BACKTALK

 Facebook post should have stayed

         Hello,
         When reading your section on Osama bin Laden's death in this week's newspaper, one part of one of the articles disgusted (and worried) me in particular.
         However, this was not a reaction to any of the opinions applauding his death (which, too, are rather troublesome) but to the closing paragraph in the article "Sophomore standsby controversial Facebook post."
         I hold a very similar opinion on this situation to the one the unnamed sophomore described in the article, and have not hesitated (nor have I seen others hesitate) to express this opinion on Facebook.  Though I applaud this student's ambition to express his opinion, the last few sentences of the article, ("The student has sent an apology to those he offended.....He has since taken down the Facebook status") baffled me.
        What kind of awful person is offended  by sympathy and caring for human life?  If I'm offended by all of the statuses celebrating the death of bin Laden, when and how do I get my apology?
         Drew Muller's article closes with the sentence "Score one for the good guys."  This student being forced to remove his Facebook status expressing his morally upright and righteous opinion is definitely a score for the bad guys.
         This student's opinion need not be stifled, and I would encourage him to re-post his status, and take it down for no one.  Forcing a student to remove their opinion from a public forum simply because it's different from the majority opinion is disgusting, infuriating and decidedly un-American.

          Thank you.
                             Anonymous

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