TODAY'S LETTERS: 'In The Valley of Elah' and The 'Desert Morning News' Editor

By: E&P Staff Readers wrote in this week about the new film, "In The Vally of Elah" as well as about the editor of The Desert Morning News editor.


The Story Behind New Film 'In the Valley of Elah'
Although the movie ?In The Valley of Elah? is fictitious, it is a great film that will hopefully inspire the American people to seek the truth about the deceptions behind the Iraq War. The true story of Richard Davis' murder will be told in the upcoming book by Cilla McCain, tentatively titled ?Murder in Baker Company?. ?Elah? producers Paul Haggis and Larry Becsey care greatly about conveying the real circumstances surrounding this
tragic murder, and are assisting in the creation of a documentary based on McCain's research.

?Murder in Baker Company? follows Richard Davis? parents, Lanny and Remy, in their journey to discover what happened to their son and why. Both Army officials and the District Attorney's office of Columbus, Georgia have participated in the suppression of evidence. Between the government and the obstacles of small-town Southern justice, Lanny and Remy have been engaged in a war of their very own.

In an effort to abolish the possibility of another
family suffering a similar hardship, Lanny and Remy Davis have set up The Richard Thomas Davis Foundation
For Peace. This foundation will assist any military
family whose son or daughter has made it home from the war only to turn up missing. Military red tape makes
it almost impossible for these families to get the
help they desperately need to obtain justice. While the Army was refusing to classify Richard as a missing person instead of AWOL, his remains lay in the Georgia
woods for four months.


Frank Weimann
The Literary Group International
New York, N.Y.


Not that it matters much, but I think you missed one of the main points to the movie. It may be based on a real story, but it is also rank Hollywood anti-war propaganda. Most soldiers are nowhere nearly as psychotic as the men in that film, and however grotesque the murder of the real soldier may be, the incidence of grotesque murders committed by soldiers at home is far less than the grotesque murders committed by civilians.

The least credible scene, once I had a chance to step back, was the squeaky clean looking soldier's absolute unawareness of how his auditors were taking his confession. There are stupid people out there, but very few as stupid as that. That particular character was capable of appearing to be normal.

And yes, the star of the film did do a very good job. Too good.

One question: Do you really think Army people are as so totally without souls as the functionaries depicted in that flick? If so, you are a true snob, just as Barbra Streisands of the world are, too.

And, by the way, I think the Iraq war is a very botched war, and there is much to condemn, but do it without aiding the pricks who are demonising decent men and women who have fought in that war.


Herb Yood
Orleans, Mass.



Editor Defends Attending Conference that Barred Media
Deseret Morning News editor Joe Cannon doesn't regret attending last weekend's no-coverage-allowed conservative policy conference. "There are a bunch of interesting people in town and there was no restriction on my talking to people," he tells Joe Strupp. "Would I have liked to get reporters in there? Yes, but I didn't make the rules."

Isn't an editor the ultimate reporter?


John E. Mollwitz



He scored a coup on his competition by getting into the conference. While ethically he cannot report on the conference itself, he gained valuable background info on the players who attended the conference.

The Salt Lake Trib is jealous of the Desert coup and are saying he committed an ethical error in attending.

If that is true, then all editors, weekly and dailies, that are members of various civic boards should resign their position on those boards.

By continuing to remain on those civic boards, like industrial development boards, those editors have a leg up on the competition who are not privy to the information that those board members do.

Georg T. Gordon