Chronicle Editorial:  Lawsuit threat unproductive

It is interesting how a newspaper correction can draw more ire than the initial running.

Two issues ago, we ran a Letter to the Editor that complained about SSU’s soccer team and the ability of Ron Goodson to lead them. The author’s name was inadvertently left out, something that we corrected in the next issue.

That’s when the fun began.

The author of the letter was a student named Christopher Robinson. There is another student on campus with that name, and that particular student is an athlete.

A soccer player, no less.

Yes…fun, fun, fun.

Within a short period of time, the father of the soccer player was calling our office with a demand and a threat. And not once. Twice.

“If we don’t hear back from you before noon tomorrow, we’ll be talking to an attorney.”

He demanded that we immediately run a clarification that stated his son, that athlete, was not the person who penned the Letter to the Editor. Fine…we have no problem with that.

Christopher Robinson, the student athlete who is currently playing on the SSU men’s soccer team, was not, nor has he ever been, the author of a Letter to the Editor of this newspaper.

See how easy that was?

We do not blame Mr. Robinson, the elder, for being concerned. His son depends on soccer to pay for his education. What saddens us is the almost knee-jerk reaction to threaten litigation.

Whatever happened to the days of talking a problem out like adults? It used to be that people would settle differences between themselves and not even consider involving the judicial system. Now that is the norm.

Have we lost trust in our own abilities? Do we not think that we can handle our own problems? Perhaps it is the fault of our legislators and their passing of so many laws that the only way we can feel confident in a dispute is to involve an attorney.

Regardless of the reasoning, the end result is the same. How interesting is it that a lot of folks despise lawyers yet run to them with problems that really amount to nothing? These people have the audacity to wave the “I’m Gonna Sue!” flag at a moments notice, without thought or concern of how ridiculous they are acting.

The sad part is though that some courts will listen to them and give their case some amount of credibility.

No, it was not our intention to cause Mr. Robinson, the younger, any problems. We have no problem clarifying what happened. At a certain point though, a threat of litigation will come to us that we will just not be able to ignore.

It will be then that the full force of the First Amendment will be displayed for our campus to see.

Smoking is bad.  Bad, bad, bad, bad.

Hey everyone. I would like to introduce you all to my father.

For those of you paying attention, yes, it is just a little over two years now since he passed away. I’m an English major and I don’t have the words to describe how it feels. No feeling. No color. No sound. Just a headstone.

My father smoked for a few decades. You’ll have to excuse my inability to tell you exactly how long. All I know for certain is that, when I was a 4-year-old, he laid a carton of smokes on top of the fridge and never looked back.

He was quite the man, my Dad. Not too many folks can quite cold turkey.

It wasn’t enough though. After years of smoking, coupled with asthma, my father succumbed to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) a little over two years ago.

The date, February 5, is also my baby brother’s birthday. How much does that suck?

The few people that I have allowed to become close to me think I have yet to let go. How do you do that, really? Most of them don’t know. I am 30. They are all older.

Yes, I know I have abandoned Associated Press style. So?

I have this deep-rooted fear that my children will forget their Papaw. Their maternal grandfather is there now, but he was absent for almost five years. My Dad was the one who was afraid to touch them when they were babies. He didn’t want to hurt them. You have to understand that the man had hands on him like an ape. DePew men are famous for that, I understand.

If you are smoking now then stop. Plain and simple. You need to stop. The damage you are doing now will affect your life a generation or two down the road. You have to stop.

I don’t remember Dad smoking. I know he did only because he told me so. He was a good man, a strong man. He laid them down once he knew what the consequences were. Can you?

I often find myself wondering what he might be doing now had he not passed away. It isn’t constructive for me, I know. But I still need him in my life so very much. Your children will feel the same. They will cry because you aren’t there, because your death could have been postponed.

I know they will. I have been there.

I’m not anti-smoker, but I am pro-father. Look on your children, see them as they are. They depend on you for more than a paycheck or support. You are the man in their life. You are their guidance.

My father will not see me graduate from college. He would be proud, I know, but he won’t be there to see the diploma in my hand. I know he will be watching though, from somewhere…a somewhere that I could never define. He believe Jesus could save him from anything.

I wish Jesus had saved him from his own history.

Smoking is not good. It stinks. You stink. You smell just like it. As does you car, your house, your clothes, and your kids. You need to stop.

Please, don’t leave your children so young. I have no idea what to do with myself now that he is gone. One thing that I do know though is that I will do everything I can to stop someone else from experiencing the same thing.

It is my sincerest hope, dear smoker, that you will do the same.