The Court Says “Falsely”

Writing for a unanimous court in Schenck v. United States, a 1919 U.S. Supreme Court case testing the limits of free speech in anti-draft efforts, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. held that “[t]he most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic.” Thus, despite Brian Morton’s statement to the contrary (“Toxic Speech,” Political Animal, Jan. 12), the First Amendment would protect those who “shout ‘fire’ in a crowded theater,” so long as the theater is actually on fire. 

Robert D. Anbinder

Baltimore

A Puzzling Absence

I was hoping that last week was a mistake . . . no more crossword?!  I’m terribly saddened.

Missi Kibelbek

Baltimore

I’d like to ask that you please bring back the crossword puzzle to City Paper. It always made Wednesdays more enjoyable. I read The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, and USA Today every day as well, and I just feel like having a puzzle section in the paper is an important part of reading the news. After you’ve gotten beaten down by all the crime and horribleness that inevitably happen if you actually read the papers, you need a little lighter something to take the edge off, and I think that’s what the puzzles and comics are for.

Keith Webb

Baltimore

Where did the crossword puzzle go? It was that simple pleasure that made Wednesday just as enjoyable as any other day. It was a great alternative to other papers’ repetitive clues and answers (when you got the layout right, which was most of the time). Now I have to find a new way to kill time and jog my brain cells while procrastinating from doing schoolwork, or washing the dishes, or cleaning the gutters. Maybe I’ll start drinking more.

Jim Brown

Baltimore

Editor Lee Gardner responds: Yes, I canceled the puzzle page. With no disrespect intended to the extra nice folks at Jonesin’ Crosswords/Psycho Sudoku, or to readers who enjoy them, I hope to turn the savings of space and money over to the core enterprises of the paper, if you will: more and better coverage of local events, news, and arts. We will continue to host the online version of Jonesin’ Crosswords at citypaper.com/crossword. 

The Pain—When Will It Return?

Please bring back Tim Kreider as a cartoonist and also, pay him to write columns. I don’t like reading about “teevees,” etc., and you know to what I refer.

Tamar Alexia Fleishman

Baltimore

Lee Gardner responds: Tim “retired” himself as a cartoonist, but he still has a standing invitation to write for City Paper, an invitation about which I just reminded him.

Corrections: In the Jan. 5 Mobtown Beat story “Con Care,” we erroneously reported that the state’s prison medical contract has been awarded to Wexford Health Sources as of January 2011. In fact, the contract was not awarded; on Dec. 15 the State Board of Public Works voted to extend the existing contract, held by Correctional Medical Services, for an additional six months while the state rebids the contract (see “Medical Muddle,” page 7). City Paper regrets the error.

In addition, the internal caption for last week’s cover image identifies it as Shirley Chisholm announcing her candidacy for president of the United States in 1975, a date that was based on erroneous captioning materials provided to the paper. She ran for president in 1972.