Letters and Opinions

These are opinion pieces that I have had published in a variety of newspapers and magazines. I have been writing letters-to-the-editor since 2006, and have had over 160 published since then. I also play guitar and sing in a musical revue called The Loser's Lounge. With a cast of guest singers, we perform tributes to great songwriters and bands. The show is in its 24th year, and we perform at Joe's Pub - The Public Theater and Lincoln Center in New York City.

Wednesday, March 09, 2011

U.S. Representative Peter King is holding a congressional hearing to discuss Muslim radicalism and the failure of Muslim leadership to cooperate in terrorism investigations. Witnesses recounting cooperative and uncooperative efforts are expected to testify.

Metro ran a cover story on a protest in Times Square over these hearings on March 7, 2011. In the same issue, an unrelated letter was printed addressing religious tolerance. I drew a connection between the two and wrote a letter that Metro published the next day.
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Re: "We're not all hateful jerks." John Hemphill's letter was serendipitous given the protest against Muslim extremist hearings in New York. Mr. Hemphill writes that the Westboro Baptist Church, which spews hate toward gays, may encourage some "to label all Christians as being extreme and hateful." The same reasoning could be applied to the Muslim congressional hearings. However, I doubt Congress would dare challenge the Christian community and those who may hold hateful views within it.