Edward Hum – 5/3/09

This page was last updated on October 1, 2009.

Check Sweden out before knocking it; Edward J. Hum; Beaver County Times; May 3, 2009.

Mr. Hum was a regular contributor (at least 28 letters) from mid-2004 through September 2007. After about 10 months, Mr. Hum came out of “retirement” to bash President Bush’s Air National Guard service with two letters in less than two weeks. Mr. Hum concluded 2008 with a total of six letters, only about two-thirds of his previous yearly average. It will be no surprise most of Mr. Hum’s letters have been no more than exercises in bashing President Bush and/or other Republicans. I wonder what Mr. Hum will do now that Barack Obama has become President. Mr. Hum’s letters are also flame-throwing exercises. I don’t know if Mr. Hum actually believes what he writes, or if he simply likes to stir things up to call attention to himself.

Mr. Hum is one of a group of local Republican impersonators (The group also includes Messrs. William A. Alexander, Arthur Brown, William G. Horter, and George Reese.) who write claiming to be disgruntled Republicans. You have to give Mr. Hum “credit,” however, for going the extra mile to further his impersonation. As of September 2006, Mr. Hum was actually registered as a Republican despite the fact he’s no more a Republican than is Dennis Kucinich.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Republican Party leaders say President Barack Obama is taking us to socialism and that we will be like Sweden.”

[RWC] Mr. Hum appears to be still on hiatus from his usual “Fellow Republicans” greeting.

“We must find out what this means.

“Do many Swedish families go bankrupt because of high medical expenses? How many Subway and bank holdups are there by people needing money to buy drugs? Are there many Columbine-type shootings? What are we getting into? Will they take away our guns?”

[RWC] Notice Mr. Hum didn’t answer any of his questions.

“As Ben Franklin said, ‘Don’t give up essential liberty for temporary safety.’”

[RWC] If you’re familiar with Mr. Hum’s body of work, you won’t be surprised to learn this isn’t what Ben Franklin said. Though Franklin published a couple variants, the quote is “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

“Franklin was practical, too. He would tell us that if there’s a fender-bender, get out of your car, smile and say the accident was your fault because the other guy might have a loaded gun under the seat.”

[RWC] Mr. Hum must believe he’s channeling Ben Franklin. This is the second letter in two weeks in which Mr. Hum told us what Ben Franklin “would tell us” or “would say.”

“Smile, unless you have a gun, too.”