Couric & Co.
October 4, 2006 11:07 AM

Our Mailbox Runneth Over

By
Greg Kandra
Topics
E-Mailbag
(AP)
Garrison Keillor likes to say, "It's been a quiet week in Lake Wobegone." Whereupon he unwinds another of his elegantly crafted monologues, proving that the week has been anything but quiet.

Well, it's been a quiet week at "Couric and Co." And it's only Wednesday.

The mailman nearly suffered a hernia hauling in sacks of comments over Monday's "freeSpeech" segment. (We took a few packages that were ticking and threw them in the creek…) Surf around the CBS News website and you'll find all sorts of ideas and opinions about this. A tell-tale sign that this was going to be an especially interesting week: nearly every comment, on every post, for the last three days, has had something to say about "freeSpeech," no matter what the topic.

Personally, I was struck by how many of the people who posted began their comments with one word: "Shame." As in "Shame on you, Katie Couric." (I might mention here that the majority of people wagging their fingers and using that word would proudly label themselves free-thinking, tolerant, progressive, maybe even liberal. Tolerance, it seems, has its limits.) I was also struck by how the tide seems to have turned. Over the last 24 hours, a growing number of e-mails and comments have been in support of Brian Rohrbough and his views. A friend of mine who runs a conservative blog says that's not surprising. She told me that most people who agree with Rohrbough would not be inclined to watch CBS, and when they heard through the blogosphere grapevine that "freeSpeech" was causing a kerfuffle, and that abortion and evolution and Christianity were being mentioned, they wandered over to take a look.

Now it's hitting the papers. Media maven Howard Kurtz (who, I swear, should be played by Ray Romano in the movie version of his life) has written about the controversy in this morning's Washington Post.

And you'll find more down the street, where Vaughn is busily corralling kittens at Public Eye.

Take a look, and then take a look around. We're continuing to get comments all over the place.

And it's still only Wednesday.







Add a Comment See all 80 Comments
by sadipepe October 6, 2006 8:08 PM EDT
Part 1
"I might mention here that the majority of people wagging their fingers and using that word would proudly label themselves free-thinking, tolerant, progressive, maybe even liberal. Tolerance, it seems, has its limits."

That's been my experience.

I am a woman with epilepsy and a mild brain injury. I've found that those who purport to be "free-thinking", "tolerant", "progressive", and "liberal" are actually the least tolerant when it comes to dealing with, helping, being friends with, and basically sharing the world with people like me.

From the outside I look completely normal. I sound completely normal and am of normal intelligence (above-average, I%u2019m told). But most of the time I move more slowly than others. Sometimes I speak more slowly than others. And I often think and understand more slowly than others. Not always, but on and off, and it%u2019s impossible to predict when I%u2019ll be %u201Con%u201D and when I%u2019ll be %u201Coff%u201D.

I explain this to people, and they claim to listen. But they don't hear. When I slow down, they become frustrated. They get upset. They get angry. I become an inconvenience to them, and eventually, I find that they either accuse me of having these slowed down times for attention (oh, if I could only NOT have the attention), or they avoid me altogether.
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by sadipepe October 6, 2006 8:08 PM EDT
Part 2
Most people with epilepsy and with brain injuries end up agoraphobic, and with associated anxiety problems. Can you blame them? I certainly can%u2019t. I%u2019ve fought it all my life, and continue to.

I always expected civil rights groups (liberal) to be willing to help if I had any problems. I%u2019ve gone to liberal groups designed to defend my rights when I%u2019ve needed my rights defended. The ACLU, the Epilepsy Foundation, other disability rights groups %u2013 couldn%u2019t be bothered. The issues I needed help with were %u201Ctoo small%u201D, weren%u2019t going to get them any notoriety, and so they weren%u2019t willing to take just a little time out to help me (the two times I%u2019ve needed help, the solution would have taken a phone call or a simple letter to solve). It still makes me sick to think of it, because I fear what will happen if I need help in the future. That fear keeps me from trying things and living a richer life.

The university I attended refused me accommodation (this was a California State University). I was told that even though I had verifiable disabilities, I was not %u201Cdisabled enough%u201D. Now that I am more savvy, I know that I was entitled to accommodations regardless and I should have been given them as soon as I told them what my diagnoses were. I could sue the university, but I won%u2019t. It would be more trouble that it%u2019s worth.
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by sadipepe October 6, 2006 8:07 PM EDT
Part 3
So conservatives were Americans with Disabilities Act. So they dont believe in throwing tax money at social security, disability, and welfare. I've come to find that this is for good reason. The ADA was a tool for lawyers cherry pick the most profitable and high profile cases, and take advantage of the suffering of disabled people for their own gain. Throwing more money into social security, disability, and welfare is not useful. Do disabled people use these systems? Yes. But these systems keep them in poverty. Will putting more money into these systems fix this? No. More money going into these systems rarely gets to the recipients in any significant way. It is usually diverted into one part or another of the bureaucracy that %u201Cruns%u201D it.

