Profanity

* Re “Michigan Man Swears by His Right to Use Profanity,” Jan. 25:

The fact that a person could be fined for using certain words called “profanity” is a victory for stupidity. People who think that certain words are bad are the ones who need help. People who do not impose restrictions on their language need to be protected from those who feel that some language is “bad.” It’s a shame that some people teach children that some language is “bad.” Children need to be protected from such silliness and should be taught that there are no bad words, just misguided or ignorant people. Words export ideas and feelings and there is no reason to place restrictions on them. The issue here is: Do we accede to those who are linguistically handicapped or do we promote free, open expression?

THERON WYATT

Whittier