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Letter Controversy Gets New Life On Internet Save Email Print
Posted: 5:49 PM Nov 23, 2005
Last Updated: 6:32 PM Nov 23, 2005
Reporter: Paige Lambrecht

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some 3rd grade teachers in the Madison school district assigned a controversial project that was soon nixed by the district.
But thanks to a fairly new hobby called blogging, the story has taken on a life of its own.
Last week, parents of some 3rd graders in the Madison school district got a letter outlining a planned project.
The 3rd graders would write letters to congressmen, students, and even the president, calling for peace and an end to the Iraq war.
Sharon Johnson is a parent who supports the assignment.
"To write to the president of the United States, how exciting would that have been for a child to have addressed that letter to the president of the united states? And what if they got a response from someone? Wow! That shows them the power of the pen if they were able to go through with the assignment."
But the school district put a stop to the project saying it went against school policy that controversial topics be taught free of bias.
Many people, like VFW quartermaster Joe Ellis, agree with the school's decision.
"If they'd have said, "either/or, let them decide which way they wanted to write their letters." But she assigned them specifics - "against it, bring them home."
The story has become a popular topic on the internet in several different web logs.
In just one day, thousands of people have already expressed their opinions about it, and hundreds of thousands more have read them.
Ann Althouse is a law professor at UW, and a well-known blogger.
She says blogging allows people to see controversial stories like this one in a broader perspective.
"What should the policies be about talking about controversial issues in the classroom? Those are very vibrant issues and I think that the story becomes a jumping off point for a lively dialogue that could go on for a long time."
But what Althouse says blogging does most of all, is allow people to read opinions that they may not have heard otherwise.

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