LETTERS: LETTER WRITER VOWS TO KEEP IT UP

To the editor:

Recently my wife publicly criticized me in a letter to the editor. I was stunned.

In essence, she wrote that I spend too much time writing letters to the editor. She thought I should be spending more time helping out with household tasks.

I am a strong advocate of free speech. I would be two-faced of me to argue that she had no right to express her views.

I took the criticism well, I cried for only four hours and left home for only five days.

However, even though I took the criticism like a man, I feel that I was wronged. I'm confident readers will agree. The public tongue lashing was simply unfair. In fact, I have been victimized.

In order to help prove my point, I would ask readers to support my contention. I believe writing letters to the editor and calling Speak Out are such valuable undertakings that it would border on the sinful to waste time helping with household tasks. In fact, I think those of us who have the gift of enlightening the public have amoral obligation to spend virtually all of our time doing so.

I have been at this a long time. When I lived in another community (it had a Speak Out section in the newspaper as well), I was the self-proclaimed king of Speak Out. I had a personalized Speak Out (SPKOUT) license plate. That I was a full-time, fully committed Speak Out caller is an understatement. Though I am still flabbergasted by it, even a public, verbal spanking from my spouse will not stop me.

I might add that my wife never complained about my years of Speak Out calling. So why did she raise a ruckus about writing letters to the editor? There is no difference between the two except that in the latter case one must sing his name. What's the big deal?

My entire adult life has been built on the belief that performing public service is a moral obligation and a hallmark of good citizenship. And, in my view, there is no service more worthy than sharing one's wisdom with the public through Speak Out commentary and writing letters to the editor.

Thus, I will no back down. I will continue to do the right thing. Like Socrates and Voltaire, I am willing to suffer for the principle of free expression and inquiry. Here I stand. Help me, readers. Thank you.

STEVE MOSLEY

Cape Girardeau