Good reason to hide one's identity

To the editor:

"Puppies being called Democrats is a perfect example. We pay to bring them into this world, pay the vet bill, pay for free immunizations, pay for free food. Most dogs don't work, so they live free. Looks like a real Democrat to me: everything from cradle to grave provided by someone else taken out of working people's hard-earned paychecks." -- Speak Out

It should be noted that Speak Out items, such as the one quoted above, do not identify their contributors. This anonymity enables the Southeast Missourian to publish many more opinions without taking the trouble to check their authenticity.

The other side of this coin is that these unattributed opinions are probably unattributed for a good reason.

I have had many letters published in this space, and all have had my name on them. When I sign my name to one of my opinions, the world can take that fact to mean that I am willing to meet anyone in any venue and to defend my opinion -- or possibly to learn from the other person.

My guess is that the contributor of the above item is on a steady diet of right-wing talk radio but unwilling, for obvious reasons, to be publicly identified. Good for him, but even better for his unfortunate family!

DONN S. MILLER, Tamms, Ill.