Say it short and as
sweetly as possible

Please note the letter by Bruce Behnke of Pearl City at the top of today's column of letters to the editor. It is a model for the letters we prefer to receive and to get into the paper promptly.

The letter is short, to the point and cogently argued. In particular, the author sticks to the issues at hand and scrupulously avoids the personal invective that mars so many letters to the editor. We take pains to edit out those personal attacks but, with the demands of time and deadlines, sometimes fail to catch them all.

In sum, Behnke's letter is a lesson in civility that should be a beacon for all who seek to be published in these pages. We are happy to print it -- even though we disagree with the main point he makes.

Richard Halloran

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