So, Dusty Rhoades is outraged that somebody called Michelle Obama an ugly name. I am not sure if this is the ultimate in denial or the ultimate in hypocrisy. Does this guy even read his own columns?

For reasons that baffle me, your newspaper gives Rhoades a forum to spew out the most hateful diatribes that ever appear in a mainstream newspaper. He writes as a cynic whose purpose is not to persuade or inform but rather to insult those whose opinions differ from his own.

He is obviously writing for the cheers of those who already agree with him, not to change anybody's mind.

Now, with Bush and Cheney gone, we need some new villains for the left to attack. The right wingers of course have a whole new administration for material.

All of this is just part of the continued polarization of news consumption, a phenomenon in which we can all find ample sources of information to reinforce our already formed opinions.

Rush Limbaugh and Fox News owe their success to this change, but so also do Chris Matthews, MSNBC, and even NPR.

Fortunately, those that stray too far from center seem to be getting their just rewards, with MSNBC and The New York Times now on life support, while The Wall Street Journal and Fox flourish.

Dusty, this is your world, and you liberal haters of those in power will now reap some of what you have sown. And I suspect most of The Pilot's readers tire of your anger and resentment.

Jim L. Martin

Pinehurst