Disgusting photo comparison

Adolph Hitler was a mass murderer, directly responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Europe, the invasion of peaceful nations and the beginning of a war that swept through most of the world.

Hitler's actions added to many of the issues in the Mideast that still plague world peace and lead to continuing bloodshed.

To compare that maniac to anyone, with the possible exception of Joseph Stalin, al Qaeda terrorists and other such monsters who rain death and destruction for the pure purpose of personal power or misdirected and twisted ideological beliefs, is pure fiction.

Contrary to Sandy Staats and her Parkersburg Tea Party's misdirected and misinformed belief, comparing Parkersburg Mayor Bob Newell to Hitler is not parody, it is just a desperate and disgusting personal attack. And to "lift" a News and Sentinel photograph, without our permission, and alter it to portray Newell as Hitler we believe is a copyright infringement, which merely adds to the bad taste of the entire despicable incident.

If Staats wishes to stoop to such a low level of political insult, let her do it with one of her own images, not with one that is the intellectual property of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.

There have been many times I have disagreed with Newell and have written in columns of my view differing from the mayor's, and I will continue to do so whenever the issue rises to that level, but to compare him or any other official to Hitler is tacky, completely out of line and, in my view, borders on a hate crime.

The Parkersburg Tea Party and Staats, in particular, owe Newell an apology.