Conservatives tend to be much more %u201Ctolerant%u201D of my needs than others. They tend to be much more patient with me. They tend to hear me when I say tell them what I need to do in able to function, comprehend, and communicate at peak level. Are all conservatives like this? Of course not. But I%u2019m done fooling myself into thinking that just because a group calls themselves %u201Cliberal%u201D and %u201Ctolerant%u201D, that makes them so. I base my judgement not on what people say (no matter how many times they say it), but on what they DO.
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by sadipepe October 6, 2006 8:06 PM EDT
Part 3
So conservatives were Americans with Disabilities Act. So they dont believe in throwing tax money at social security, disability, and welfare. I've come to find that this is for good reason. The ADA was a tool for lawyers cherry pick the most profitable and high profile cases, and take advantage of the suffering of disabled people for their own gain. Throwing more money into social security, disability, and welfare is not useful. Do disabled people use these systems? Yes. But these systems keep them in poverty. Will putting more money into these systems fix this? No. More money going into these systems rarely gets to the recipients in any significant way. It is usually diverted into one part or another of the bureaucracy that %u201Cruns%u201D it.

Conservatives tend to be much more %u201Ctolerant%u201D of my needs than others. They tend to be much more patient with me. They tend to hear me when I say tell them what I need to do in able to function, comprehend, and communicate at peak level. Are all conservatives like this? Of course not. But I%u2019m done fooling myself into thinking that just because a group calls themselves %u201Cliberal%u201D and %u201Ctolerant%u201D, that makes them so. I base my judgement not on what people say (no matter how many times they say it), but on what they DO.
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by smd1957-2009 October 5, 2006 11:53 PM EDT
HappyStan asks: "Who's God would you reintroduce into the schools?" No re-writing history now, why Christianity! What a huge mis-representation Stan! Measurable and significant reference is in every 'founding' document, every recorded meeting, every official ceremony; they all begin and all end in christian prayer with obvious intent and reference that Christian prayer and their commonly held sets of life and moral beliefs WAS the supreme bond of all this new authority. OK, so know we remember those inconvenient facts, we must also state 'Seperation FROM Church and State' is extremely different from 'Seperation OF Church and State'; Really really different. I don't buy, nor see how you reach the really intelligent Deists' argument you make?
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by beckyib October 5, 2006 11:34 PM EDT
Thanks to Couric & Company for their continuing excellence in contemporary journalism. I have disagreed with some of the comments made during the Free Speech segments, agreed with others, and been encouraged to think by all. The other stories on the newscasts are striking an excellent balance of possible topics. There is so much complexity in our lives, so many stories to cover, you really shouldn't cover the Iraq war every evening -- although others do. The human interest stories at the end of most broadcasts are very welcome. Thanks again for all the hard work by the team. Keep it up.
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by michaeldilli October 5, 2006 10:02 PM EDT
Dear Ms. Couric:

I wrote quite often the first two weeks. I had a vested interest. I love the CBS Evening News -- watching it for 45 years -- not bad for someone only 53. It was a rough start. But I was serious in my criticism. Having worked in news for most of my career, one knows on a stage so large, many comments are dismissed. I don't know how many, or if any, of my comments may have made a difference. But indeed the subsequent weeks have been "quiet" insofar as my posts. That's because I wanted to believe you would carry on in the great tradition of CBS -- I now feel confident you will. And the Free Speech segments, which were so awkard in the beginning, well, tonight's left me with a lump in my throat. Thank you for carrying on in the proper manner for something so many of us revere.

Michael Dillin
Neptune Beach, FL
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by uktraveler October 5, 2006 3:04 PM EDT
We seem to forget that Free Speech is supposed to be free -- we don't always agree with everything someone says, however we're supposed to give them the ability to say it -- unless it will cause harm such as yelling fire in a crowded theatre.

I disagree with everything Rohrbough said, however I agreed with everything Bob Schieffer said on Wednesday. In the U.S. we can (I think) hear both views.

We are able to agree/disagree with any CBS free speech comments, this isn't the case in many countries in the world.
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by mac293-2009 October 5, 2006 2:40 PM EDT
It troubles me to see a nation divided. I do not think that anyone's beliefs should be forced on another. However, I find it incredible that CBS often expresses the views of those who are tearing down the fiber that has made America strong. They continuously make harmful inuendos about our president and the path our nation has followed. I watch CBS News because I want to remain open minded, but it does make me sick to hear the never ending negatve remarks about our president who is trying to do the right thing. They will miss no chance to tear him down. There is no doubt in my mind about what is behind all of the controversy. Anyone who has studied the bible will see that we are on a path to the final conflict between good and evil.
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by acbscomment October 5, 2006 2:20 PM EDT
What was repugnant about the Free Speech edition featuring Mr. Rohrbough was the timing. Let the man have his say, and describe it as you will, but did you have to put him on the day after the tragedy? Would you have aired an analogous commentator on the day after 9/11? Would Mr. Rohrbough's opinion have been different next week or next month? If it is true that Katie personally solicited the man for the segment, she's as callous as an ambulance chasing lawyer--rub it while it's raw, while it's most profitable.
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