You Can Always Depend On The Douchepatch . . .

. . . for tasteless editorial policy.  Today offered a classic example.

Two days before Muhammad Ali's funeral, some old crank wrote a letter to the editor in which he condemned Ali as a "racist" (a most dubious assertion) who refused to serve his country when called (drafting Ali was a political stunt), while he simultaneously managed to defend the slave-owning habits of America's Founding Fathers (hey, it was 250 years ago and everybody was doin' it!).

The unenlightened opinions of the letter-writer are not surprising -- our nation has more than its share of blockheads.  I wish I could say it was surprising that the Columbus Dispatch decided to publish such a malignant missive at prime top-of-the-page with-headline position, but sadly it's par for the course for my local birdcage liner.  It's what they do.

Which doesn't make it any less disappointing.  Muhammad Ali was a global icon, and a historically significant change agent.  And just before his funeral, the Dispatch rolls out the tired old hate.  Really?

Before it goes out of business, this stupid newspaper needs to hire an ombudsman.  I nominate myself.