Another day, another story about “civility,” or behavior “befitting a citizen.”

Should Trump officials be asked to leave a restaurant? Should children be taken from their immigrant parents at the border and put in cages or sent far away?

But what is the civil thing for a citizen and mom to do when you see Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt eating three tables away? After all, he is not just setting records for ethical lapses, sweetheart deals with lobbyists, and mendacity at the taxpayers’ expense.

Pruitt is literally devoted to making kids sicker with “toxic policies” and to destroying civilization itself by undoing efforts to preserve a livable climate — all in favor of helping boost the fossil fuel industry’s profits.

In the case of Kristin Mink, a teacher who was eating with her 2-year-old son in a Washington, D.C. cafe on Monday, she decided to approach Pruitt and politely read a statement to him.

Her husband filmed the encounter, which she put on her Facebook page.

“This is my son, he loves animals, he loves clean air, he loves clean water,” she said to the EPA chief calmly. “So I would urge you to resign before your scandals push you out.”


While some on the right have said Mink “harassed” Pruitt, the guests on Fox Business News (FBN) Mornings With Maria Bartiromo Tuesday thought otherwise.

“Pruitt put himself in a position where he’s subject to ridicule” centrist former Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) pointed out. “That’s, I think, a little bit different case than some of the other examples we’ve had.”

Indeed, Mary Dagen McDowell, an FBN anchor and frequent guest on Sean Hannity’s show on Fox News, said, “I watched the video and the woman carrying the child was more measured.”

McDowell added, “I think Scott Pruitt’s kind of a unique — I think there are people on the right and left who might have a few things to say to him.”

Pruitt is unique. He is uniquely corrupt, under more ethics investigations than any other cabinet member, and his toxic policies threaten our children, and our children’s children.


Calling Pruitt out in a “measured” way like Mink did was the civil and civic thing to do if someone sees a Trump political appointee as uniquely reprehensible as Pruitt in public.

But as the majority of people don’t ever run into public figures, another civil and civic option that can make your voice be heard is to vote — our most important duty as citizens.