Just so you know, not all Republicans hate Al Gore (Gagflex: Al Gore, The Pride of Tennessee, Jan. 10).

I wish you guys were more middle of the road. The Pulse is obviously a very left-wing, liberal paper. I’m a registered Republican, but I don’t hate Democrats. I’ve voted for a couple Democrats . . . a couple.

There are extremists on both sides of the aisle. Why alienate yourselves from ALL Republicans?

How can we get anything done if all we do is hate? Jason Johnson and other staffers have lumped all conservative Republicans in the same barrel. Why is that? You don’t want to all be generalized as “money-burning baby-killers” or some other ignorant generalization some right-wingers say about democrats.

I’d like to hear more content and less preacher bashing. Why waste your page space and freedom of speech on lowering yourself. I guess you may be targeting angry college kids. As Ron Paul and Obama have shown us, young people are very diverse and hungry for change, whether you’re right, left or independent.

Fox News (like them or not) interviewed Hillary. They definitely don’t agree with her, but they interviewed her fairly and respectably. Fox also doesn’t spend the day bashing anyone who’s not Republican. Also, CNN (openly liberal) doesn’t spend all day bashing anyone who is not Democrat.

I know you guys will do what you want. It’s your paper, you should. I’m glad Murfreesboro has The Pulse. I’d just like to read a political article that doesn’t start out with slander and actually has some content I could learn from.

Your friend, Scott Petersen

petersenbass@hotmail.com

P.S. I saw a “W” sticker on the back of a very large, gas-guzzling SUV that is driven by someone who has an interest in your paper.

Response:

I certainly do not want to make sweeping generalizations about Republicans, Democrats or any other group of Americans.

Likewise, let’s not lump everyone affiliated with The Pulse into a category. Believe it or not, our writers, delivery people, photographers, sales team and other involved parties are a very diverse group of individuals.

Jason Johnson writes a political column for the paper each issue, but his views do not speak for us all. However, in his, and Mr. Gore’s, defense, Gore has indeed been shown a pretty rough time from certain conservatives.

For the record, I do not claim affiliation to either major political party. Some have called me “left-wing” at times, but personally I feel like I stand for more conservative principals (free trade, limited taxation and government involvement in business, balanced budgets, limited foreign intervention, etc.) than most elected Republicans do.

?B