To: The Dallas Morning News
Date:  December 7, 2004
Subject:  Warning from The Dallas Morning News
Result:  not printed


Dear Editor,

Yesterday's editorial contains an admonition against libel for those who express their opinions online in web logs, which are called "blogs". "It's great fun to waylay your enemies with scorching online invective," you warn, but "look out for lawyers."

Something tells me there is more to this than just a friendly reminder to your readers. What I'm hearing is a veiled threat that you better not mess with The Dallas Morning News, or you could get sued.

I guess you may be addressing this to somebody like me, who expresses critical opinions of you and your editorial policies in my web site, www.radicalview.com  - which, having been established in 1997, was about the first blog there was. There I say that you are liars who have no integrity, and you don't live up to the words that are inscribed in large letters on the front of your building.

You hide behind the skirt of the Constitution and democracy as you dig into everybody else's business, but you don't want anybody looking at you. You are very concerned with "inclusion", when it comes to your well-financed interests and desires, but if somebody says things you don't like and approve of, forget it.

You think you might want to sic your attorneys on me for saying the truth about you? Bring'em on. We'll all go to court and I'll defend myself and explain in that public forum why I have the opinions about you that I do. Then I'll throw myself on the mercy of the court. When can we start? 

This editorial was nothing more than a shameless attempt to stifle free speech by filling people with the fear of becoming the victim of our litigious society, as George W. Bush would call it. Of course, being Republicans, you're against that kind of thing - unless it serves your interests. That's The Dallas Morning News that I know.

Thank you, John Vehon