Read this column. This kid made me so angry, not because some overzealous college newspaper columnist with an overinflated sense of self-worth thinks it is his duty to tell the world all the crazy conspiracy theories about the Bush administration he can. I’m mad because his idiot editors didn’t call him on it.

Here is our email exchange:

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You’re kidding, right?

I may not agree with your politics, but I support you, nay, I encourage you, to tell me and everyone else all you can about why I should vote for your guy. The problem is, when you write things like this column, you cloud people’s view of the situation. How are your readers supposed to make an informed decision when all you provide them with is 15 inches of name-calling and conspiracy theories?

I’m amazed that your editor didn’t challenge you on this column. It’s your duty as a columnist to provide commentary backed up with solid facts. More importantly, it’s their job to call you out on the carpet when you don’t do that. Today, you both failed.

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I apologize for the delay in my response but no I was not kidding in any respect. First of all Senator Kerry was not “my guy” as you so astutely put it. Senator Kerry was simply the only other realistic option in this election. I feel that my column more than any other I’ve read in this publication is honest. I pride myself on saying things bluntly as to not confuse anyone. It is my choice to disagree with a man who I believe is an absolute fool, if someone happens to agree with me then so be it. You called some of what I wrote a conspiracy theory. That’s fine. I simply see it as legitamate questions that need to be considered. When I write something like that it is not out of some petty hatred for Bush or any other politician but a genuine concern that the makings of massive cover-up should not be ignored. History has shown time and again that money and power are capable of corrupting all types of people. Lastly, my duty as a columnist is not dictated by you or anyone else but myself. I write about issues that are important to me and I attempt to shed some light on them for people who may be interested. It is up to the reader to decide for themselves. I present the facts as best as I can but in the end you have to remember that it is an opinions column and not a hard news story. Freedom of speech is quite possibly the greatest gift that this country has and by writing such an article I feel that I succeding in voicing my opinion just as you have done with this email. Thanks for the feedback.

D-bag columnist

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D-bag columnist (not his real name and not really the way I addressed him),

First, let me apologize for the brusque tone of my first message. I don’t necessarily want to argue about the message you conveyed by attacking Bush, as it’s most definitely not part of the greater point, but by saying “Don’t vote for candidate A,” you are implicitly endorsing candidate B. Me saying “your guy” only referred to that notion. It was not meant to imply that you were endorsing Kerry, but as someone who speaks to the public, you have to understand the inherent arguments that arise in a two-party system, and the message your readers will infer when you discuss politics.

That said, there is virtue in being straight-forward. Please understand, my contention with your column had little to do with the tone, although I think part of the reason members of the Democratic party scared away so many voters in the Midwest and south is because so many of their high-profile supporters had a proclivity to do nothing but wax conspiratorial and call names. My problem, and the reason I wrote you in the first place, was because the content of your column strayed so far left of center, into Oliver Stone movie territory, that it did nothing to support the cause of getting John Kerry elected, or in your case, to get George W. Bush defeated. We expect such behavior from the likes of Martin Sheen and Michael Moore, but as a student-journalist, trying to learn how to be a productive and responsible member of the media, I’d expect better from you.

As I said before, you have a right to express whatever opinion you see fit. With that right, however, comes a duty to your readers. It is your responsibility not only to dictate your opinion, but to speak to them in an informed and responsible manner. These are the vows we take as journalists and they are standards we should strive to live up to with every word we write. If you think the President started the war in Iraq to serve his private interests show me some evidence. Don’t just make wild-eyed accusations and then change the subject as you did in the column in question. By doing that, you’re not going to provide any help to your side and will only give ammunition to your enemies. These are the things your editors, the faculty advisor and your professors should be teaching you.

It’s all a learning process, however, and I’m confident that given time and practice, you and your editors will learn, just as the rest of us did.

regards,

Rusty Shackleford