Editorial License......

I did something today that I had never done previously.

In our local paper, I usually skim the letters to the editor, mainly to see if anyone has written something stupid.

I skip any letters about politics or healthcare, so lately I haven't had much to skim.

Today, however, I came across a letter to the editor from an idiot.

If you don't want to go read the whole letter, I'll sum it up for you. Basically this guy is complaining that he was "rudely" ejected from the UGA football game last Saturday because he refused to sit down when the people behind him, the ushers, AND the police asked him to do so. According to him, he "deserves the right" to stand up throughout the entire game, and anyone who doesn't want to stand up can either switch seats with him or stay home.

It's people like this guy who give the rest of us UGA fans a bad name. We already have enough fans who are jerks. Why did he have to put the proof in writing?

So I fired off a response to his letter. I've never written a letter to the editor before, although many times I've thought to myself, "I'd like to give that guy/gal a piece of my mind."

Here is what I said in my letter:

To the Georgia fan who was chagrined to find himself ejected from the UGA game last Saturday:

I’m glad you are a dedicated enough fan to sit through rain and help pull the Dawgs through. Fans are a big part of UGA’s football program, and it is exciting to hear the roar of the crowd.

However, your rights end where another person’s rights begin. You do NOT deserve the “right” to stand up if you block the view of another fan. The people behind you are just as entitled to see the events of the game as you are, and they pay the same ticket prices you do (theoretically).

Jumping up to cheer during an exciting play is one thing. Standing throughout the entire game is entirely different. The assertion that people who don’t want to stand throughout the game should stay home is preposterous and immature. How about if you want to stand up, you go stand in the student section?

I hope you do come back this weekend to cheer on the Dawgs. I hope you and your friends can pull them through again. I’ll be home watching on television. And if you insist on standing and obstructing the view of those behind you, I hope you are again escorted from the stadium.

I don't know if they will print it or not. If they do, I'm putting it on my resume. Hey, published writing is published writing.

I'm just sayin'.......