Clear debate, civil discourse

In response to Jon Rust's column "Innuendo: Bad politics": You called the mudslinging letter about Tommy Sowers repugnant, but obviously, it was not repugnant enough to turn down the money to print it. Do you not have any control over what is put in your paper, even if it was a paid ad?

If you truly thought election campaigns should be about issues, don't you have an ethical obligation to exclude the ads which cross the line, as you said this one did? By publishing letters of that type, you are encouraging even more trashy ads and avoidance of key concerns.

We've all heard rumors about some regional politicians. But most of us want a clear debate about issues important to all of us in the 8th District, and I believe it is your duty to facilitate civil -- not uncivil -- discourse.

CAROLE VAUGHN, Dexter, Mo.