t]hose who do not own property should not be in charge of the government, as they have no vested interest in anything other than what they can get by their vote."

In her guest editorial, which ran under the headline “Military wife protests disloyalty” and which the News noted “ha[d] not been edited,” Fox identified herself as “a 76 year old lady” and “a military wife” who was at times “left to deal with the children, emergencies at home, cars to be fixed, etc all [of which] took their toll.” Fox continued, “But I knew that he [her husband, a retired Air Force colonel] was, along with thousands of others, protecting our country. It never occurred to me to criticize our President, our country, or anyone else for these situations.” She then referred to opponents of the war in Iraq as “traitors”:

I abhor and despise the, in my opinion, traitors who constantly tear down our beliefs and our constitution and encourage the enemy! (Jane Fonda and Cindy Sheehan, for instance) To claim that you support our troops but not the war in Iraq is mendacious.

Fox later claimed that “liberal and socialistic communities ... are pushing their agenda for the downfall of our Republic” and that “no democracy has prevailed in the history of the world.” She further stated:

What does it take to get through to the hoi polloi (look it up) that they are the problem, not the solution. Those who do not own property should not be in charge of the government, as they have no vested interest in anything other than what they can get by their vote -- and the rest of us pay for it!!

It is time for the general public to stop whining, demonstrating, painting themselves up like savages and generally causing problems for the rest of us.

As Colorado Media Matters noted, News editorial writer Linda Seebach explained in a March 17 column that "[s]pace for print letters is severely limited" and that "[w]hen the Rocky launched its [newspaper] redesign Jan. 23, we also started putting most letters and Speakouts that we don't have room to print on the Web."

From the March 29 “Speakout” guest op-ed by Margaret Fox, “Military wife protests disloyalty,” posted on the Rocky Mountain News' website:

As a 76 year old lady, I have lived through the Depression, WWII, Korea, the Cold War, Viet Nam, the Black Hawk Down incident, 9/11, the Marine Barracks bombing in Lebanon, and the war in Afghanistan and now Iraq, plus countless other incidents. I am now in a state of extreme anger and frustration with the anti-american press, including your paper.

[...]

I am a military wife; my husband served for 30 years in the service. It was a time of stress, fear, and chaos. The Cuba incident in the 60's, when my husband would be on alert for weeks at a time and I was left to deal with the children, emergencies at home, cars to be fixed, etc all took their toll.

But I knew that he was, along with thousands of others, protecting our country. It never occurred to me to criticize our President, our country, or anyone else for these situations. For a supposedly “news” publication to misrepresent our brave men and put them in harms' way by supporting the enemies of our country is unconscienceable, malicious, and smacks of a lack of patriotism to me.

I abhor and despise the, in my opinion, traitors who constantly tear down our beliefs and our constitution and encourage the enemy! (Jane Fonda and Cindy Sheehan, for instance) To claim that you support our troops but not the war in Iraq is mendacious.

The only law that seems to still apply is that we cannot shout “fire” in a crowded room. Freedom of speech is just that -- speech. Not expression, not burning the flag, not calling our country bad names, disrespecting the office of the President and rowdy demonstrations with rag-tag trashy looking people milling about on our streets, impeding traffic, and otherwise costing the taxpayers money for controlling the mobs and cleaning up after them.

The liberal and socialistic communities delight in this, and are pushing their agenda for the downfall of our Republic. Read the Constitution! This is not a democracy!! We are a Republic!!! If you do not know the difference, look it up. Read history! No democracy has prevailed in the history of the world. They have all fallen and dictators, thugs, murderers, and incompetent rulers take over.

What does it take to get through to the hoi polloi (look it up) that they are the problem, not the solution. Those who do not own property should not be in charge of the government, as they have no vested interest in anything other than what they can get by their vote -- and the rest of us pay for it!!

It is time for the general public to stop whining, demonstrating, painting themselves up like savages and generally causing problems for the rest of us. Look at both sides, try to think rationally instead of emotionally, and do what is best for our country. Remember the words of John F. Kennedy -- “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country”.

The majority of us can only pray that reason and sanity will return someday soon, before it is too late.

(Also, this is endorsed by my husband, Martin Fox, Colonel, USAF Retired)