Dear HCN,
Jon Margolis’ otherwise
excellent “Washington Watch” column Sept. 16 contained the
following sentence: “Bill Clinton has the aesthetic sensibilities
of a frog.” On behalf of the Amphibian-American community, I would
like to state that this is an unfair and unkind slur against
frogs.
What would a moonlit evening be without
the musical chorus of spring peepers? The Louisiana bayous would
not be half so mysterious without the imposing voice of the
bullfrog; Great Basin waterways would be deathly silent without the
cheerful croak of the spadefoot toad. I’ll pass over the number of
mosquito and fly bites that outdoors-loving humans would suffer
without the help of friendly batrachians.
HCN has
done a good job of defending our habitats – now give some thought
to our dignity! Just because we’re warty doesn’t mean we don’t need
self-esteem.
Tiel Jackson
West
Linn, Oregon
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Warty and wonderful.
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