Letter of Interest

On March 10, 2008, I wrote an article entitled "Idiot of the Week". This article was about a letter that a young man wrote to the local paper saying that a 19 time DUI offender should have just got probation instead of jail time. He also made some comments that gave me the idea for my title. Please read the post, if you have not already, before reading on.

The other day, I received an e-mail from a young man telling me he was the guy who wrote the letter, and to whom I refered an idiot. Now before I go any further with this, I would like to point out a few things. First....I stand by every comment that I made in my article, and nothing about the way I feel has changed. Also...when I am writing articles like "Idiot of the Week", it is more of a generalization, than a singleing out process. My point is that the way of thinking is idiotic, not neccesarily the person. After all, I have never met them, and like my Blog states, this is just my opinion. With that said, I would like to discuss the e-mail sent to me by young Jude. I say young because it turns out he is only 16 years old. He told me that he found my blog online and proceeded to read it. When he got the the article I am refering to, he realized it was about his letter. He then e-mailed me explaining his reason for writing that letter to the paper. So what I would like to do is post his letter for all to read. This will allow him to give his side of the story, and it will allow all of you to form your own opinions on the issue. I still hold him responsible for writing the letter. He seems like a very intelligent young man, and had to know the possible ramifications of his actions. But I also am willing to cut him some slack based on his explanation.

This is his letter to me:

From: Jude Camberos,
I am sorry, but this is the best way i found to contact you. Please respond.

Hello,
I am Jude Camberos, 16, sophomore at Reading High School, and winner of your
March 10 issue of Idiot of the Week Award. I think your blog is very
interesting, but I would really like to clear things up.

This week has been hideously hard on me. I'm at home keeping my school work up
because my parents are in Disney World (w/o me), my best friend moved out of
town, I’m have class elections and Acc. class exam studies to deal with, and
also my stepmother (Charity Unger) has shot four people; leaving me worried
about the current status of my father's being, which is leaving me emotionally
stressed.

I was checking my 07/08 winter wrestling results on Google when I saw a link to
your blog. Seeing the "Idiot of the Week" award being given to me seriously
disturbed me. I understand why I was given the award; the point I shown in the
Enquirer was ridiculous. Saying a man putting that much danger on the road
should not be prosecuted as he was is feeble.

So here is my story.

In our English class we were given a simple assignment "Write a Newspaper
Editorial". Our teacher said she would send in the articles to the newspaper we
chose. So, give or take about five days later we received our due date, this was
February 22nd, the day before my birthday. I was so hyped up about my birthday
that I forgot this assignment, (to me English 10 is ridiculously easy, and
there’s no Accelerated English in our grade) so I wrote it at lunch, one bell
before. I wrote the article very shoddy. In fact, I was joking with a friend
that I would choose a ridiculous point and prove the converse point.

Ten minutes later the bell rang, and my paper was done. We wrote the final
within a couple days and as promised the teacher sent in our papers to the major
publishers we could choose from. This is were my decision backfired.

I found about one week later that my article was published...an article that
took five minutes to wrote, about a joke subject, with my converse view of the
given subject. Many of my teachers confronted me of my views and I told them
exactly the story I am authenticating now. Also, I had a discussion with my
parents about the article. Again, I had to prove my story.

Soon, your editorial was published in the newspaper about my own editorial.
Again, a teacher confronted me about this (Not even my English teacher in any
confrontation, but I did receive extra credit for being published.)This also
affected me, but I put it all of this behind me.

So now, a full three months later this decision I made, by writing an editorial
in five minutes, showed my exact opposite viewpoint, and one I did not think
would be published comes to haunt me. This time the hardest in the most worst of
times.

Your blog obviously criticized me, as if you were trying to cyber-bully me. I do
understand all you were given was my name, along with no other information to
correspond with and I respect that.

You had your word now I would like to have mine. First off, you’re welcome for
your alleviation of "writer's block" in which I assisted you. I'm glad I could
help you write a blog easier. Kind of funny how you posted "we can dissect it
like a 10th grader dissects a frog in Biology class....quick and brutal", this
is my situation. A sophomore wanting to major in biology, taking seven sciences
in four years of high school (accelerated), and perhaps going to Medical School.
Maybe, I will get to dissect a little bit more than frogs :).

I do understand it was his 19th DUI conviction. Most likely he could have had a
hundred potential DUI's.

Community service for DUI's? I do understand this method wouldn't work. In fact,
community service if gratifying to me. Before wrestling, I participated in
community service AT LEAST once a week.

You also asked me if I ever had a DUI conviction. No. I do not possess a license
yet.

Now for what I wrote, what you put in bold lettering "Unless the man has injured
or killed others, this is not necessary. This man obviously knew what he could
do without endangering others." Pretty good for a five minute closer heh? I
thought genius on my part.

You quoted a part of my editorial, put an image stating "You're an inspiration
to idiot's everywhere," and then continued to criticize me by posting "That has
got to be the most idiotic, asinine, half-witted, moronic, unintelligent thing I
have ever heard." Finally, you asked if I knew people wouldn't be reading my
editorial. THAT WAS THE POINT! I had no idea. In fact, this was an easy grade.
We were supposed to just write an editorial, not mean what we had written.

At the end, you stated that we must act now before this man kills someone. This
is exactly what the editorial I have composed should have stated. I agree with
you very so on this point of view.

I hope that now this moronic decision I made to write a joke editorial, one I
thought had no chance of being in a nationally known public newspaper will once
and for all be fixed.

Perhaps you will post this in your popular blog? If done I will certainly be at
peace with this article, and decision.

Thank you.


So now you have his side of the story. Please feel free to express your thoughts on the issue. I am sure he would like to hear what others have to say.