 by Terry Carlin January 18, 2005
This is to further to my Viewpoint Opinion of January 10, 2005 titled, "What has happened to integrity"? That letter questioned the motives and integrity of some of the coaches of Ketchikan who are coaching our children in youth sports. Read my letter. It was intended to start a dialogue on attitudes and actions that I believe may be adversely affecting our childrens' enjoyment of our team sports in Ketchikan. I made it a point not to get personal or to criticize a particular sport in Ketchikan. Since writing the letter many people have stopped me to say that they agreed or disagreed with my comments. All those people, and those that responded on Sitnews, were respectful. And that is good, as my intention was to raise an issue, voice an opinion, and start a discussion that could possibly have a positive effect on our children and their enjoyment of organized sports in Ketchikan. Unfortunately, one person in particular took offense to my opinions and sent me an extremely threatening letter. The letter was mailed from a post office in Ketchikan, was unsigned and had no return address. The person who wrote this letter threatened to reveal personal things about me unless I apologized publicly and retracted my comments on Sitnews. I was given a one week deadline to do this. This person also found it necessary to make insulting comments about other members of my family. Well, as near as I can figure my deadline expires on January 24, and to make it easy on this person they are free to disclose anything they wish about me provided it is true, as I have nothing to hide. I refuse to be threatened into changing my opinion and comments on a subject I feel so strongly about. If this person follows through on his threats I am sure he will find a way to do it in his cowardly and anonymous way. The threats made by someone who hides behind anonymity and is to cowardly to confront me publicly will not prevent me from saying whatever it is I believe to be true. If this person is involved in coaching our children I suggest, and hope, they quit immediately as I don't think anyone would disagree with me that this in not the type of person any of us wants coaching our children. Terry Carlin
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Sitnews.
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