To the editor:

The also-ran (again) J.M. Olsen tries to invoke Dr. Martin Luther King, our icon of liberty and free choice, in attempt to sell his brand of bias toward women’s rights (The Review, Jan 18).

Actually, Dr. King was an advocate of contraception and even received an award from Planned Parenthood in 1966. He championed freedom and fairness. Mr. Olsen personifies problems of his party, being in denial and out of tune with changing values of this dynamic country. Unless they, and he, change their mind-set they will lose.

Our democracy is no longer the province of old, rich, white men, but rather is changing to reflect surging diversity of thought, ethnicity, and culture of change.

For instance: We have elected a biracial president for the second time; Latinos now exceed the blacks and will soon be the majority; and more than half the Ph.D.’s are earned by women.

I sincerely hope the wise men in the Republican Party recognize this and act accordingly. They simply must move from the Tea Party unyielding “No” to that of mutual interests and consent. They must move from their comfort zone, recognizing that to preserve liberty requires collective action. They must stop trying to govern from an ideological view and deal with the real problems facing our nation.

There is hope: Republican Gov. Christy (N.J.) embraced the president’s policy during the recent climate change disaster and even the far right Gov. Brewer (Ariz.), now favors funding Medicaid!

Again, if our local (want-to-be) politician is to get out of the dust-bin he has created for himself, he will need a major change of heart. He must either reflect our evolving, ever changing democracy, or be left behind.

BOB L. BURKHOLDER

Bainbridge Island