Intolerance

In response to Al Martinez’s column “Honey Don’t Eat No Flesh,” Nov. 24:

In detailing the wide variety of things people find annoying these days--from smoking to wearing fur to loud church bells--as well as the lengths some go to express their displeasure, Martinez missed one shocking incident reported in The Times only the day before (“Ribald Rockabilly Singer Shot to Death in Park”). A man, who regularly feeds pigeons in Golden Gate Park and has a dislike for dogs that might frighten the birds, shot and killed another man walking his dog nearby.

I defend anyone’s right to express his opinion, even if it may seem ridiculous or unpopular. I’d rather live in a country whose government and citizenry allow that freedom than in one that suppresses it. But clearly this man went too far. As Martinez points out and the park shooting so tragically illustrates, we must retain some degree of tolerance for those things we find insufferable and, more important, make sure that the ways in which we choose to express our opinions don’t violate anyone else’s right to do the same.

KAREN JENSEN-GERMAINE

Eagle Rock