After reading the headline, “Goldstick letter insulting, lacking fact,” I was dumbstruck as to how Katherine Westholm came to the conclusion that I am a racist. I am many things Ms. Westholm, but I am not a racist.

In no way did I insinuate that Mr. Tesdell is a rabid idealogue and I am very sorry that you could have thought that. I challenge you to find one statement in my editorial that supports your argument.

However, Ms. Westholm, you are partially right when you state that I made the assumption that Mr. Tesdell was the driving force behind the editorial I responded to. However, I felt I had the right amount of assurance to put forth this allegation. As the members of the editorial board publish articles, one can gain a sense of where they stand in the political spectrum.

In my opinion, only one of these members could fit the bill. In support of my assumption, I discovered from his personal Web site that he was a Palestinian-American activist. If my assumption was wrong, don’t you think Mr. Tesdell would have let the public and me know? In fact, Mr. Tesdell and I have had the opportunity to talk both before and after my article was published and he never refuted my statement.

The whole point of my editorial was to inform the public of the source of bias in the board’s editorials concerning Western/ Arab politics. It is not my wish, in the least, that Mr. Tesdell nor his ideas be censored. I value his opinions, but in a democratic society aren’t alternative views also valued? Discussion helps to make this world richer, not poorer.

In the brief interactions I have had with Mr. Tesdell, since this issue has arisen, I have been impressed with both his professionalism and curiosity for others’ views concerning Western/Arab issues.

Am I sorry that I wrote my original letter? No, but I am sorry Ms. Westholm implies that I am a racist.

David Goldstick

Senior

MIS