Over the Thanksgiving holiday, my brother-in-law Brice and sister-in-law, Brittany, got to spend a few days with Julie and I in Columbia.

Whether you’re young or old, if you’re writing a letter to Santa Claus this year, the Boonville Daily News wants to hear from you.

A week ago today, I had the privilege of visiting Carlei Wies and her fifth-graders at David Barton Elementary School to talk about newspapers and the process of reporting.

A few months ago, I began thinking about Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi was searching for truth and helped build a nation. King had a dream of bringing us all together without discrimination.

Very few industries are weathering the economic climate unscathed. The global headlines have been brutal, reminding us daily of the economic turmoil:

• “Chrysler shuts down for one month.” – Washington Post, Dec. 18, 2008

• “Hotels try to adapt to hard times.” – Time.com, Dec. 17, 2008

• “Jobless claims at 26-year high.” – Time.com, Dec. 18, 2008

• CBS trims staff.” – AdWeek, Dec. 16, 2008

Many experts are predicting the market will rebound in the second quarter of 2009, and begin to make a comeback by the end of the year.

Freedom of speech is a powerful freedom, one that is taken very seriously in the newspaper business and other arenas. Unfortunately, freedoms are sometimes misused. Such is the case with some comments posted to the BDN website.