Bar is not the place for political TV

Burt Constable is usually an excellent observer of the human condition, but his Jan. 23 article entitled "Everyone asks to turn the channel from impeachment trial" was narrow in perspective and misleading.

He cites his visits to a few random bar and grills and one selected "watering hole" to make the point that patrons are simply uninterested in the "Washington spectacle."

"Hey bartender, turn the channel to anything but that boring Impeachment Trial - even 1970s game show reruns." Come on Burt, the local gin mill is not conducive to contemplating complex political/legal discourse.

He cites Eddie's of Arlington Heights. We kick back, sip our beer and watch the Super Bowl here; we laugh and watch reruns of the Honeymooners. We don't sit motionless and watch the prosecution and/or defense of the president.

But lots and lots of people are not drinking and telling the barkeep to turn the channel. They are actively and intently taking in every word of this historical moment. For those that work, their evenings are spent watching democracy unfold. They are not bored. They know what is at stake.

Don't sell us short, Mr. Constable. Millions of us care. I bet Eddie cares, too.

So, many have NOT made up their minds. At the end of the article, you do suggest "that we watch and read about the trial" and educate ourselves about the process of impeachment. Many of us are listening, are watching, are weighing the "reasons for and against" conviction. For those people who are not, please join us.

Larry Joel Powitz

Arlington Heights