YDR letters to the editor: Let the people have their say…
[brightcove video=”2008162872001″ /]
The Unitarian Universalist Congregation of York, of which I am a member, asked me to conduct the “early service” on Dec. 2 on the topic of letters to the editor (one my responsibilities at YDR). The “early services” are usually less formal, lay-led affairs, and they can often focus on non-spiritual matters.
I talked about letters as an important forum for free speech – in print and, increasingly, online. Letters to the editor are still relevant in this digital age, even though we require people to use their real names – unlike the largely anonymous Internet. We still get a lot of letters, and they are well read on our website.
Part of my talk focused on letters we received about two high-profile local stories: The Dover Intelligent Design case and the York race riot murder trials. I answered a lot of really great questions from folks in attendance.
One of my hobbies is music and songwriting, so I also wrote a little tune as a prelude to my talk. It was basically a simple chorus, interspersed with readings of excerpts of several recent letters to the editor published in the York Daily Record. I played the guitar and sang on the choruses, and my friend and bandmate Jerry Cohen sang and read the letter excerpts. (Thanks Jerry!) Check out a snippet of that performance in the video. The letter featured in this clip was written by UUCY member Marian Rubach.