Rod Blum audience was venomous

I write in response to a recent letter ('Private events aren't enough for 1st District,” May 29 by Sharon Poplawski) who complained that Congressman Rod Blum hasn't held a town hall meeting in over a year. My comment is: Why should he even bother? I was present for that town hall meeting at Kirkwood last year and the audience was venomous. A sizable number in the audience obviously had no interest in hearing what the congressman had to say; rather, they came to heckle. You can disagree with Blum, but did you have to disrupt the priest's invocation? Can't you disagree with Blum without having to make disparaging remarks about the Pledge of Allegiance? If you were present for the May 2017 meeting and didn't hear these comments, that's because you couldn't hear over the others' bellowing.

If you want to learn or contribute something at a town hall meeting, welcome. If you want to protest, then do it outside. You were an embarrassment to 'Iowa Nice.”

Rich Zeis

Walker