THE MORE, THE MERRIER

According to Anne Chappell's twisted logic (Feb. 17 letter, "Keep letters
more local"), a newspaper in an area with an inbred belief in witch-hunting
should never print contradictory opinions about witchcraft from anybody
outside the local area.

Newspapers have an obligation to publish contrasting views. Otherwise,
lies, dissembling and propaganda could reign unchecked.

Well-informed activists have educated the public to the risks of
environmental destruction, the dangers of nuclear power, scandals in high
places, and many other matters of great importance to the nation.

Refusing to air views from outside the newspaper's home area would have
made it impossible to correct serious problems the public had been unaware of.

Activists who endorse phony beliefs, such as cults like the Ku Klux Klan,
are generally dismissed as the nut-cases they are, so printing their
letters does no harm. Indeed, exposing their views can cause a backlash
against them.

However, the activists Ms. Chappell refers to are not wrongheaded cult
leaders. We are people who are genuinely concerned about the negative
effects of America's lunatic drug crusade and other bad social policies. If
our views are illogical or unworthy of consideration, people do not need
censorship to protect them. The arguments will stand or fall on their own
merits.

Letters to the editor should be considered on the basis of the
appropriateness to the issue under discussion, not the place where the
writer lives or how popular the idea may be in the newspaper's area.

Redford Givens

San Francisco, Calif.