Letter- Censor HSO columnist?

Dear Editor,

I am writing in response to your editorial in the July 26 edition of the paper, “We’re changing our letters policy.” I am pleased with your decision. I heartily agree with you that free speech is a hard fought privilege and citizens have a right to openly question and criticize public process and officials, but with this privilege comes responsibility. I am glad that as you stated in the editorial, “The Star-Observer strives to be a credible source for information..” You also stated that “writers may question and disagree but not use derogatory language to insult a person’s or groups character.”

If you are serious about these changes then I suggest you begin with the column Margaret’s Musings. In her column of Aug. 2, Ms. Ontl described President Obama as “anti-American” and a “Marxist.” She goes on to state that the president “has governed by executive order…”

While I disagree with this, has she not noticed that almost nothing can be accomplished in Congress because of the inability or unwillingness of our elected officials on both sides of the aisle to engage in the time-honored American tradition of compromise for the good of the nation. This is not about the president but about the team mentality of our political parties, of which Ms. Ontl’s writing is a good example. Winning is all that matters, while we, the American people, are the losers.

If you are serious about the changes you have described for the newspaper, then I hope I won’t be seeing any more of Margaret’s vitriolic Musings in the Hudson Star-Observer.

Rev. Yanchy Lacska, Hudson

Tags: opinion, letters, politics