What follows is my collection of published letters to the editor, spanning about 50 years. They appeared in small local newspapers ,as well as in large national ones. I wrote to correct what I thought was an error in something that the newspaper had published , while trying to avoid becoming a “Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.)***. I also commented on topical issues, both local and national – in the three countries where Bernard and I lived : USA, UK and South Africa. The letters to the editor include several written by Bernard, either jointly with me, or on his own. This collection reflects some of the people and themes that captured my interest over the years. I admit that I was always thrilled when my letter appeared in print, and I did write my share of non-published letters. I have also included several letters which I wrote to authors of books which captivated me and a few other bits and pieces.
Some people have disparaged LTTE, calling it a futile exercise in vanity, but I regard it as a useful outlet, and possibly one way of influencing public opinion.
*** The phrase” Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells” is a generic name used in the United Kingdom for a person, usually with strongly conservative political views, who writes letters to newspapers in a tone of moral outrage. The term might have originated with a 1944 BBC radio show, Much Binding in the Marsh, or with the editor of the Tunbridge Wells Advertiser (Wiki).
(Tunbridge Wells is a large town in western Kent, about 40 miles south-east of London.) |