I was grateful to Tom Bender, and to The Daily Astorian, for printing his article of July 17, “It is time to stop being so gullible.”

Yes, I think we have been ultimately and sheepishly gullible, and I’m very glad for the sharing of his insight, which is, I believe, all too unpleasantly real.

Patrick Webb’s “Bloggers have no gatekeeper” column (The Daily Astorian, July 10) was funny and good-natured and very much to the point, as he ended by saying, “be skeptical of what you read, anywhere.” Oh, yes. Thanks, mate. Wish I’d been told it in school, and thank heavens it is being uttered by responsible people today. Finally.

Then I read Jon Chambreau’s letter of July 24 titled “Unchecked tripe,” and found myself immersed in an instant slime-wave directed at the above two writers. Aha. If there is one thing more than another to be skeptical about, I think it is written and spoken by slimers. Totally empty, not to mention violent and nasty mental calories. I think we’re supposed to forgive them and get on with the cleanup.

I love my newspaper.

VALERIE LINDHOUT

Astoria