Free Speech

  The great George Burns once said, "The most important thing in life is sincerity. Once you learn to fake that, the rest is easy."
  Today I got an anonymous first class letter in the mail. It was a smearing insinuation against the mayor of my fair city. I'm no cheerleader for this mayor, who went to high school with my children, but he's doing a fair job as far as I can see.
  The important thing is, whoever this fool is, they think anonymous letters carry any kind of weight. We are lucky enough to live in America, which is a much better country than most of us, (excepting war veterans), really deserve. What kind of chowderhead would pay attention to an unsigned letter?
  One of the many great paintings by Norman Rockwell is called "Freedom of Speech". It depicts a man speaking at a town hall meeting, standing up, obviously not used to public speaking. His friends and neighbors are sitting around him, watching and listening to his every word. It's a beautiful portrayal of the innocence and dignity of an America that I fear is becoming a distant memory, like "The Cisco Kid", and "The   Lone Ranger".
 The really scary thing is, this type of whispering campaign, which was common a century ago, might actually be effective today, because we've come full circle, from ignorance and illiteracy to a population with instant information available all day long that can't distinguish real from unreal. If it's in front of my face, it must be true!
 My suggestion is, if you have something to say, stand up like a man and say it. Otherwise, stay under the flat rock, with the salamanders and centipedes, where you belong.