My letter to Deborah Howell

[kynn]

Dear Ms. Howell,

I just read your article "The Firestorm Over My Column," and it is quite disheartening to see that you just don't get it.

I don't know much about you, other than the fact that you write for one of the country's leading newspapers, and that you wrote said firestorm-igniting column, but your background and history are simply not relevant to my opinion of the whole incident. If anything, your lengthy experience in the news business makes this incident less excusable.

By your own admission your wording was sloppy. Given the importance of your position, given the recent history of this country and the ignominious role that journalists have played in this history, given the well-known fact that the Republican strategy to deal with the Abramoff debacle hinges on convincing the public that the problem is a bipartisan one, given their proven ability to distort the printed record, given all this your gaffe was, at best, a case of incompetence so gross that I think that you do deserve to be fired.

But the fact that in your latest column you gloat over the immunity that your contract gives you makes one wonder whether you deserve the benefit of this most charitable interpretation of the facts, which makes it even clearer that dismissing you would be entirely justified.

KJ

[Vinnie From Indy]

1. Well done! n/t

n/t

[classof56]

2. Wow. Great letter.

I commend you on articulating this so well. Welcome to DU! I look forward to seeing more of your well-thought-out, well-spoken posts.

Tired Old Cynic

[EFerrari]

3. Well said. What a counter productive move that was

on her part.

[lady lib]

4. This is beautifully written. n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. BUT IT'S AN UNWARRANTED, NASTY, EVIL, FOUL-WORDED ATTACK

Actually, it was my written response that was nastier, but also without any terms of swearing endearment.
I agree, this is a fine letter. Great job!

Of course, simply because it calls for resignation, honor, truth, or firing, it will be ignored and treated as an evil attack.