There's not much of a tradition of free speech in St. Johns County and the Record's firing of cartoonist Ed Hall is an abomination

How insecure the people at the Record must be that they let PHIL McDANIEL and crew intimidate them into firing a cartoonist. How badly in need of a union are the St. Augustine Record, Flagler COllege, Flagler Hospital, the St. Johns COunty government and the City of St. Augustine, to name just a few.

Founded in 1565 by monarchists, St. Augustine did not get a newspaper until 1777.

Lacking free Democratic traditions, caudillos have run the place ever since.

From WILLIAM B. HARRISS (City Manager) to BEN ADAMS (County Administrator), local dictators have terrified employees, contractors, franchisees and others.

Until 1982, the St. Augustine Record and Florida Times-Union were owned by a railroad. Sadly, the New York Times did not buy the Record and T-U when it had the chance in 1982. Instead, Morris Communications bought the two properties for $200 million.

Morris Communications never sues for Open Records or Sunshine violations. Instead, Morris wasted some $500,000 on a bogus antitrust lawsuit against the PGA, seeking real time golf score information (scores within 15 minutes of a round) -- information of primary use to professional gamblers (like the Morris boys, who own the only English-speaking radio station in the principality of Monaco, a world capital of gambling).

The Morris family has gambled enough with our freedom of speech here in St. Augustine -- it's time for them to put the Record on the market and let professional journalists run it, instead of professional censors and bluenosers, who even defended Congressman JOHN LUIGI MICA's head-butting an ABC news cameraman (contradicting their own news story on the issue).

Pray for them. Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

JFK said he wanted to be a newspaper publisher when he was no longer President because publishers have more power than Presidents. It's time for the St. Augustine Record Publisher to get serious about his job and to reinstate Ed Hall, with full backpay. Otherwise, he and the REcord will be the laughingstock of journalists everywhere, and ho one will want to work there.