I knew it was coming.
I had tread across the dreaded third rail in journalism. There was a time when those areas were limited to religion, abortion and gun rights.
I can now add another category to the "Tread Carefully" list. That would be Donald Trump.
Last week I wrote a blog and follow-up editorial critical of the president's latest attacks on four Democratic congresswomen, Rep. Elijah Cummings and the city of Baltimore.
I knew it was not going to be well-received. I think it needed to be said anyhow.
But I do want to stress one thing that most readers failed to grasp.
This is not about Republican or Democrat, despite your best efforts to paint it that way. It is not about Left or right, liberal or conservative.
This is about being president, respecting the decorum of the office and basic human decency.
I am well aware that many readers immediately pointed out that many public officials - including Cummings himself - had said similar things.
I would simply remind them that none of them is president. Donald Trump is. I wish he would start acting like it.
And one other thing. Another theme that coursed through the comments was how far to the Left newspaper leans, in particular on its opinion pages. Many excoriated Friday columnist Jodine Mayberry, without every mentioning my two other lead columnists, Chris Freind and Christine Flowers, probably two of the staunchest conservative voices in the region.
I talked about in in my weekly Letter From the Editor print column.
Finally, if you don't like what you are reading on the op-ed pages, why not join the conversation.
Don't hike behind the anonymity of online comments or a silly avatar on Facebook. Write me a letter or column with your concerns and I will run it. Of course, for it appear in print, you will have to supply your name and the town where you live.
That's part of the deal, one I live with every day.
You will never see me espouse an opinion without my name residing next to it.
I invite you to do the same.
Comments
"informed me that he had bought his last Daily Times. He cited last week’s editorial, and Friday columnist Jodine Mayberry." Those are the same reasons I will keep subscribing. I enjoy the clarity of thought, the well-reasoned arguments, telling truth to power, and--most of all, especially these days--having the courage to speak out knowing there will be immediate and sometimes brutal backlash. Your editorial also mentioned that the longtime reader "never once brought up Chris Friend or Christine Flowers, two other lead columnists and without question two of the most conservative voices in the region." I'll admit, I find those two hard to read, and I rarely get through a full column--but I do skim them, because it's important to see the many sides of an issue. Keep up the good work. Now I'm off to write my check to the Daily Times.