Regarding Will Manly's April 15 opinion letter to Obama Barack, Manly reveals himself -- his smallness in taking offense at Obama's remark about some small-town people's reacting to difficult times, and his shallowness in having to resort to ridiculing his name.

If he, from a small town, is "capable of thinking" as he presumes without evidence, he sure didn't make good use of this capability in his letter. He states: "We don't vote for Democrats ..." that's not thinking at all, not remembering the last election when Kansas and especially the little towns of Ellis county voted in a Democrat governor.

Obama didn't call people from small towns "dumb," but Manly's letter could perhaps fall into the "dumb" classification. And his final sentence trying to negatively define Obama actually reveals himself. It is like he was looking in a mirror and talking to himself when he latched on to that comparison.

How can the HDN be proud of or satisfied with such a reporter? HDN states that such letters "do not necessarily represent the views of the HDN," but this does not excuse them for printing such slander. In recent years the HDN has let its moral standards slip by printing such slander and vulgarities. We are still in the Easter season, celebrating Jesus' dying and rising -- in light of this; did Jesus die to free us to slander others like this? Does this letter reveal anything of a Christian attitude? Does the HDN manifest Christian values and standards in printing such material?

Fr. Maris Goetz O.F.M. Cap.

Victoria