The coarsening of America

Dozens of readers were horrified when The Patriot-News decided to run a front page picture of a man convicted on drug charges sticking up his middle finger at the camera.

How do you justify running this picture where nearly every child at a breakfast table will see it?

Executive Editor David Newhouse: "We believed that this photo powerfully drove home the true impact of drugs."

So there you have it, kids, keep off the methamphetamine or you too might end up throwing the bird.