What's it like to be so misunderstood?

Open letter to Vice President Cheney:

As one of the most hated men in the world, I'm guessing that you don't get many warm, cuddly letters from well-wishers. As a compassionate man who believes even the most despicable among us deserves a kind word now and then, I offer these words of encouragement.

I firmly believe you must have one or two redeeming qualities that have simply gone unnoticed. As unfair as it seems, loathsome people are often universally reviled simply because their behavior is so reprehensible that it completely overshadows any good that may dwell within them.

I know what it's like to be unfairly judged. In the early years of my marriage, I went to a Lincoln dealership to test-drive a Lincoln Continental just for fun. I became so smitten with the car that I bought it right then and there, even though the price was roughly equal to my annual salary at the time.

Most of my neighbors jumped to the conclusion that I was a selfish, inconsiderate husband. But what they did not know was that on the very same day that I bought myself the Lincoln, I bought my wife several yards of cloth so she could make herself a dress even though she already had one.

Life is unfair, but I hope it comforts you to know that you are not the only one who knows the heartbreak of going through life being misunderstood and unappreciated.

Gene McDougall

Arlington Heights