Writer incorrectly judges school

I commend The Gazette for publishing Dick Fredericks' guest column (Jan. 9) and demonstrating that free speech is still alive.

I also urge readers to visit Fredericks' cited website, www.iowalive.net, to glimpse his thought processes. He ranks many institutions and individuals based on an “Integrity Index,” and his “Derivation of Integrity Index Levels” section is, well, interesting. This is specious at best, and perhaps libelous at the worst since a low score classifies one as “evil.”

Also on his site, note the “Iowa Tornado Damage Reduction Experiment.” I'm not making this stuff up. Really, Fredericks? I thought judging evil and controlling the weather was God's job.

Fredericks challenges Washington High School Principal Ralph Plagman to back up his claim that 86 percent of Washington grads go to postsecondary education, yet Fredericks' website is rife with

unsubstantiated data.

I volunteer many hours at Washington, including tutoring mathematics and physics. I have a son enrolled there. Based on what my son and his peers are learning and what I witness, I know students get a fine education there.

Paul B. Salamon

Cedar Rapids