Dear George,

I'm baffled at the belief expressed by some that cross-burning doesn't qualify as free expression. One might burn a cross to express my distaste for the Catholic Church. Another might do to express their hatred for African Americans. Yet another might do so to dispose of a cross-shaped piece of wood.

I wonder if your readers would find it acceptable to burn a plus-shaped wooden structure in opposition of additive mathematics. How about a star of David? An American flag? Maybe an effigy of a black man -- do we need a special law to cover that?

We have laws against intimidation, public burning, trespassing, etc. There's no rational reason to tread on our right to free expression to ban the ignition of an arbitrary assembly of wooden beams.

Best,

Waldo Jaquith (electronic mail, November 11, 2001).