16 words cause big flap, but who recalls them?

To the editor:

The fracas over those 16 words spoken by President Bush reminds me of the ruckus raised by Merle Travis in 1946 when he wrote the song "Sixteen Tons." Some in the government saw the lyrics as potentially subversive. In 1955, Tennessee Ernie Ford sang the song on his TV show, and it became a hit.

I'll bet there aren't very many people who remember the words to "Sixteen Tons," and I'll bet there are fewer people who can repeat the 16 words that have become the rallying point of another Bush bashing. Columnist Maureen Dowd has removed the first six words of Bush's statement. Now I must search for a song with "Ten" in its title. "Any help from readers?

KEN ALDRICH

Cape Girardeau