Just below the Formal Frinted Apology is a somewhat more personal 
and down to earth apology sent to to  

I have also been advised that two outstanding Italian Americans 
Novelists, Roland Merullo and Eugene Mirabelli also Emailed the Editor 
of the St. Augustine Record. The I-A Community is grateful for persons 
of their stature to lend their efforts to our fight. See their Emails further 
below.

Also, I thought Dominic Tassone sent a Letter that I was very impressed with
It follows Merullo and Mirabelli below. 

Another Small Victory, in a continuing String and more Frequently 
enjoyed, and another Example of the Power of the Word/Email!!

I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the efforts of the members of
IAOV, and La Dolce Vita, and particularly those of Angelo Frangapane, 
and Steve Antonuccio, among others.    
=========================================================
APOLOGY 

By Jim  Baltzelle 
Editor
St Augustine Record
October 9, 2001 
Editorial Page 

The St. Augustine Record and freelance writer Hansen Alexander wish to 
apologize for publishing an article Sunday that offended Italian-Americans 
because of its use of generalizations.

The Record has received calls and e-mails from people disturbed by the 
article, which appeared on Page 5A. Its publication was timed to coincide 
with the celebration of Columbus Day on Monday.As the column pointed 
out, generalizations about people are always dangerous.

The Record and Alexander are sorry the article was published, especially 
at a time when Americans have been reminded of the importance of 
respecting all peoples.

http://www.staugustine.com/stories/100901/opi_201315.shtml
====================================================
To Mr. Bonaffini
>From Jim  Baltzelle 

Our news staff is diverse in age and ethnicity. (Incredibly, one of the
editors who reviewed the piece is of Italian heritage, as is the freelance
writer who submitted it.) 

Publication of the article involved, but is in no way excused by, the 
stresses of moving an office, which has been in one location for more 
than 100 years, while at the same time laboring over tremendous news 
events on a new computer system. Combine that with aregular Sunday 
freelance column that has, to this point, never been controversial in
the least. 

With that background, gross negligence occurred in the editing process. 
The story should have been rejected. There are no acceptable excuses. 
I am to blame.

Jim  Baltzelle 

----- Original Message -----
From: <l.bonaffini@worldnet.att.net>
To: <jbaltzelle@staugustinerecord.com>
=====================================================
To Mr. Baltzelle:
>From Roland Merullo

At a point in history where we are again struggling to overcome our
prejudices--specifically, against people of the Islamic faith and those
of Middle Eastern descent-- I thought it was particularly thoughtless 
of you to run Hansen Alexander's clumsy piece on Italians.  

Anyone who knows anything about governing a city or state, or about 
running a business, understands that the governor, mayor, or CEO 
requires an enormous amount of ability to work with all sorts of different
personality types and bases of power and influence.  

And the idea that having a mistress is somehow "in the Italian tradition" 
looks a bit ridiculous after the sex scandals of the Clinton administration, 
the exploits of Nelson Rockefeller, Gary Condit, Gary Hart, and a string 
of other non-Italian political figures stretching back through the
centuries and across the globe. 

Maybe Mario Cuomo didn't run for president because he understood that 
there are too many Hansen Alexanders out there, people who caution 
us against "unfair stereotypes" on the one hand, and then feed fuel to 
the fire of those same damaging and divisive generalities.  

Despite a century or more of hurtful prejudice and crude stereotyping 
(of which The Sopranos is only the most recent manifestation), Italian 
Americans have made enormous contributions to this country--in combat, 
business, the arts, politics, science, and simply by bringing the warmth 
and generosity of their culture to these shores.  True enough that a recent 
poll showed most Americans would choose Italian heritage if they could.  

But the best Italian Americans, and the wisest people of all groups and 
races manage to rise above Alexander's adolescent divisiveness and 
illogical manipulation of examples (Columbus sailed for Spain, which 
somehow disqualifies him as an Italian; some of Italy's greatest artists 
hailed from the wealthy north, which somehow disconnects them from 
their linguistic, historical, cultural, genetic, religious, and attitudinal
links to the south).  

The last thing Americans need right now--and certianly the last thing 
Italian Americans need--is the kind of half-baked fluff you printed under 
Hansen Alexander's name.

Sincerely,
Roland Merullo

(Author of the novels Revere Beach Boulevard, A Russian Requiem, 
and Leaving Losapas, and Visiting Lecturer in Fiction Writing at 
Amherst College.)
===================================================
Dear Sirs:
>From Eugene Mirabelli

I read the article by Hansen Alexander this morning. It's astonishing
that any newspaper in this country would print that collection of
malicious stereotypes about Italian Americans, and especially surprising
that a newspaper of  the stature or the St. Augustine Record would have
on its staff such an outright bigot.  

