Warning: Letters to Editor can be deadly to your friendships

UPDATE (1 June, 05):
My follow-up apology has been printed in this week's Weekly Dig.

I hastily e-mailed the Weekly Dig a couple of weeks ago after an article I read evoked my angry memories of an event from the week before. Unfortunately, despite me not giving any contact info, and them not calling me to confirm my identity and ask for permission, they printed my e-mail. And now I have hurt and angered a good friend of mine. Maybe he's taking it way too personally, maybe my politics and his don't mix, maybe this e-mail was never meant for anyone but the Editor, but the end result is I feel like the biggest jerk in the world. I didn't mean to hurt or insult anyone. At least it's just in the Dig and not in a real newspaper like the Boston Globe or the New York Times. I mean, have you read the letters in there? They'll print anything. I'm hoping Mike writes them a virulent letter in response to mine. I wrote them again telling them how they shouldn't have printed that e-mail. Will they print that? I hope so. Here's the letter. Here's how I would have written it if I wanted it to be printed:

Dear Dig,
Thanks for your coverage of the protests at the Holocaust Memorial on Sunday May 8th. (“Red vs. White,” #7.19, 5.11.05). I was there for some of it. I went to Faneuil Hall that day because I wanted to pay my respects for victims of the Holocaust on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the death camps. But instead of a solemn occasion, there were loud protestors on megaphones, mounted police, and not a sign of the memorial service going on inside the Hall. I cringed at the thought of the loud protests being heard inside, disrupting the service, and feared if anyone in there, including some elderly Holocaust survivors and their families, should think these protests were against them. While I admire the presence of the anti-Nazi protestors, I wish they had made their presence visible but quieter and more respectful of the solemn purpose of the gathering. And more focused on the cause at hand. As you wrote, many had signs and said chants that had nothing to do with the occasion. My friend and I were saddened by the whole thing, and walked away. At first I was sad that the protestors had hijacked the event for their own causes and that it was so loud. But maybe our sadness was misguided, for as we walked away from the scene, we came across something even sadder, bewildering, and maddening: About a dozen forlorn-looking Arkansas white supremacists, gathered in a solitary huddle, wondering what to do. It made me wonder that perhaps the loud protestors weren't so bad after all: They had in fact managed to scare these racist idiots away, or at least not let them steal the show.

If I had to do all over again, I still don't know if I would have sent even this letter. This whole incident has humbled me enough to keep my opinions to myself while I ponder their validity and their effects on others before sharing them.

I doubt Mike will ever read this, but in case he does, I am truly very very sorry...I should also apologize to all the other protestors that day who I may have hurt and offended. The more I read up on it, the more I was glad the white supremacists got such an unwelcome reception during their visit in Boston. The events were all very nicely covered by the Dowbrigade News, with commentary and photos, in case anyone is interested in seeing it for themselves. It was also covered here by IndieMedia, in case you want a different perspective of the events, as well as a chance to participate in a little forum about the topic. Interesting to see so many views...