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In your May 6th column quoting other newspapers calling for us to "move beyond hatred and division," I couldn't help but think: that's rich.
It's a bit like watching the arsonist return to the scene with a garden hose and a lecture on fire safety. For years, the Sun-Gazette has given generous column inches to letters and editorials that stoked the very division you now suggest we transcend. Under both Obama and Biden, you printed screeds that weren't just critical, but often laced with paranoia, resentment, and barely concealed contempt -- not for policies, but for people. Working-class folks were told to distrust their neighbors. Immigrants, city dwellers, liberals, conservatives -- everyone was told someone else was to blame for their lot.
Now, with the cultural temperature rising and the fire licking at everyone's feet, we get platitudes about healing. Quoting other newspapers doesn't absolve you from your role. If this page really wants to help us move beyond the hate, it could start by owning its own part in the machinery--and then choosing not to give voice to every angry missive that confuses grievance for wisdom.
Real unity isn't forged by sermons -- it's earned through honesty and a willingness to change.
SCOTT RUDINSKI
Lake Oswego, Oregon
Formerly of Williamsport
Submitted by Virtual Newsroom