Response from Southern California

To the editor:

It would appear that bitterness and paranoia walk hand in hand, and I did not need to check Cape Girardeau County elections results to come to this conclusion. All I had to do was read Jennifer L. St. Clair's letter to deduce that. I cannot, however, decide which local newspaper she is reading, because I read letters with a liberal slant regularly in the Southeast Missourian.

If Ms. St. Clair feels liberals have so much to fear in Cape Girardeau County, she would love Southern California. I'm sure she would chuckle at the times I have my rearview mirror smashed off my car, been flipped off and verbally accosted on the freeway. And I was very surprised to come out of work one evening to find a college-age man doing his best to peel my Bush-Cheney sticker from my car. I left it on well after the election in retaliation. Oh, yes, I really loved the liberal open-mindedness of this blue state.

Having lived in southern Missouri and Southern California, trust me when I tell you, Ms. St. Clair has much more freedom to practice her politics in Cape Girardeau County than I have here. So forget about any talking points Howard Dean has e-mailed and enjoy a dose of reality.

BILL GREEN, Highland, Calif.