Show the District a little respect

I found the lead article in the Dec. 22 Style section, “The New Columbia,” insulting to the approximately 600,000 residents of the District who have no voting representation in Congress. Was it supposed to be funny?

Over the decades, many residents of the District, including champions of civil rights such as Julius Hobson, Hilda Mason and Josephine Butler, have worked tirelessly, unfortunately without success, to gain equal treatment for the citizens of Washington. The fact that Washington residents have no voting representation in Congress is inexcusable.

Yes, no one is naive enough to expect Senate Bill 3696, a D.C. statehood bill introduced by retiring Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), to pass during the few days that remain in the 112th Congress. However, as a former (25-year) resident of the District, I appreciate this symbolic gesture, and I ask my hometown newspaper to show more respect for the people who reside there.

Emily Koechlin, Takoma Park