Letters to the Editor


Correction:

The following letter corrects captions in the article about Robert Bradley's service in Vietnam.

Someone else wrote the captions for my Vietnam War article that you published in the June edition of the Massachusetts News. Two corrections on the captions are in order: My Swift boat patrolled along the coastline and in the Cua Dai river basin of I Corp, which was 400-500 miles from the area where Senator Kerry conducted his missions. I transported Seals on two missions in the Cua Dai river basin, not "many missions."

Thank you for publishing my article.

- Robert H. Bradley
Wellesley

Well Said, Mickey Mouselover!

"People for the Ethical Treatment of ALL Animals" is a brilliant idea! Inspired!

Now, let us take PETAA to the next level. All animals, all life on Earth, must be protected and cherished. All life is precious or the whole protection argument becomes a lie.

All meat must be outlawed, immediately. No more murder of cattle, pigs, chickens. Our furry friends deserve much better treatment.

Heaven forbid that fish are stressed by the hook! Can nets be any less stressful? No more seafood (what a horrid term) at all. No more fish, calamari, clams, oysters. Our finny friends deserve ethical treatment too.

We should eat nothing but vegetables.

But wait! Vegetables grow in huge fields, where our little furry friends are excluded. That can't be right. Starvation is certainly unethical, so let those deer and raccoons have free run of the fields. Outlaw all fences, for they keep our friends away from their food.

Insects are alive, so they deserve ethical treatment. No more pesticides! What could be worse than dying in a foul mist, like some World War I soldier gasping for breath in a gas attack? Ban all pesticides, even the organic ones, for they are certainly cruel to our six-legged friends. 

The more life in those farm fields, the better. Grab a picket sign and go tell your local farmer how you feel. Locusts need love too, you know!

In fact, why are we stopping any animal from feeding in their chosen way? Ban all mosquito nets and repellents now! A beaver is alive and deserves legal protection, but mosquitoes are not? Where did that disgusting concept come from?

There is so much life on Earth, and all life is important! Period! Not negotiable!

And just because we can't see some of these life forms, does that mean they deserve cruelty and unfair treatment? Of course not!

Bacteria and germs are just as alive as you and I, so why are they shown such brutality? No more soap, no more antiseptics, no more forced sterilization. If you have a festering sore, rejoice! You are hosting millions of little friends in that oozing cut! Antibiotics are cruel to our single-celled brothers and sisters. Ban them too!

All life on Earth is precious, and must be protected. All of it.

- Bill Conlon

Abortionists Should Choose Life

The Bible says, "This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Recently it was the Prolife Action Network's "choice" to "out" abortionist Steve Ralston in Boston by a picket of his home area. May he and all other abortionists choose life for themselves and for all. This is my prayer.

- Robert Mayo
Lowell

Thanks for Courageous Reporting

I write to thank you for your honest courageous reporting, especially on the Fistgate scandal.

GLSEN is now expanding their sex programs in Cape Cod schools. I wrote two letters to the Editor of the Cape Cod Times concerning the scandalous results at Tufts. Neither letter was printed.

I am writing to John Wilcox, president and publisher of the Cape Cod Times on this matter. I also am asking why no mention of the killing of Max Kolb, a Massachusetts resident, although it made headlines in the Boston Herald, New York Post and was even reported by the New York Times.

I, like most parents, good parents, can argue on the proper teaching of tolerance toward an individual who engages in harmful activities. However, this does not mean approving, condoning or promoting such unsafe practices as homosexuality, illicit drug use, tobacco use or any activity that is harmful to the moral or physical welfare of children.

In this regard, your role is as a beacon of truth and courage. Keep up the good work.

- Kevin J. Donnelly
W. Barnstable

Digging to China

Y'all ever think of applying for citizenship in the People's Republic of China? They can't be very far left from where your state is headed. I suspect we will be accepting refugees from Massachusetts soon. You have my sympathy.

- James A. Cherolis III
Salvisa, KY

Libertarian Encouraged by 'Honest Journalism'

I have just been made aware of your paper/site. I am very encouraged to see such a source of honest journalism. I am simultaneously saddened to learn the extent of the media blackout of such important issues in the Commonwealth as your paper has shed light upon.

Rest assured that your site will be daily reading from this time forward.