Is Mr. Alexander writing a similar article full of outrageous stereotypes 
about African Americans to run on Martin Luther King Day? Has he 
considered writing similar articles about Jews and Muslims. 

Your Hansen Alexander is a disgrace to your newspaper.

Eugene Mirabelli
=====================================================
Subject:Letter to the Editor
From: Dominic Tassone 

To the editors of the PAPER VOTED AMERICA's WORST (by me):

I read with simmering annoyance that quickly yielded to nausea, 
'COMMENTING ON ITALIAN PEOPLE - OPINION' by Hansen Alexander. 
Was this meant as satire? If so it should have been labeled as such. 
Alexander's patronizing yet condescending anti-Italian rant is truly 
disturbing - what's worse is that the St. Augustine Record management 
saw this as fit to print! 

With one article Alexander sideswipes and belittles the accomplishments 
of hard-working and especially successful Italians everywhere. Alexander 
offers neither context nor meaning to his divisive gibberish, making 
outrageous and bigoted statements directed at the entire ethnic group.

Is it any wonder then that the selectively ignorant Alexander failed to
mention the litany of successful team-playing consensus building-
athletes,coaches, entrepreneurs and business executives? Let's not 
forget the 500,000 military servicemen and officers that were team 
players during WW II.

Somehow they managed to get the job done - people like John Basilone. 
But since he did mention politicians it is interesting that his "research" 
into Italian-American politicians failed to recognize that politicians don't 
get very far without being coalition-builders. No mention of like 
Mercantonio, Marzullo or Annunzio to name some others. What about 
business leaders like Gianinni, Grace, Iacocca, Fiorina, Gallo, Boaiardi, 
Obici, Paulucci, De Luca, Perenchio, Golisano, Jacuzzi etc...Surely 
they must have been able to muster up "collegial consensus" somehow 
in order to build such successful businesses. 

Here is a primer on politics for the dim-witted Alexander - it's called the 
Republic form of government. Created by the Romans. Rome is in
Italy you know. "All men are created equal" borrowed by Thomas 
Jefferson from Filippo Mazzei; Francesco Vigo a successful trader died 
penniless after fronting arms to the revolutionary army; Caesar Rodney - 
signer of the Declaration of Independence. It is likely that such historical 
facts mean little to Hansen Alexander. In his limited view he already 
knows how Italians are. Why muddle up such great thinking with 
something like facts?

What a consensus-builder Alexander must be - pushing all those words 
around by his lonesome.

How is Columbus Day about "cheap wine and vigilantism?" That is a 
thinly disguised slur against people of southern Italian ancestry. 
Christopher Columbus while originating from Genoa came from 
middle-class origins and is revered by all kinds of people for his tenacity, 
intelligence and entrepreneurial spirit. For what will Hansen Alexander 
be remembered? 

Next is the swipe at the current prime-minister Silvio Berlusconi, a 
successful businessman who has returned to politics. How unpolitician-
like: he spoke his mind! I wonder if Alexander actually listened to 
Berlusconi speak or as many lazy journalists read someone else's words 
taken out of context? Based on the mean-spirited piece he wrote we 
can only surmise the obvious. The character assignation is almost 
complete with the emphasis on the "Italian tradition of mistresses." 
As if adultery is somehow a phenomenon unique to Italians - that must 
be how all the goodly Americans learned it! Last, I think Antonin Scalia 
is quite happy. It is Hansen Alexander who is frustrated.

According to Alexander's perturbed brand of tripe - Italians are 
hopelessly individualistic, egotistical, authoritarians-in-waiting fit only 
for 
certain jobs and not others. How interesting! Yet, I failed to note the 
credentials Alexander has to even speak about what Italians are fit for 
doing in the first place? He ought to stay away from social commentary 
and stick with work more his speed like 'Hemingway summers' and pining 
about 'The president's summer vacation'. I wonder if your paper's editorial 
staff would dare print such stereotype-promoting rant about any other 
ethnic group?

Unfortunately since I live in Chicago I don't have a copy of your paper
can't burn or flush it and I don't have a birdcage.

Perhaps Hanson Alexander, the St. Augustine editors and the executives 
ought to read President Bush's Columbus Day statement about Italians. 
THEN YOU OUGHT TO PUBLISH AN APOLOGY and print the President's 
speech in place of Alexander's next article.

Dominic Tassone, Publisher
Mobilito Media LLC
Chicago, IL