Devoted to technical writing and technical writers

One of the many blogs I read everyday is William M. Arkin's Early Warning. He's a journalist, I'm a writer, and free speech is something that all of us should cherish.

In today's blog, Arkin recounts an incident that occured in 2002 when, after a particularly critical lecture he gave on the military's plans to invade Iraq, a Marine Corps Brigadier General asked him if he was a journalist or an American?

Here's the exchange:

GENERAL:  'Mr. Arkin, do you consider yourself a journalist or an American'.

I took a drink of water as my blood boiled.

ME: 'Well General, because I am an American, I cherish the fact that I can call you a f***ing idiot for asking the question.'

See his full post to read the rest of the story. His point, and it's worth repeating, is that all views must be tolerated so that people can learn and change.

While this blog is officially about technical writing, it's important to remember that we, as technical writers, are still writers. And we should be interested in any and all issues surrounding the practice of a writers craft, particularly when they're controversial enough to have repercussions.