What's with all this nonsense about censorship? How paranoid can one get? Big headlines in the New Mexican, "Censorship feeds American unease," and "Pilger case follows pattern in the U.S." Tommy rot.

Yes the Lannan Foundation was slow in getting out its rationale for canceling the John Pilger visit, speech making and film showing. This was unfortunate to be sure and certainly not the best public-relations management one should expect from an otherwise professional operation like Lannan. But for the armchair critics to come leaping out of their chairs into attack mode was excessive and premature.

It turned out that most Santa Feans had other things that they preferred to do. In spite of full page ads, only 152 tickets had been sold out of the possible 820-seat Lensic Performing Arts Center. It was rightfully felt by those responsible for the arrangements that such a turnout would be an affront to anyone having just flown 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

Stepping back a few paces, is our community appropriately appreciative of the Lannan Foundation for its efforts at bringing notables to Santa Fe for our edification? While, to be sure, their generally leftish bent is not where I'm coming from, nevertheless it seems to me it has served this community well in its efforts. The expenses involved, the honoraria paid, the time, efforts and staff costs to make these presentations occur over the years, should all be applauded.

Santa Fe is fortunate indeed to be the beneficiary of all these significantly underwritten events. Who else would have bothered to do so and could we expect these many dignitaries and creative individuals over the years to have been expected to otherwise place this city different of only 65,000 souls on their performance itineraries?

Hence when I read the My Views and the outraged letters to the editor from a community accusing Lannan or others of "censorship," it makes me step back and wonder the cause. Is this a further manifestation of the "something for nothing" mentality that is infecting our citizens? "We deserve this: how dare 'they' take it away?"

Is it because it is assumed that some government bogeyman has come out of a dark closet to deny us our daily dose of free intellectual pap because it might not have been politically correct? Does there have to be an evil rationale to a decision that appears to have been constructive and empathetic to the individuals involved?

Patrick Lannan has been a generous proponent of thoughtful expression to this community. Whether or not one agrees with the general tenor of those he sponsors, it is his foundation's money that is paying the piper. It would be a tragedy if the intemperate wailers and gnashers of teeth were to inadvertently cause him to cut off his support for the people and venues that he has generously provided over the past several years.

Indeed, censorship is unbecoming to our city, state and nation. These days there seem to be continuous threats to freedom of speech and expression that occur in the voting process, in the electioneering process, in the arts and entertainment field and other areas. In my opinion, the charges of censorship or other invasions of our freedoms are not something that should be leveled indiscriminately and certainly not without some basis in fact.

Our freedoms are much too much the core of what America is truly about, so that we should not encourage cheap and unfounded raving and ranting. Falsely crying wolf is a good way to make sure that help is not available when needed. Let's hope Lannan turns the other cheek and gives this city many other opportunities to benefit from those he chooses to bring to our city. If his foundation doesn't, who will? And lest there be any doubt, this writer has no relationship of any sort with this individual or organization.

Santa Fean Gregg Bemis is an industrialist/adventurer and a concerned senior citizen.