Must Templeton Defame the Dead?

To the Editors of The Crimson:

In his recent Opinion piece criticizing Lee Atwater for his ability "to exploit the democratic process" ("Good Riddance," April 3), Mark N. Templeton redefines tastelessness. While we think it is necessary to respond to Mr. Templeton's most blatant factual error, our primary concern is his inexcusable disregard for decency.

One of Mr. Templeton's criticisms of Lee Atwater is for his "constant harping on Willie Horton." This criticism lacks of factual basis. The Willie Horton issue was originally brought up by a Democrat against Michael S. Dukakis in the primary season. When the commercial ran during the general election it was made and produced by an organization independent from the Bush campaign and from Atwater. In fact, the Bush campaign took legal action to prevent the further airing of the commercial.

In addition, Lee Atwater's success, whether or not Mr. Templeton agrees with his tactics, was due to his ability to articulate values that are important to the American voters. In contrast, the Democrats lost the White House because they failed to define such a message. And in the words of Mr. Templeton, we're "not shedding any tears at [their] demise."

Regardless, a far more important issue is respect for humanity. Even with factual accuracy and partisan politics aside, Mr. Templeton's Opinion piece falls outside the bounds of good taste. In our opinion, human decency requires respect for the dead. We don't deny Mr. Templeton's right to openly disagree with Mr. Atwater. However, a piece about the recently deceased titled "Good Riddance" is unconscionable.

The motivation for Mr. Atwater's apologies to former political adversaries is between him and God alone. If Ron Brown, chair of the Democratic National Committee and standard bearer of liberal politics can not only forgive Mr. Atwater but become his close friend, why does Mr. Templeton feel the need to mutilate the character of a dead man? We find such naked cruelty disgusting. Let Mr. Atwater rest in peace. Kimberly D. Harris '92   Kristen L. Silverberg '92