Keep A Civil Tongue

Ruth Marcus was not amused by Emma Sullivan's snarky tweet about Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, even after he apologized for his staff over-reacting and demanding an apology.

Emma Sullivan, you’re lucky you’re not my daughter. (Dangerous sentence, I know: My daughters might agree.)

If you were my daughter, you’d be writing that letter apologizing to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback for the smart­alecky, potty-mouthed tweet you wrote after meeting with him on a school field trip.

Also, that smartphone? The one you posed with, proudly displaying the tweet in which you announced that Brownback “sucked” and added the lovely hashtag #heblowsalot? Turned off until you learn to use it responsibly.

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It is until we parents insist such language is not acceptable, explain that it is possible to disagree civilly — and insist on an apology when our children fall short.

As Balloon Juice commenter JD Rhoades notes in great detail, getting a lecture in civility from a conservative is like being criticized for bad table manners by an alligator.