The first letter, by frequent letter writer David Hunter, is as follows:
Name-calling writer a little short on facts
Friday October 20, 2006
"In his October 16 letter, Floyd "Tom" Thomas complains about Col. Mike Rudzinski having spoken to students at Carrie Busey School. Although he was not there to hear the colonel's presentation, he calls Rudzinski a lackey and a liar.
He calls Robert Wahlfeldt a true combat veteran and a war hero, but he was not with Wahlfeldt in World War II to know how long Bob was in the Army, whether he ever saw combat or even which side he was on.
Ignorant of the facts, Floyd spews his bias as gospel. I think he is the liar."
DAVID P. HUNTER
Champaign
Reading letters in the News-Gazette is almost always dispiriting. But it has come to this here in the Midwest: we do little more than shout at each other, calling each other liars, behaving like boors and bullies.I have never understood why the Gazette prints such letters, which are simply in themselves name-calling and without ideas or information. What I have been told is that people will recognize the tasteless and stupid for what they are and the writers will shame themselves.
But I have no confidence that this actually is the case. Printing these letters inflames and increases the lack of civility in the public discourse. I believe they reflect the editorial policies of the newspaper as well.
Politics and power of late are fed by fear. Fear is one of the masks of hate.
The next letter appeared on Sunday.
Threat of terrorism is not taken seriously
Sunday October 22, 2006
"The parallels between pre-World War II Germany and the rise of Islamic fascism today are startling. Adolf Hitler defied the League of Nations, and he created a hideous military threat bent on destroying all Jews and killing anyone who was not like-minded.
Today, we have Iran which defies the United Nations, and like Hitler, wants to destroy Israel and anyone who is not like-minded.
Stunning to any rational adult, 80 percent of Americans were against confronting Hitler in the 1930s.
Osama bin Laden preached openly that if America is attacked, we would not have the resolve to properly respond. Unfortunately his predictions are coming true.
Why is this? Let us first put the blame on the media. They have not properly represented the happenings in Iraq and the Middle East. Next is the liberal left. Howard Dean and Michael Moore want you to believe statements such as "Bush lied and people died." They don't tell you that much of Bush's intelligence came from President Clinton's staff and that was backed up by Sen. John Kerry.
The liberal left hates Bush more than it wants to protect you. That is why it is more than happy for you to believe all the rantings and ravings like "Bush is the No. 1 terrorist."
Sure, President Bush has not responded properly to the conflict we are involved with. But Americans need to realize that just like Hitler of seven decades ago, the Jihadists today are not going to stop until we are all dead or we make them stop. So Ted Kennedy, which one will it be?"
DOUG OLSEN
Mahomet
Again, the "enemy" is everywhere -- the media, the left, Clinton, even Ted Kennedy. Before 9/11, the late Gazette owner and publisher Marajen Chinigo wrote a personal editorial that named Ted Kennedy, in part, for the woes of the nation, blaming him for our nation's perils for his having had a traffic accident.
I think the title of Barack Obama's new book, The Audacity of Hope, is well chosen. One has to be insane to think the public discourse will ever mature. People do not listen. We shout and accuse and never recognize ourselves in the rut of mirrors down which we plod, day after day. We are too dazzled by our glittery junk to be bothered by any others but ourselves.
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