ED GORDON, host:
Now, on to your comments. Each week we go through your letters and voicemails to get your take on stories we've covered on NEWS & NOTES.
Melissa Valentine(ph), of Baltimore, Maryland, sent us her thoughts on a segment about domestic violence and a poem we ran dealing with the subject. In her e-mail, she writes: "I very much enjoy your program and all of its offerings. I appreciated your segment concerning domestic violence in our community but was not compelled to write until I heard the poem, Can I, by Dasan Ahanu. It really touched me to hear his words of understanding and offerings of comfort to the thousands of women who endure this horrible epidemic. It means so much that the poem came from a man, and reminds us that the end to domestic violence must include peer counseling to the abuser from other men who are willing to stand up and say that they are wrong. I really thank Mr. Ahanu for his words."
We recently ran a commentary from newspaper columnist John McCann about the Duke rape case. McCann says the alleged victim should come forward and speak to the press rather than hide behind a shield of anonymity. Here's a bit of what he had to say:
Mr. JOHN MCCANN (Columnist, The Herald-Sun, Durham, North Carolina): The alleged victim instead remains a mystery woman, known to us primarily as a 27-year-old single mother and student at NCC Central University; which is problematic, because suppose she drops the charges and this just goes away. She gets to ride off into the sunset and finish school while making good on an offer by the Reverend Jesse Jackson to bankroll her tuition through the RainbowPUSH Coalition. On the other hand, there's Evans, and the ten other Duke seniors from the lacrosse team; plus the underclassmen, whose names and future employment are forever tied to this mess.
GORDON: Lee Buckner(ph), of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, took issue with Mr. McCann's comments. She told us why in this e-mail.
"He claims the press is giving her too much credit and shining too harsh of a light on the poor Duke players whose fate is being hashed out in the media. Hello? He is doing exactly that in trashing her. His big claim was that she is acting cowardly by not showing her face and speaking out. To Mr. McCann, I say, I wait to see you as a rape victim, stand up on the highest point to recount what was done to you at the hands of those men for all of the world to hear. And to completely dismiss her, or make her sound as the, quote, 'bad person' for being single and having a child, was utterly disgusting. Grow up and stop the judgment. McCann and his ignorance have no place on a quality show like yours."
GORDON: And finally, Amy Robbins(ph), of New York City, wrote to tell us just how much she enjoys the show.
"I've been listening to your exemplary program for a while now, and just wanted to applaud Ed Gordon and his wonderful contributors' piercing intelligence, energy, spirit, plain-spoken with extraordinary eloquence, graciousness, and force. It's a rare combination."
And we thank you, Amy, for your kind words.
In fact, we appreciate all of your comments. Good or bad, we want to hear from you, so please keep them coming. You can call us at 202-408-3330, or you can e-mail us. Log on to npr.org and click Contact Us. And please be sure to tell us where you're writing from and how to pronounce your name. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.