Sir, - Niall O'Dowd (Opinion, December 19th), Alan Shatter and other contributors to your pages denounce critics of the American actions since September 11th as "anti-American". Since when has free speech and honest debate been a legitimate target for emotive condemnation like this? I have criticised our own Government's actions on these pages before - does that make me anti-Irish as well?
It is this type of paranoia that led to the McCarthy trials seeking to eliminate "anti-American activities" in the 1950s and, in doing so, trampling over civil liberties in the name of democracy. I take great offence at being branded with such a label and at the attempt to silence me with such tactics. That is contrary to everything that the US Government says that it is trying to defend. - Yours, etc.,
Steven McCarthy, Silkenvale, Maynooth, Co Kildare.