Letters to the Editor

Not to this "editor", but to the editors of newspapers. Every day when I go through the morning paper, I make sure to go to the back page of the main section and read the letters to the editors submitted by readers. Most of these letters are well written and make valid points. However, some are downright laughable at best, and insulting at worst. For some reason, those are the ones that bother the heck out of me. Just when I swear to myself that I'll never read the letters to the editor again, I am drawn to them like flies to a rib roast. Perhaps it is my natural curiosity to want to know what other people are saying. Perhaps it is a more of a morbid curiosity.

I was reminded of this when I read this morning's paper and ran across a letter submitted to El Nuevo Herald. It refers to a letter Cuban musician Paquito D'Rivera sent to Carlos Santana after seeing Santana dressed in a Che Guevara t-shirt at the Oscars, which Val of Babalu Blog posted several days ago. The letter writer criticizes D'Rivera for his indignation at seeing Santana proudly display the image of a murderer, implying that it's undemocratic.

Here's the English translation of the letter originally written in Spanish:

"Paquito D'Rivera is an exceptional musician, but he doesn't appear to be very familiar with the U.S. Constitution. In his letter to Carlos Santana, he forgets the First Amendment. Or is it that he wants a "controlled democracy" (very loose translation)?

I abhor neonazis and KKK clansmen, but as long as they don't break any laws they are protected by the world's most democratic constitution. The same applies to Santana even while wearing a t-shirt with the image of Che displayed."

Hmmm...where in D'Rivera's letter does it say or even imply that Santana is breaking the law? D'Rivera has just as much right under the First Amendment to criticize Santana as Santana does in wearing his despicable t-shirt.

Perhaps it's our friendly letter writer who doesn't understand the First Amendment. Or is it that she was personally bothered by D'Rivera's response?