Editor, OBSERVER:

Let’s credit U.S. Rep. Tom Reed for retiring his seat in Congress to take care of his personal problems with alcohol.

“The fall of a good man,” we say. “Look, unlike other men, he’s taking responsibility and being publicly honest about his behavior.”

But is he being truly honest?

Are we being truly honest?

What was his real transgression? Was it that he couldn’t control his personal behavior because of alcoholism?

I don’t think the sum total of his problem was alcoholism.

I don’t think we should allow him or us to stop there.

Congressman Reed’s true and honest problem – and, I believe our problem – is that he Congressman Reed felt and believed that he had the right and privilege as a man with power and authority to sexually assault a woman.

He was drunk.

He acted “inappropriately.”

No, let’s be honest. Let him and us be truly honest.

He felt and believed that he had a right to sexually assault a woman.

Why can’t he – and us — talk about that being his and our problem?

MICHAEL BOBSEINE,

Fredonia