An Open Letter January 4, 2010 The Los Angeles Times Posted on various ethnic websites Dear Times Editor: Once again the Los Angeles Times begins the New Year by revealing your ugly racism and religious bigotry. In today’s article “Only 2 more days till Armenian Christmas” on January 6th, the Times once again finds the need to insult one million Orthodox Christians in Los Angeles by totally ignoring the Russian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Syrian, Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Christians who for 2,000 years have celebrated Christmas on January 7th. It is also insulting to the hundreds of thousands of Greek Orthodox in this city in spite of the fact that they recently began celebrating Christmas on December 25th. Esmeralda Bermudez, the Times writer of this article, took pains to write: “Many will flock to Orthodox Christian churches to participate in a solemn, centuries-old service…” but went out of her way to make us invisible? This is the worse form of racism. Ms. Bermudez is no doubt a Roman Catholic willing to expose her contempt for Orthodox Christians? The staff at the Times cannot possibly be this ignorant, or this outrageously stupid? This writer, among many other Orthodox Christians in Los Angeles, has reminded the staff at the Times numerous times over the past 3 decades about the upcoming Orthodox Christmas and each time we have been totally ignored. So this has to be a deliberate, orchestrated effort against Orthodox Christians in this city. You’re shocking omissions are devious and unworthy of a major Metropolitan Newspaper; there is little doubt why the Times suffer from a declining readership. I suggest to my fellow Orthodox Christians in Los Angeles to stop subscribing to the Times, maybe that will get your attention. Hristos se Rodi (Merry Christmas). May God have mercy on your rotten souls? William Dorich Los Angeles The writer is the author of 5 books on Balkan history including his 1991 book, Serbian Genocide 1941-45, the 1992 book, Kosovo and the 1998 book, Hilandar Octocentenary commemorating the 800th anniversary of the Serbian monastery on Mt. Athos.
