Shame on Gazette for printing column

As America reeled from Saturday's senseless violence in Tucson, Ariz., and debated whether the poisonous rhetoric of the far right played any role in the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, I was shocked to find The Gazette had become a forum for no less insidious vitriol: the Jan. 9 guest column by Dick Fredericks.

Never mind the author's hostile tone, his snide assessment of this city's educational system, and his poorly contained contempt for Ralph Plagman, principal of Washington High School. Most astounding is that Fredericks' distorted view of things - as displayed in his incoherent tirade and on his similarly virulent website - might be deemed worthy of the pages of The Gazette.

Considering the editorial control you surely exercise, the best that can be said of Fredericks' piece is that its appearance was grossly irresponsible. More disturbing was your use of a pull quote to highlight one of Frederick's many inflammatory invectives. This stunt strikes me as just the kind of mean-spirited fear mongering that has infected our public discourse in recent years.

As a teacher at Washington, I am appalled by Fredericks' stunning ignorance of our efforts in the classroom. That pales in comparison, however, with my profound disappointment in The Gazette for airing views that contribute nothing to how we think and talk about the important issues we all face in these trying but hopeful times.

Willis Harte

Iowa City