To The Editor, Knoxville News-Sentinel:

I was interested in responding to the letters published on Oct. 11 about the subsidizing of National Public Radio. It is a flawed analogy in thinking that, if government wants to uphold free speech, it should finance it.

By this reasoning, we should fund churches, theaters and restaurants because it wants to uphold religious liberty, freedom of expression and the free market. If it really wants to uphold free speech, it would stay out of the question altogether.

Actually, this is another case of taxpayer money being used to finance special interests; it is not for the public benefit and certainly not for the general welfare.

Those that have the gold make the rules. If government dictates what group gets money and consequently decides what can and can't be done, said or written, how is that upholding free speech?

Let the people decide. If Natalie Maines says something that offends some people, they are free to express their disagreement and burn the Dixie Chicks CDs. If you agree with Natalie Maines, then you should be free to express it and debate your point of view.

But keep the government and its long arm out of it.

Chris Fortner

Knoxville