- Jim Fredrickson

Father/Child Relationship Neglected by Courts

Recently, many of our nation's major newspapers and magazines cited the U.S. Census Report 2000 statistic that shows a steady decline in married households with an increase in single parent households. The census also indicates that single mother households with children outnumber single father households by more than 3.5 times. Additionally, but not cited in the report, is the commonly known statistic that mothers are awarded custody of children about 90 percent of the time in divorce and separation while fathers are relegated to non-custodial "visitors" of their children.

Our nation's family courts determine custody in this manner with, what appears to be, a faulty interpretation of the "best interests of the child" standard since research indicates that children with their dads do just as well as or better than they do with their moms. The notion that children are served better when mom cares for them is just another myth in the realm of family law that puts the child/father relationship at a major disadvantage.

Why does the bias exist? One theory is that America is infatuated with groups that qualify for "victim" status -- so much so that our state bureaucracy is ever ready to aid these groups regardless of whether innocent people, like fathers and children, suffer unjustly.

A victim group in our society can receive layers of government funding and benefits. Yet, if you are not from that select group, well then, you are just out of luck. For instance, divorced and unwed fathers receive little assistance from our government, and even if, by slim chance, a father is granted custody, he will rarely receive child support from the mother because the courts do not impose or enforce it.

There are times when men and fathers inadvertently receive state assistance, but not under the guise of victimhood. They receive it in the form of "crisis" intervention when they are incarcerated for not being "responsible" or when they become homeless, destitute or chronically infirmed as a result of sex discrimination against them.

Massachusetts is just one of several states in this country with bad family law and policy. The Commonwealth has been highly effective at creating a subculture of poor fathers who have been forcibly dissociated from their children even when these dads have proven that they are willing, competent and loving parents. It is tragically sad to see fathers in their twenties emotionally wounded because they have never had the opportunity to truly parent their children or to be more active in their kids' lives. This epidemic continues even when there is evidence, such as in a recent Harris poll, that indicates young men are approximately seven percent more likely to give up pay to be with their families than women of the same age group. This is an obvious cultural shift that the government fails to recognize.

Why does the court play interference on fathers? Does it do so to protect its own interests in the name of protecting a select group of victims?

Regardless of bureaucratic motives, men, fathers and children continue to be violated by the family court, a forum having little to do with justice or equal rights, but more to do with helping women and mothers receive entitlements based on their "victim" status. Fathers become hostages to an oppressive system the first time they seek justice during custody disputes in family court. So why are men not considered victims? Perhaps it is not our time; however, if we can only convince the state that men and fathers are present- day victims, we might be able to get government aid without having to go to jail, the poor house or the hospital.

- Mike Franco
State Co-Chair, The Fatherhood Coalition
Holyoke

Judge Lopez and Others Can Hide

Tell me why you never see repeated what Judge Lopez said on the news about how crimes to children, on a scale of 1 to 10, are very low on the scale. Hence her decision. Seems the very same for all the juvenile justices in Massachusetts who have nothing to worry about; after all, they are appointed for life and can "hide" behind confidentiality in their cases. There's no accountability.

- Kathleen Bruens
South Shore

Too Many Articles on Homosexuals

I am a graduating high school student and non-practicing Catholic. What led me to read your paper was the fact that there were at least nine articles on homosexuals.

Can a paper really be that interesting if all you are going to do is bash what you call "pride?" How many children who have grown up with either two mothers or two fathers have come out screwed up compared to the ones who came out fine? And wouldn't you think homosexuals would all change if they could, considering the crap they have to deal with -- nine articles in one newspaper!

Why are homosexuals bad people? Do they hurt others? Only as much as you or I do.

You are not God and neither are these people who you discriminate against. Please stop attacking people who you claim see themselves as "different." The only way they are "different" is because they are obviously more open-minded. I have more respect for them because at least they don't go around writing articles about how stupid straight/heterosexual people are and making them feel like s--. You mocked their Pride March and picked them apart because of one small bad incident about some lesbians teaching people to chant obscene words! More than 1000 students marched in that parade and they were not all gay or lesbian! That is fact! And I bet only 1/5 of the marchers saw these women and repeated after them.

Please write back. With an understanding that life isn't fair I can understand an article or two in a newspaper about homosexuality in a negative tone, but not the 8 or 9 that I saw it mentioned in your newspaper. That's beyond uncalled for!

- Caitlin

Editor's Comment: I wish you would write back and tell us where you find anything in our paper that says that homosexuals are "bad" people. You can go through all the papers we have ever printed and you will never find anything that is even close to that.

