Letter: Trust Lagunans to make own judgements

Anne Caenn, President of Village Laguna, was provided a featured column in the Indy to explain why Michael Ray should be denied the same privilege. Per Caenn, “Ray has harshly and unfairly attacked Village Laguna” with “abusive accusations.” He was “lobbing accusations and falsehoods.”

She proceeded to counter his claims with a reasonable and factual retort. So far, so good. Caenn is credible. Ray, not so much. But she goes too far when she insists, “The Independent should not accept columns without fact-checking.” The Indy columns are mostly not about facts to begin with. They are usually philosophical, sentimental and folksy.

Personally, I welcome columns with hard-edged political arguments, as are more typical during campaign seasons. Laguna is full of opinionated residents. We like free speech, and we appreciate the Indy for providing a free forum. The Indy prints anybody’s letter to the editor.

In 2015, philanthropist Allen Simon, after underwriting and building up the Indy to be self-sustaining, transferred ownership to the employees, with the expectation they would continue to provide a valuable local forum for exchanging ideas. He revered the First Amendment and the need for open debate.

Not all of Laguna’s values are measured in real estate prices. The Indy should continue to publish all voices and trust Lagunans to make their own judgments. A relevant case in point: Peter Blake was elected, but not re-elected.

Joel Harrison, Laguna Beach