QURAN: Burning and the media

With regard to the Florida minister's plan to burn Qurans on Sept. 11, I would just like to point out that, absent any media attention, this event would have absolutely no significance whatsoever. This thieving, insignificant little man, banished to a cracker-box church of 50 followers, is a gnat on the butt of America; and a responsible media would have treated him as such.

Instead, he has been given interviews on every major network in this country. His stupid publicity stunt, which should have been ignored, has garnered hours of television time, polluted radio airwaves and taken up acres of print.

The entire media industry, from Fox News, CNBC, CNN, Time and Newsweek; are no better than TMZ or the National Enquirer.

The media disingenuously invokes the First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech. But they fail to realize that they were never given this constitutional protection for perverted capitalist purposes. The media (and each of us, individually) were given this protection so that we could hold and voice diverse opinions without fear of government reprisal.

Mr. Jones is certainly free to espouse whatever misguided, hate-filled nonsense he wishes. And, assuming he doesn't violate any fire-safety, air-quality or public meeting ordinances; he has the right to burn Qurans (or anything else he wants). But that doesn't mean that he should. More importantly, just because the media have the RIGHT to cover his little publicity stunt, doesn't mean that they should.

Maybe we should all "turn off, tune-out and drop in."

PAT EDWARDS

Coeur d'Alene