Newspaper Letter Writers

Now I'm working I'm exposed to the local newspaper which sits in the waiting room and gives me something to read on breaks. While it does an adequate job of covering local, national and world events the highlight has to be the letters page. While every paper must get its share of unhinged correspondence the Wanganui Chronicle actually prints most of it. Sadly they do not post letters on the website (that might not influence the world's view of our little town very positively methinks) but I might be forced to highlight a few on these pages.

Many of the letters continue a fairly personal slanging match about our local politics which can't avoid being personality driven when

a) The mayor is a well known talk radio host and political maverick
b) Most of the local politicians seem to fall into the "small town conservative" camp but manage to disagree on plenty

You feel you should check in every day as the same writers slag each other and their chosen political targets with the regularity of a soap opera plot. However these regular missives are only an apetizer to prepare the reader for the truly unhinged. Today's best contribution began by noting that crayfish had been found entombed in solidified mud after our recent lahar. This managed to prove via some spectacular leaps of pseudoscience that the earth's fossil record had been created in a short period of time by the biblical flood and therefore all the problems of the world were due to our failure to adhere to the bible. I look forward to the correspondent's next contibution and continuing to monitor the entire letters page!