Many of us are concerned because students are taught only very positive things about homosexuality. They are not being told the many negatives. I have friends who are cigarette smokers, but I would not want them teaching that smoking is a wonderful habit. I don't hate those friends. I just don't want them advocating smoking in the schools.

As for the number of articles, please remember that one of our primary missions is to counter the tremendous influence of the Boston Globe. And they talk about homosexuality a lot! If they mention it a lot, we must do so also if we are going to respond. (I also believe your count of our homosexual stories is high.)

Gun Article Poorly Researched

I received your complimentary copy of The Massachusetts News in the mail today and I can't quite understand if your views are coming from the extreme right or the extreme left. In my case, I think of myself as a conservative Catholic Republican, but I'd like to think that most of all I am all about common sense. Of all the articles I had read, the one by Curt Lovelace concerning the Concord Police Department and Mr. Alec Costerus bothered me the most.

I work for a suburban police department as a civilian dispatcher, and I deal with many issues regarding firearms and firearm licensing. Your article does not paint a complete picture of what occurred, or how the licensing works.

First of all, the old FID cards, although they did not have an expiration date on them, the new law expired the old FID on the holder's upcoming birth date that year.

Secondly, the article does not clarify which type of Firearm Safety Course he is qualified to teach. Under the new laws, there are courses for FID-rifles and long guns, and other courses for LTC-handguns and large capacity weapons.

Even with a valid FID and having attended a certified FID training course, his possession of the handguns would still be invalid because he didn't have a license to carry/LTC course. And I also believe that under the new gun laws, even with the firearms being at his home, he still might have been in violation of the law.

Now it does sound as if his home was searched without a warrant, and his arrest seems out of the ordinary, but that was not verified in your article. And in the letter the chief of police sent him, it mentions Mr. Costerus' "recent involvement in domestic and firearms related issues in the Town of Concord." What did he mean by "domestic issues?" Has he been in trouble with the police before? This was never clear either.

How can you say your publication is any better than the Boston Globe or other forms of media when your article leaves so many issues unclarified and unresolved? I believe that Americans have the constitutional right to bear arms, but I also believe that we should follow the laws that we have until we can change them through the process that our forefathers started.

I think that next time you want to advertise for someone's defense fund, as in Mr. Costerus' case, you should complete all of the information so that the reader can make a decision on his own. My common sense tells me that your views are almost as one sided as the other guy's.

P. Hogan
Norwood

Editor's Response: You are absolutely correct that the story about Alec Costerus was one-sided. That was only because the Concord Police Department is apparently too embarrassed to talk about it. We made several attempts to speak with representatives of the Concord Police Department. The Chief and the officer involved declined to comment or return calls. We were eager to include their viewpoint but were not afforded the opportunity.

You raise the matter of "domestic issues," which Chief Wetherbee used to substantiate his denial of a license to Costerus. Everyone is puzzled and troubled by that libelous statement, particularly Costerus, because he has a clean record and has never been accused of anything.

Regarding the technicalities of the new licensing law and the transition from FID cards, we find it odd that you tell us of your familiarity with firearms licensing because of your position, yet you seem to be unclear what the law says. Nevertheless, you are willing to state that you "believe" Costerus "might have been in violation of the law." If it is your job to know and you are unclear, how does an ordinary citizen feel? Actually, It appears that under the new law, previously-issued FID cards, which were originally issued for life, expire on a rolling schedule. Each was to expire on the cardholder's next birthday after July 1, 1999. In the case of Costerus this would have been April, 2000. Until then, his FID card would be valid and he could keep his handguns in his home. The Concord Police Department confiscated his weapons in March 1999, before any FID cards had expired.

Under the new firearms law, there is only one Basic Firearms Safety Course qualification. There are several ways in which that qualification can be met. Costerus is certified by both the National Rifle Association and the Massachusetts State Police pursuant to Massachusetts General Law.

Finally, we agree with you that "we should follow the laws that we have until we change them through the process that our forefathers started." We believe that Costerus sought to stay within the law at all times. He voluntarily went to the police station to find out what his legal situation was when he returned to his home state from employment in another part of the country. He even offered to turn over his weapons until such time as he could complete the transition to a new License to Carry. Now he is seeking to change the law, which he believes puts too much discretion in the hands of local chiefs of police, who may use that power in a discriminatory manner.

There is one thing we can all agree upon. The treatment of Alec Costerus by the Concord Police Department was apparently outrageous in the extreme. It's no wonder they are embarrassed.

