OK, I admit it. I'm a liberal. I'm also a conservative. And a libertarian. And profoundly silly. Oh, no! I'm not ideologically pure! Gasp!
Like most people, my politics are not confined to one part of the spectrum; my thoughts will vary according to the topic. One of the reasons I'm not a fan of party politics, especially as they are now, is because of groupthink (and I hate that word, so you know I'm serious). Rarely will a workable solution for a problem be completely one-sided; the best solutions for the greatest number of people tend to evolve through compromise. Pragmatism is not a bad thing, you know. I miss the days when political identification didn't matter and people worked together for the greater good, not for the glory of the party. I really miss people like Dale Bumpers and John Paul Hammerschmidt.
So why should my party affiliation matter (especially since I don't claim a party)? It shouldn't, but it does to a few readers. Therefore, let's address, again, a few matters regarding letters.
The vast majority of the letters we receive are what some might consider liberal (though they're often more middle-of-the-road than anything, and sometimes center-right--apparently even conservatives who don't particularly like the president are considered liberal now). Because of that, that may be more of what you see on a given day. Some days, you may see mostly conservative letters if that happens to be what I've got at the moment, though I try hard not to have a page (that includes the columns and cartoon) that's all liberal or all conservative. What makes that difficult is that when I talk to some conservative readers and encourage them to write in, I typically get a response like, "Well, I shouldn't have to," or "If I write in, liberals will attack me."
In the nicest way possible, I say, "Get over it." People of all stripes have taken the chance because they believed in something. If you believe in something just as strongly, write. I can't run letters I don't get.
Of course, not all letters get in. Sometimes it may be because news events make them moot, or I didn't have time to verify the letter's statements before it got too old. Sometimes a letter may be inappropriate for a family newspaper. Sometimes the letter-writer didn't respond to my request to print the letter. Sometimes things stated as facts aren't necessarily true; perhaps it's the opinion of the writer, but it isn't phrased as opinion. At times those statements could be salvaged with an attribution ("Barack Obama was born in Kenya, according to WorldNetDaily," for instance); it doesn't make it true, but it does tell people where you got that information.
Sometimes (far too many times, really), a writer has convicted someone in print of something for which no charges have even been brought--for example, you can say Bill Clinton is a perjurer as the House impeached him on perjury and obstruction charges, but you can't say Hillary Clinton is a murderer because she has never been convicted of any such crime.
I often get letters across the political spectrum that echo talking points from national pundits--sometimes word for word. Besides the fact that I've never been a fan of repeating talking points, many of which are blatantly false, printing essentially the same letter repeatedly doesn't serve the readers. I know you can think for yourselves.
Civility also goes a long way, as does waiting until you're clearheaded to send in a letter (rereading in a clear state of mind does wonders, and can keep you from sending in word salad or something that might get you and the paper sued if printed). Sure, it might make you feel better to rant and rave about the evil Voices editor or a dastardly column writer, but if what you write is incomprehensible and/or outrageously vitriolic, you've sort of sunk yourself.
It's not that hard to be civil. And I'm pretty sure it won't kill you.
There is at least one letter-writer, who shall remain nameless, that I will never please. The presence of John Brummett (and me and my apparent far-far-left tendency, which is a surprise to those who know me) is all the proof he needs that I'm the worst thing that ever happened to the Voices page.
Deliver facts to him, such as that he's had at least four times as many letters printed on the page in the past five years than in all the years preceding, and it doesn't matter. He'll keep sending multiple letters in the space of a few weeks and complain when any one of them isn't printed.
Do the research he asked for comparing numbers of liberal and conservative letters, and he'll ignore it if it doesn't prove his point. Tell him he can't convict people in print or call other letter-writers morons, and he'll double down.
My political leanings (again, all over the map) don't affect the way I do my job. I get called evil by conservatives and liberals alike when I don't print a letter.
If doing my job makes me evil, then fine, says my mama: "I raised you right, you evil little girl."
But it's the fun kind of evil. Really. I promise.
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Assistant Editor Brenda Looper is editor of the Voices page. Read her blog at blooper0223.wordpress.com. Email her at blooper@arkansasonline.com.
Editorial on 07/18/2018