We’ve seen what happens when one newspaper goes out of its way to enforce ideological homogeneity on its letters page. But what happens to the newspaper editor that looks in the mailbag and finds a dearth of quality letters? What happens when layout says, oh by the way we have need for another 500 words? Any good, long letters in the mailbag?
Most likely you get what appeared in the Waukesha Freeman on September 8th. Here’s just one paragraph:
“It has been acknowledged that the flooding would not have been as severe if the natural wetlands around New Orleans had not been developed (destroyed, same difference). This part of the discussion is relevant to everyone in this town and everyone downstream from us. In this town and in this county we have filled in and paved over most of our wetlands and more continues to be lost every day. When you look at that flooded-out city of New Orleans, you could be looking at your future. We have become an area with routine drought conditions (more effects of global warming) and it is just a matter of time until we have a situation like right now where the ground is hard because we have not had enough rain for months and then we’ll get 10 or 12 inches of rain in a very short time (more of that extreme, violent weather), there will be no wetlands to absorb it, there won’t even be any land to absorb it because what we’ll have is parking lots, houses, buildings and roads with nowhere for the water to go. It will go into the storm sewers that won’t be able to hold it all and it will go into the Fox River, which will overflow, and then our houses, businesses and town will be under water.”To summarize: “The sky is falling it’s falling the sky.” It’s even funnier when you try to read the letter aloud.
Pity poor Bill Yorth. I’m guessing this was the best he could do with what he had. Next time, Bill, print the letter written in crayon instead.
