Good grief, Mr. Eckstrom, leave Charlie Brown out of this

The State newspaper and other websites and publications have published South Carolina’s latest addition to the humor material of the national media: the emails sent to Superintendent of Education candidate Kelly Payne by Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom.

Reading through the emails published is uncomfortable. On some level, such seemingly pathetic drivel from Eckstrom to Payne is none of our business. It has the makings of a Jerry Lee Lewis song. VUI would go on about privacy except for two things.

First, both Eckstrom and Payne have surrounded themselves with politicos who would go after the hint of sex scandal against anyone opposed to their candidacies or agendas. Those politicos make fun of other political figures in the most personal and nasty of nature. While VUI is all for humor, some of the stuff put out by people in those camps over the years has just been downright mean. It seems sort of a rough justice that two of their pet “reform” candidates are caught up in such a thing.

Second, Eckstrom had to invoke Peanuts. That is where VUI draws the line. The Peanuts Cartoon is an American treasure. It is good clean American fun for people off all ages. It is simply unacceptable for someone to use Peanuts to make a wronged would be lover email. Here is the content of that email, as published in the State:

From: Richard Eckstrom
Subject: PEANUTS II
To: “Kelly Payne”
Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009, 11:33 PM
Dear Lucy,
I’m so very dense…some things will NEVER change (diarrhea- you’ve used that one at least 3 times now, headaches, tired and worn-out – you use that over and over including this afternoon, stress, politics, throwing up, kids being bad, etc. etc. etc…). I’m clearly just your comic strip joke.
I know from experience that a person never has enough time to fit in everything, but most people make room in their lives for the things they really desire. It’s become more and more clear you don’t desire to make me any meaningful part of your life.
Your call. No hard feelings…but sure I’m disappointed. Anyway I should be spending more time lavishing my dear mother with the consistent, dependable, sacrificial love she lavished on me for a lifetime. Best of all, she’d delight in every measure of love I’d show her.
Hopefully your friend anyway but at a less threatening level to you. You can keep the football.
Charlie Brown
(end)

What a disservice to Charlie Brown. Charlie Brown was no piss ant. He would shout “Aaugh!” when Lucy moved the football he was trying to kick, but he then went on with life. He did not write letters to Lucy about unfair it was she moved the football. Charlie Brown never brought his mama into the conversation. That is just wrong.

So, Mr. Eckstrom, you can write pining letters to whomever, but please, leave Charlie Brown’s name out of it. Good ole Charlie Brown does not need his name smeared so.