Great Paper, Bad Writing; Hard to Believe Minuteman Library Network

I discovered The Massachusetts News recently in my drugstore. Never having heard of it, I picked up a copy and have endeavored to read it. I begin by stating that I am glad to see there is a paper in this state that advocates traditional values. In general I agree with your positions on various issues. However I find the writing difficult to read and often confusing. For example:

1. Some articles are written as if the reader has some foreknowledge of the subject, such as the business at Wellesley College. I've never heard about this issue. I know a few Wellesley graduates and none of them have even mentioned it. Therefore I would expect an article on the subject to give the facts of the case before beginning an opinion.

2. One article had a headline that did not relate directly to the subject, "Young men cautioned about getting married," then it goes into the Newell case.

3. Some articles are so disorganized I could not understand what was going on - the Emily Rooney article on page 8 for example. Was the transcript taken from the talk show or the WGBH broadcast? It doesn't say who the announcer is. What does Rolling Stone Magazine have to do with it? The cheap shot at the Phoenix was not appropriate for good journalism. It may be true but it just makes you look petty. As in other articles you don't state the facts about what was said on the original WGBH show.

4. The article about the Minuteman Library Network had a valid point but it would have been more effective if you would just give the reader the website and let him go see for himself. The article never gave the web address. I had to search for it. The article states that "Just Say Yes" is the motto of CPS and the first thing you see on their site. Neither is true. It is merely a choice on their menu. By exaggerating you weaken your case.

5. The Cellucci appointment article went on for pages denouncing the former governor without saying why he was not suitable. In fact there were no less than seven articles on the subject and only one specified your objections. The reader has to read hundreds of words to get to the heart of the subject.

6. There were three articles devoted to something called "Fistgate." What on earth is that? What in the hell is "fisting?" What the hell is GLSEN and why should I care about them? You need to explain these issues and give the facts. Don't tire the reader with pages and pages of accusations and opinions.

7. The article on the "Parents Rights" bill leads off mentioning a hearing. What hearing? Where? Who held it? The state legislature? What do "opt-in" and "opt-out" mean? Again it's unclear and incomplete, and you don't provide enough facts.

I apologize for sounding critical; I don't mean to discourage. What you are doing is important and I applaud you for your efforts. However, this paper needs better, clearer and more factual writing to be effective with the general public.

- W.S .

Editor's Comment: I understand it's very frustrating when you find everyone talking about something that you've never heard of. It's also very difficult for our editors to always go back and explain things for the reader who is trying to catch up. This also points out how much someone misses if you're getting all your information from sources other than MassNews. But I have one prediction. If you join our thousands of Massachusetts subscribers and web readers, you will be up-to-speed very quickly.   

As far as the Minuteman Library Network is concerned, there is no question that the librarians in all of the towns that support this Network are advising children to be sexually active. When a child goes to the home site of CPS, they see the logo, "Coalition for Positive Sexuality," in the upper left-hand corner. Directly under it is "Just Say Yes," which is a link to another part of their site. At the top of their site in the center of the home page is the following:

"You have the right to complete and honest sex education. Demand information from your school, healthcare provider and parents.

"We have a quick and easy online tour through the most important topics for teens who are sexually active or just thinking about sex. It's called 'Just Say Yes' [link] because we're tired of people telling us what we can and can't do. There's no preaching. No moralizing. Just the facts."

I'm sure that 90% of parents do not expect their local libraries to be recommending sexual activity to their children! What is wrong with our librarians? Why do they keep recommending this site to children? Why are they so stubborn?

It is probably good they are doing this because it spotlights the serious problems that we have with the morals and judgment of those who are running our libraries. Everyone can see it very clearly. The only problem is that no one can believe it. Go to http://www.mln.lib.ma.us/teen/hth.htm and see it for yourself.

Should Infertile Couples Be Prevented From Marriage?

Ed Oliver thinks "the solution for both sides lies in limited government and maximum freedom and self-determination." Why then is he trying to legislate a narrow definition of marriage that would ultimately limit the freedom and self-determination of some couples who wish to marry?

Marriage is a spiritual union with legal benefits and responsibilities. By denying committed, loving couples those benefits and responsibilities, you are discriminating against their spiritual beliefs. If those spiritual beliefs mandated theft, arson, murder, or other violent and non-consensual acts as a condition of marriage, I might agree with you. But that is not in question. Your paper repeatedly implies that the potential for procreation is the condition you seek. Yet, from the headline "Who Will Raise the Children?" on down, you consistently cloak the potential to procreate with the ability to parent.

