Defensible remarks

Reprehensible though it be, we must protect speech according to our principles

Editor, The Times:

The First Amendment is a highly cherished freedom in America and as Americans we must defend professor Ward Churchill's right to think, speak and write, because nonviolent dissent is absolutely essential to freedom. We do not have to agree with him, though ("Teacher tries to quell 9/11 fury," Times, News, Feb. 9).

The attack on the World Trade Center was an assault against the world, not just Americans; people from numerous countries around the world lost their lives. These people were civilians and nonmilitary targets. If anyone was a so-called "Eichmann" drone, it was the Islamic martyrs for God and Islam in killing innocent civilians.

Churchill should have realized Trade Center civilians and citizens of other nations had no direct or indirect influence in United States foreign policy. As a purported scholar, his logic is severely flawed, to say the least.

Should the United States change its foreign policy to please religious zealots who threaten acts of terror? I think not. This would be similar to Churchill giving me 75 percent of his salary so I will not harm his family.

Churchill is wrong, but we must as Americans respect his right to dissent.

— Frank Frederick, South Auburn

Taking liberties with agenda

So the American Civil Liberties Union is backing professor Ward Churchill for remarks made about the 9/11 victims and attackers.

Seems the ACLU thinks Churchill is wrongly being terminated from his position at University of Colorado because of the content of his opinions. The ACLU also goes on to say, "The governmental interference with the content of Churchill's constitutionally protected opinions tramples on fundamental American liberties."

When the ACLU backed Al Campanis, Marge Schott and Fuzzy Zoeller for expressing constitutionally protected opinions, they all lost positions. Oh, I'm sorry; the ACLU did not back these people.

Uh, I guess the ACLU picks and chooses which aspects of free speech should be backed and which should not. Why do we need a constitution when we have the ACLU?

— Bryan Wachter, Kent

Freedom of disassociation

I have always understood the Constitution to guarantee us the right to voice our opinion. I did not realize that the government is also supposed to give us a platform to voice that opinion and a paid, tenured position at a university to boot.

If so, how is the government helping to support my other rights? How about my right to bear arms? I think I need an M1-A1 tank to defend myself, though the government has yet to provide me with one.

I am a realistic man; I know the government won't give me a tank, so I am prepared to sue it for infringing on my right to bear arms.

Ward Churchill exercised his constitutional right and spoke. Unfortunately, he spoke insensitively and stupidly. His actions have consequences and in this case, the consequences should be dismissal from his position.

— Jonathan Jepsen, Spokane

An informed citizenry?

Don't be misled

We hear that about a third of high-school-aged kids do not understand the value of a free press, as established by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. I wonder where those kids could get such screwy ideas ("First Amendment goes 'too far,' say students in survey," News, Feb. 1).

Oh, yes! The Bush administration hires hack "journalists" to secretly promote its policies without disclosing that they are bought and paid for (paid for by our tax dollars).

For White House press conferences — very high-powered events — the Bush administration gives "credentials" to absolutely unqualified hacks like "Jeff Gannon" (not his real name [real name, James D. Guckert]) to serve up right-wing propaganda points stolen from Rush Limbaugh.

What has the Bush administration ever done that has not been based on falsehood? Name it: Medicare? Tax cuts? Iraq? Iran? Social Security? 9/11 (oh, please!)? What will they do next? What do you have left to lose?

— Tom Ridgeway, Seattle

Democracy of ideas

A fragile Web

In "Urge to rant propelling blogs to status of mainstream media" (guest commentary, Feb. 14), James J. Na falls prey to the same mind-set that keeps bloggers (Web log composers) painted into the journalistic corner in which they currently reside. Blogs are easy and fun to read, and can disseminate information quickly — and that is good and bad.

They cannot replace what they criticize, in part because gathering information into the daily news is hard (and not incidentally, expensive) work.

Traditional media organizations have become behemoth in size and have lost some internal control over their product. That said, their core function is still valid: to accurately report news and inform citizens.

Bloggers have no such system of journalistic purpose, no shared ethical code; they have only to write what will draw attention. No research is necessary — or even practical, given the speed at which rumor and conjuncture spread on the Internet.

I have read some excellent and fact-based blogs, and in fact believe they might carve a complementary niche for themselves in the opinion/editorial field. In the meantime, I'll read my New York Times for well-researched journalism — and with a cynical eye all the same.

— Michael Petrone, Bellingham

Left to domain stream

James J. Na claims that there aren't many liberal bloggers from this area. The basis for this assertion is that a get-together organized by a conservative blogger wasn't attended by liberals.

So for future reference, here are some of the more prominent lefty blogs, from Seattle or the Seattle area:

• www.horsesass.org: Originally a Web site set up for the initiative to call Tim Eyman a horse's ass, has become a prominent and popular blog in the area.

• www.upper-left.blogspot.com: Run by the former chair of the 32nd District Democrats. It deals with local and national issues.

• www.evergreenpolitics.com: Local politics from an activist perspective.

• www.progressivemajoritywashington.org: The local blog of the national organization, Progressive Majority.

• www.democracyforwashington.com/civicspace-0.5/: The statewide blog of the Howard Dean organization, Democracy for America.

• www.nwprogressive.org/weblog: Another Web log of a local activist group.

• www.washblog.typepad.com/: Good local info on a wide variety of topics.

• And my own Washington State Political Report, www.carl-ballard.blogspot.com, is another local blog.

There are plenty more to be found from the Seattle area as well as the rest of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, at the Pacific Northwest Portal, www.nwprogressive.org/portal/.

— Carl Ballard, Vashon Island

The peignoir is mightier

Dan Rather is gone.

CBS news producer Mary Mapes is gone.

Now CNN's chief news executive, Eason Jordan, is gone.

The blogs and talk radio have all but retired Mark Twain's old maxim:

"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its boots."

Heck, you don't even have to get out of your pajamas to run down a lie anymore.

— Richard Winmill, Kent