March 29, 2010… Why does The Plain Dealer print Kevin O’Brien? That was the headline atop Sunday’s letters page in the morning newspaper.

So why does the newspaper put up with his nonsense?

There were eight letters all taking O’Brien, a PD editorial page editor and columnist, to task for – even for him – an unusually strident, stupid and ignorant column on the recently passed health care measure.

The column cited screamed out for such a response.

Kevin is upset.

But he is upset in a mean-spirited and dishonest way.

O’Brien’s most onerous paragraph, cited by the first letter writer Philip Pellett, tells it all.

“The Democrats in Congress and the White House have forced upon the United States of America (music please) a federal health care plan designed for people who are too stupid, incompetent and weak to managed their own affairs.”

Anyone who has lived even a little should take offense to that.

Anyone who has lived even a little knows that there are bumps, if not crashes, in almost everyone’s life. You don’t have to be stupid, incompetent or weak to know this. You just have to live.

I think Editor Susan Goldberg and Editorial Page Editor Elizabeth Sullivan should give this some thought.

They need to ask themselves, “Why do we print Kevin O’Brien?”

Lots of people really want to know. Why?