It is sad, frightening and hypocritical that emeritus college professor Bruce L. Rockwood chose to disparage the Press Herald for publishing an op-ed piece written by a spokesperson for the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (“Another View: Paper exercised poor judgment in running pro-gun rights op-ed,” Sept. 20).

In the professor’s opinion, “It is unseemly for the Press Herald to run an op-ed piece by Chris Cox, the National Rifle Association’s hatchet man for gun rights.” The professor assailed your newspaper for respecting and upholding the very essence of the United States Constitution: our Bill of Rights.

It would seem that the professor is oblivious to the fact that our freedom of speech and freedom of the press specifically afford him the right to express his dissenting opinion and to have had that opinion published in your newspaper.

Some might excuse the professor’s hypocrisy and ignorance, based upon his background and experience as a member of academia, where all too often diversity of opinion is suppressed. Sadly, I have personally heard conservative-minded college students express their fear of retribution, in the form of lower grades, simply for expressing their conservative viewpoints.

Hopefully, Professor Rockwood was not one of those professors.

Thomas J. Langtry

Kennebunk

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