Columbian - wacko letters should be axed

Columbian Editor Lou Brancaccio writes that Letters to the Editor should be opinions. Sounds good. But when letters contain obviously erroneous opinions stated as if they were fact, most reputable newspapers won’t publish them.

The New York Times, for example, fact checks every letter.

Not the Columbian – nearly every day they print a letter with some ridiculous unfounded assertion.

A wingnut named Jock Demme wrote a letter last week, “Liberalism is a Mental Disorder” that is a prime example of the balderdash they accept for publication. He lists 13 pieces of “evidence” as if he were quoting from some liberal position paper. Among the most outrageous: “Liberals want to teach children sexual deviance and ignore American history.” “Liberals believe children are acceptable sexual targets for sexual predators.”

I’ve never met a single liberal who holds these beliefs. And I bet Demme hasn’t either. He’s just spouting Coulter or Limbaugh. The trouble is - some folks take the letters as fact.

This is not reasoned discourse and has no place in a community paper.