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November 24. 2005 12:00AM
'It's not original'
Ron Loren Pits
High Point
Editor: I read with interest the letter to the editor on Nov. 14, titled "He won't compromise" by Larry D. Swicegood. In it he referenced an earlier letter he had published on Sept. 24, 2005 titled, "Boycott Muslim stamp." As a mailman, I feel it's imperative to point out a few items to put his "boycott" in some context. Although in the beginning he states, "Not long ago I received an e-mail," what he doesn't say in his letter is that he plagiarizes the main body of the e-mail he received.
Here is what Mr. Swicegood copied and posted:
"Have we forgotten what the Muslim religion has done? Maybe these few little tidbits of information will jog our memories. (1) Remember the Muslim bombing of Pan Am flight 103? (2) Remember the Muslim bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993? (3) Remember the Muslim bombing of the Marine barracks in Lebanon? (4) Remember the Muslim bombing of the military barracks in Saudi Arabia? (5) Remember the Muslim bombing of the American embassies in Africa? (6) Remember the Muslim bombing of the USS Cole? (7) Remember the Muslim attack on 9/11/2001? Do we not remember all the American lives that were lost in these vicious Islamic Muslim attacks? And now the U.S. Postal Service remembers and honors the EID Muslim holiday season with a postage stamp."
Below is the same passage within the e-mail, that was sent out about the stamp.
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of PanAm Flight 103,
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993,
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon,
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia,
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa,
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE.
"REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01.
"REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks.
"Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first class holiday postage stamp."
With his letter, I have three problems. First and foremost, when you are writing, submitting and signing a letter to the editor you attest to your credibility as its author. I would have had no problem if Mr. Swicegood had referenced the passage as that from an e-mail. But not having done so and signing his name, he took the words as his own. A submission cannot always be vetted by the newspaper so the community depends on the authors being truthful. If the opinions were his own he could have attributed them.
The stamp itself was issued for the first time (as a 34-cent) stamp in 2001, not 1996. Also , every year the post office issues two Christmas stamps, one religious and one festive, so his "research" on the issue date and the fact that we don't have religious stamps seems to be lacking as well.
Without debating his ignorant screed on Islam, I'll ask him, and all my fellow Christians a question. Should we not have a holiday stamp because Timothy McVeigh (who was a Christian) killed Americans? Of course not. Boycotting a stamp for American Islams because of something that Saudi Arabian citizens did is ludicrous. It is also the essence of discrimination - "Formulating opinions about others not based on their individual merits but rather on their membership in a group with assumed characteristics."
That quote was from the 1997 U.S. Supreme Court decision School Board of Nassau vs. Arline, Justice William Brennan writing for the majority. See what a little research, open mindedness and attribution will do?
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