What a lame piece of demagoguery from Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor, who wants to boycott any cable company that carries Al-Jazeera America ("Boycott threat over Arab TV news," Aug. 27).
Al-Jazeera is online; how many hours has he watched it to form his opinions? The implication is that he hasn't watched it at all. He relies on what he has heard about the Arabic Al-Jazeera, and his opinion of the Qatar government that sponsors both versions. Neither of these qualifies as evidence. Indeed, as the article makes clear, those who have watched Al-Jazeera America are impressed by its coverage and evenhandedness.
And a boycott? In the first place, TV watchers would be up in arms at any attempt to take away their cable providers. Certainly they wouldn't turn their Fox News or CNN or NBC off in protest that somebody else could watch Al-Jazeera. In the second place, any channel that doesn't get an audience is thereby boycotted without any agitation. Let Al-Jazeera America broadcast, and let the TV viewers decide.
George Hastings
Delmar