As an adoptee, I strongly urge you to find another rock to hide under. Jean B. Healy said, "This legislation will reaffirm marriage as a natural and healthy state with the promise of building society with new life." Would she like to tell my mother and father that they should not be married because they were unable to fulfill that particular promise?

Colbe C. Mazzarella said that, "Children need their own parents in a permanent relationship. The government must not send any contrary message." Is she implying that my parents are less than my "own" because they gave me love but not red hair and freckles? Perhaps she feels I would have been better off in an orphanage?

Please explain to me why I should not interpret these comments as a direct insult to my family. Better yet, please explain why these comments have any bearing whatsoever on the proposed "Defense of Marriage" legislation, which says nothing about the potential to procreate or the ability to parent, but does deny the benefits and responsibilities of marriage to same-sex couples.

- Cheryl Jaffe
Stow

Editor's Comment: How could you possibly believe that anyone would tell your parents that they should not be married? I don't know anyone who does not admire those who adopt children.

As for the purpose of marriage, it has always been to protect children and their mothers who are very vulnerable when giving birth and nursing babies. It is not to protect "partners," whether heterosexual or homosexual. Because we want to encourage fathers to stay with their children, the institution of marriage has been made into an elaborate ceremony with the hope that the father and mother will raise their children into responsible citizens without a lot of help from the state. Does it always work? No. Does anyone know of a better system? No. As our article reported, there are many forces in Massachusetts seeking to break down the institution. The most aggressive is the feminists. Then comes the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts, although many libertarians disagree because they believe it is the cheapest way to raise children. Then we have many who wish to avoid any responsibility for the children they create. And finally, there are the 3% who are homosexual and believe it will help them to be more accepted in society

They are being used by the feminists to push their agenda because the feminists know they have more sympathy with the public. There are many people who have wonderful friends all their lives, but we cannot afford to allow everyone to pick a favorite friend to receive largess from the government. Although it is not perfect, most of those women who receive benefits because of marriage deserve them.

Fistgate & Mickey Mouse

Fistgate at Wellesley College? Was there any fisting going on? As for Mickey Mouse, PETA people do care about mice.

- Name Withheld

Editor's Comment: Fistgate is a term for adults teaching explicit homosexual sex to teenagers. That is certainly what is occurring at Wellesley College where 22-year-olds, and probably faculty, are teaching 17-year-olds. It does not necessarily include "fisting" although that appears to be an integral and accepted part of homosexuality. (You will say that I have no knowledge about faculty, but the college also has no controls to monitor it. We know that heterosexual faculty are attracted to students. Any reasonable person would assume that lesbian faculty are given the same opportunities, without restraint, to engage in sex with seventeen-year-olds.)

The PETA article is parody and I am surprised that it hit so hard. I am sure that many PETA members are concerned with mice and rats. That is the problem. My concern for animals is more important to me than to most people but we have no choice other than to control the population of rodents and many other animals. If we follow PETA to its logical conclusion, we will have to stop eating anything. There have been studies which show that plants also have feelings. I always feel a little guilty when I nurse a cabbage from seed, transplant it and then go out with a knife and destroy the plant. It really does bother me. Must I stop eating cabbage? Are tomatoes okay? Can I mow the lawn? Where do we stop? I had no idea this would hit you or anyone so hard. Should all of us humans just commit suicide? Is PETA right that we should have sex with animals?

Love, Marriage and Family (A Song)

Love, marriage and family
That's the way
It was meant to be

Man needs woman
To fulfill his life
A true and understanding wife

Love, marriage and family
That's the way
It was meant to be

A woman's love
Is happiness bound
With her husband
And children around

There may be some
Who don't agree
With what I say
But these facts are proven
Everyday

Love, marriage and family
That's the way
It was meant to be
That's the way it was meant to be.

James G. Moses

The Venom

Publisher Is a Hypocrite

If your publisher was so open to having "homosexuals" in high positions at his previous business, then he is a hypocrite. He is doing all this anti-gay stuff for the hype.

- Name Withheld

Editor's Comment: The only thing you have ever read in MassNews (if you have actually ever read it) concerns what is taught to children. No one, not even you, would say that the instruction in the Massachusetts  schools is balanced. As for all of the adults in our society, they can, and will, do what they wish.

