To those whom I've so egregiously offended in my latest blog entries, I feel compelled to reply.

When one takes another's thoughts and words either too literally or even worse, too sarcastically, it exposes exactly what is troubling many small communities today.

In my latest blogs, I've addressed the issues of non-acceptance and ignorance in our community and others. If they made you angry, they were supposed to. If they made you feel stereotyped and lumped into an undesirable human categorical heap, then they served their intended purpose.

If you were uncomfortable being labeled and ridiculed, you have received an official taste of what people of color, or those who have alternative views on religion, lifestyle or politics feel every day of their lives in communities that are less than eager to accept those who are different.

Please don't insult my intelligence by clamoring that not everyone is bigoted, hateful, ignorant, etc. and it's unfair to those who are not to be satirized and challenged.

Is it unprofessional to expose societal ills? Certainly not. On the contrary, it is the professional duty of any decent journalist to bring them to the forefront.

Anyone who knows me understands that I look for the good in people on a daily basis. While my entries may have been too much for you to take stylistically, they were calls for compassion, understanding and an honest moment of self-reflection.

I certainly realize that Greencastle is a community with many wonderful, kind inhabitants. I also know that it, along with many other small communities, carries an undercurrent of hate and bigotry. I am not naive enough to believe that will ever change in our lifetime, but I'll certainly not be intimidated into repressing my thoughts to suit what I believe is the majority.

Still angry? "Methinks thou doth protest too much."