As solicitor for Connoquessing Township, lawyer Bob Hawk has the right to respectfully disagree with township residents questioning members of the board of supervisors. And, township meetings provide the opportunity for him to express his opinions, when he is called upon to answer questions or provide legal guidance.

But neither he nor any other municipal solicitor should demean those with a legitimate right to question the actions of their elected officials. Unfortunately, Hawk deviated from that Wednesday evening.

Asked by township resident Pam Smith whether he had advised the supervisors to appeal a decision by the state Labor Relations Board ordering that two fired employees be rehired, Hawk responded, "Honey, I don't come to these meetings to answer to every nutjob who wanders in off the street." He then said he supported appeal of the decision.

According to a Butler Eagle reporter who attended the meeting, Hawk, in response to a comment by resident Calvin Wonderly, told the man, "You mind your own business."

Residents' reactions to Hawk's inappropriate comments were generally subdued, the reporter said, but he described those reactions as having "undertones of outrage."

Indeed, the residents took the high road in not succumbing to the temptation to lash out at the solicitor; they made some comments for a minute or two afterward, but didn't turn the situation into a shouting match.

Hawk's comments were outrageous and unprofessional in response to people who have a right to express opinions about the conduct and decisions of their local government.

Hawk owes the residents of Connoquenessing Township an apology. They are not "nutjobs" and they have no obligation to mind their own business, when their tax dollars are at stake — it is their business.

They are paying the township's bills and are owed Hawk's and the supervisors' respect.

In both instances, Hawk should have been called out of order and ordered to refrain from further disrespectful, demeaning comments.

There usually are many heartwarming stories in the news at this time of the year about people's generosity and compassion. Indeed, many people go out of their way to be kind and generous to people whose holidays might otherwise not be bright.Unfortunately, there are troubling exceptions, as revealed by recent news articles. Two incidents were especially disgusting. Fortunately, neither of them occurred in Butler County.In Philadelphia, the Associated Press reported, three people who noticed a Philadelphia man unconscious and dying in an emergency waiting room robbed him instead of summoning help.Meanwhile, Aria Health's Frankford Campus doesn't look good for allowing 63-year-old Joaquin Rivera to spend nearly 80 minutes in an emergency room after complaining of pain down his side, without giving him quick attention. According to the AP, he died of an apparent heart attack before seeing a triage nurse.Then there's Maumee, Ohio, where a man claiming to hate Christmas shoved a Salvation Army bell ringer to the ground and took one of the charity's red kettles containing an estimated $500 to $700.Police later arrested a Toledo, Ohio, man in connection with the incident.The sentences meted out for such crimes should include a strong dose of community service aimed at revealing the difficulties some people endure, not only at this time of the year but at other times as well.

The zero-tolerance policy for inmate fights at the new Butler County Prison is the right policy.Inmates, from day one of their incarceration, must know for certain that if they engage in such conduct, there will be serious consequences.Two inmates who squared off by mutual consent in a fight on Nov. 23 in the restricted housing unit are in the process of getting the message. They face preliminary hearings Dec. 21 on simple-assault charges.Leniency by the prison staff should be out of the question for such incidents. A weak response to them would no doubt be an invitation to others.Occasional friction between individuals is inevitable under such living conditions, but despite that fact, unruly or violent behavior cannot be tolerated.Someone who doesn't want to be in prison in the first place shouldn't expose himself or herself to the possibility of a longer sentence because he or she committed another crime inside prison walls.Fighting in prison is not only wrong, but shortsighted and foolish.