The Slice: Probably should have gotten whole story

Let’s go right to The Slice mailbag.

“Hi, Paul,” began a long but civil snail-mail letter from an S-R reader with whom I have corresponded infrequently over the years. “First of all, I’m aware that you are no longer printing anything that I send you. I suspect it’s because of your extreme dislike for my opinions which, as you know, I’m not shy about sharing.”

He went on to address something I had brought up in a column. He signed off with, “Best wishes.”

It’s time I explained to him why he has been getting the cold shoulder. And I’m going to do so here in case it is instructive for other readers.

The gentleman in question has a long history of being critical of The Spokesman-Review. That’s fine, of course.

For some reason, though, he has mostly given me the benefit of the doubt. He’s right that we do not share similar views on some public policy issues. But because that stuff is usually peripheral to Sliceworld concerns, our politics are irrelevant.

He always signs his name and leaves a phone number, which I have called more than once. (I usually end up having a brief, cordial exchange with his wife.)

A little more than a year ago, I printed an answer he had submitted. A few days later, I ran an answer to the same question from a woman who had the opposite opinion about the matter at hand.

Not long after, that woman told me that this fellow I’m talking about had contacted her and left what she described as an unpleasant message.

“That’s it,” I thought. “I’m done with him.”

I cannot have readers who are willing to let me use their names get blasted for doing so.

I thought about confronting him. But what if he denied it? Then where would I be?

In retrospect, I should have asked the woman to provide me with some evidence of the abusive message — assuming that was still possible. I think she might have said she deleted it right away. But having proof would have been the only way to move beyond the potential she said/he said.

Instead of simply throwing my hands up, I should have at least told him about the accusation against him and why it troubled me. Not doing so was wrong.

Today’s Slice question: What’s going to happen when the people responsible for some of the baby names we encounter these days inherit money and then start naming boats?