Letter to the Editor

Reader is unhappy with council cartoon

Friday, June 13, 2014

To the Editor:

I have lived in Poplar Bluff since 1979. I have been a subscriber to the DAR for many of those years. However, even though I didn't always agree with the opinion expressed by your newspaper I've never felt compelled to comment until now.

Surely a newspaper that makes their living by the written word can find a more tasteful way of expressing their opinion than the cartoon labeled "New Direction" in the June 4th edition. I am appalled and embarrassed that a newspaper that I have read over 30 years would run such a degrading cartoon aimed at our city council members. The cartoon was a slap in the face to the majority who elected the new city council. You seem very proud of yourselves since you announced the cartoon on the front page. Obviously the person responsible for the cartoon is a coward since they didn't have the nerve to sign their name to it. How in the world do we teach our children to be respectful when our local newspaper can have a prayer at the top of the page and a crude, distasteful, and offensive cartoon in the middle of the page? You have expressed your opinion several times about our new council with the intention of changing other people's opinions to support Bagby. Well this cartoon certainly has done the opposite with mine. If you will lower the standards of your newspaper to such a childish, crass level it makes me wonder, why are you fighting so hard? Maybe Pearson is on to something after all.

Everyone is welcome to their own opinion but you owe the citizens of Poplar Bluff an apology for your crudeness and lack of respect. Shame on you. I doubt this will be printed since you seem intent on pushing your own agenda.

Ronalyn M. Garcia

Poplar Bluff, Mo.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: How could you possibly know my intentions or the intentions of the paper. Frankly, I don't know you and have never spoken with you regarding the new Council or Mr. Bagby. The only intention of this newspaper is to move Poplar Bluff forward in terms of future growth and prosperity. I would also challenge you to find any reasonable thinking person that would argue our community hasn't flourished in the past 10 years under the leadership of Mr. Bagby, Chamber of Commerce officials, City Council representatives, concerned businessmen and Missouri Department of Transportation executives.

Just to set the record straight my only association with Mr. Bagby has been on a strictly professional basis. The future growth of this community depends on competent, capable, professional leadership. Honestly I haven't witnessed these basic traits in our newly elected city council persons.

And, by the way, did I mention the colonel of the Missouri State Highway Patrol found no wrongdoing by Mr. Bagby regarding the trumped up criminal allegations presented by Mayor Pearson,

Thank you for voicing your opinion on the very crucial matter of future leadership.

Respectfully

The publisher)