To the Editor:

It has been a long time since I took advantage of the facilities at the YMCA in Guilderland. After far too many days of hearing nasty and racist comments by the men who used the hot tub, and sarcastic comments to me when I frowned, I decided the facilities were not worth the insults to our country and to me.

I did not “report” them to the management of the YMCA. They have the right to freedom of speech whether I like their biased views or not. However, I have that same right to hold opinions that are not theirs.

I am not generally a viewer of CNN, Fox, MSNBC, or any other news program. There are newspapers and radio broadcasts that provide me with the information I need to make an informed decision on issues. But to allow a few people to dictate what news we should be allowed to see when we have the time is a violation of my rights as well as those of others.

The answer, as mentioned in the article “TVs at the YMCA no longer play CNN” [The Altamont Enterprise, Sept. 6, 2018], is to have access to both types of news for those who would like to use their time in the gym, not to limit our access.

And maybe someone should tell those rude and obnoxious men in the hot tub that they have no right to impose their views on others if they’re not willing to have them do likewise.

Dr. Joanne Powers

Co-Chair

Department of Mathematics

The College of Saint Rose

Albany