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Dear Armstrong,

I wrote the below letter a few days ago, but had hesitated to send it...

I just heard your discussion on MSNBC about Don Imus and want you to know that your comments were, probably the most reasoned, rationial, and generous I have heard thus far and I have had the radio on all day.  I, too, remember his outrage during Katrina and something like this just reminds us, once again, that humans have always been and will continue to be complicated, conflicted beings.

M. McCall

Dear Mr. Williams,

I thought it might interest you to know that I have evidence, right here in High Point, which leads me to believe that Hell has frozen over, pigs have begun to fly and meteorologists are forecasting a very cold day this coming July.  How do I know these things, you might ask?  I know because something else I never imagined possible has happened. An Armstrong Williams column is prominently displayed on my refrigerator.  I also have copies of others strewn across my desk.  I even found myself heading for my computer one morning last week to listen to your web cast.  I sat there, stunned, to hear my own opinions about Israel and American foreign policy coming out of your mouth.

For years, I felt that there were few people farther apart, philosophically or politically, than you and I.  I would read your column and, most likely, throw it across the room or worse.  I can’t think of much we agreed upon. You were my antithesis.  You railed against almost everything I thought was right and espoused many policies and people I considered abhorrent. Perhaps I should have stopped reading; however, you were a paradox to me.  I couldn’t figure out how someone, whose writing I perceived to be so judgmental and mean-spirited, could be so well thought of personally by people I liked and respected. So, I read on and fumed.  Occasionally, you would write about someone who had made a difference in your life and I would detect a softer nature under all that invective. Then you would come along appearing to be toting another bucket of water for the neo-cons and I would be back to throwing newspapers with smoke coming out of my head.

Recently, I have discovered a new Armstrong Williams.  I have noticed a profound difference in your writing, both in style and substance. I don’t know what initiated the change, but I’m now reading the words of a man with the courage and wisdom to, not only, examine his beliefs and positions and modify the ones that no longer serve him, but to also open his mind to new concepts; a practice sorely lacking in our national discourse. Your piece on poverty (the one on my refrigerator) was knowledgeable and compassionate.  Your comments about the war and the problems concerning the Middle East show that you are not afraid to speak truth to power (of course, you never were one to hold back.) Your thoughts on “ghetto language,” caused me to rethink my own position.

My problem with your earlier work had as much to do with tone as with content. Your tone is, now, markedly different. Conversation and compassion have replaced dogma and diatribe. I now look forward to your column. This week’s column contained the nucleus of my own personal philosophy: “…each of us…must make the effort to smile…hug…or listen…simple acts of kindness…will continue to transform the world…” Frankly, considering the many monumental mistakes by our “leaders” and the proliferation of our acquisition/entertainment based culture, I was beginning to lose faith that real progress could be made on any of our nation’s or the world’s pressing problems.  I have changed my mind.  If two such, seemingly, disparate folks as you and I can occupy common ground, then surely there is hope for the rest of humanity.  I join you in believing that as long as we continue to smile, thank God and keep pressing forward, we can make, not only our own personal world, but the larger one, as well, a far more hospitable place.  The most important lesson I have learned in more than six decades is that being happy, like having a good day, is a conscious choice. I’m glad to know that you are also making that choice.  Please keep writing.  We may not always agree, but I will surely be reading.

Warmest regards,
Micki McCall
High Point, NC

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Armstrong,
 
Thank you so much for your kind email. As always, it was an honor and pleasure to be on with you. One of the things that I appreciate about your show -- and I think I've mentioned this to you before -- but you have real conversations with the guests. Most talk hosts opt for sloganeering and soundbites; you offer real substantive discussion. Wish there were more shows like that.
 
Have a blessed weekend,
Brian Saint-Paul

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