As for the hype, there are many easier ways to get that.

Editorial Represents Irresponsible Journalism

I read the editorial in the June 2001 Massachusetts News on Peter Singer. Then I turned again to the Nerve.com piece it allegedly attacks; I say "allegedly" because your editorialist does not appear to have read Singer's article.

First, any responsible writer would point out that the article was in fact a review of another book. Failing to mention a pretty critical piece of information suggests a campaign based on misinformation on your part. Your writer chides the Globe, etc., for bias, but I daresay the reporters who write for those magazines would be canned for such an obvious oversight as yours, which is either extremely shoddy reporting or deliberate withholding of key facts. In any case, it doesn't exactly prompt any degree of trust in your paper.

Prof. Singer in no way implies that the Judeo-Christian is "nonsense." That's your attribution, and it is fallacious. Re-read the paragraph in question four times, as I did.

Your writer says, twice, that Singer believes bestiality is "fine." He does not say any such thing. Furthermore, while he cites the book under review (not his own opinions, mind you) at several junctures -- a scholarly treatise on human attitudes towards bestiality over the ages, not a polemic for or against (yes, such things exist) -- he also gives equal time to theorists who have argued against it, citing from the Bible to 20th century detractors.

It's always fun to see a rabid propagandistic tool fall flat in its face when it attempts to deal with serious issues in anything resembling an objective fashion. Singer is perhaps best known for his defense of animals against some of the crimes perpetrated against them by humans, such as the incredibly cruel chicken factories which go uncited in your paper. As one of the foremost defenders of animal rights in this country-also unremarked upon by your writer, who instead cites Singer on the unrelated issue of gay rights (again, is your writer ignorant or is this another occasion of deliberate misinformation by omission???) Singer is hardly an advocate of sex-with-animals, and the review he wrote does not recommend or even defend the practice.

This would make an excellent piece for any college journalism class: "How not to write seriously about a serious subject." What's sad is that I agree that bestiality is wrong-but with friends like you, who needs enemies? Until you train your reporters, please stay out of the fray. This is not amateur hour.

- M. Horan
Norwood

Editor's Comment: There's one thing that's clear, absolutely clear, about Prof. Singer's article. He is doing his best to normalize sex with animals. That is the thrust of his entire polemic.

As to specific comments from the reader, it's tough to comment on a letter where the writer is so confused.

In the first place, Singer goes on for a couple hundred words before he even reveals to the reader that he's doing a "book review." The entire article is about his thoughts. He uses the book only as a foil for himself. As far as his views about Judeo-Christian thought, Singer clearly does not agree with it because he says it teaches that, "Only human beings have an immortal soul. In Genesis, God gives humans dominion over the animals." Clearly, Singer disparages and disagrees with those thoughts.

It's interesting that the reader links bestiality with homosexuality. That is something we have never seen before.

As to whether Singer "defends" the practice of bestiality, he says that "some of the acts described in [the book he was reviewing] are clearly wrong" and he goes on to mention sex with chickens as being one of those acts, only because the chicken usually dies. If "some" are wrong (and he mentions only one), we must assume that the others are not wrong. I could mention other citations for this point, but they hardly seem necessary.

Mass News is a Learning Tool

Never before have I encountered such a hate-filled and misguided group of folks as those who pen your pieces.

Your publication did serve one positive purpose, though. I was able to use Mass News as an opportunity to explain to our four children the importance of freedom of expression in America. Even if we do not like what we are reading, we have to respect the rights of those who hold these opinions, or we may find ourselves the next ones to be censored.

So, thank you for allowing me to explain to my children the error of your ways, and to show them that while there are people like you out there who hate and who attempt to skew the facts to suit their own perverted agendas. We as free thinkers still possess the ultimate power to sift the wheat from the chaff and expose you for what you really are.

- Lisa Towle

Mass News Like Pilgrims

Why don't you just change the name of your paper to the "Christian Right Wing”? Talk about the Boston Globe -- you are way more to the right than they are to the left, and this is coming from a Herald reader. You folks are pretty funny. Maybe you could call yourselves “WASPs Are Us.” You folks are probably one of the largest hate groups in the state. The Pilgrims are long gone; why don't you go with them?

- Name Withheld

Editor's Comment: The only problem is that I don't know anyone on the paper who is a WASP. What is it that makes you dislike (should I say "hate"?) Pilgrims so passionately?

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