We finally sent in a donation to public radio and television this afternoon. I was cleaning up my desk before going, and paying out bills that would fall due while I was gone, and I came on the plea from KMBH that we’d received in December– but which I’d been shuffling to the bottom of the stack since– and we had to give it due consideration at last.

We decided that we’d more than double the support from last year– since we’d been appalled and skipped sending a support check– but that I would attach a note expressing or dismay over the station manager’s handling of the “Hand of God” episode of Frontline. Our belief is that no institution is above scrutiny, and it was very wrong of him to suppress, even temporarily, honest reporting on an increasingly large and powerful institution, the Catholic Church, not because it is a church or the church, but because it is powerful and public at least in some of its practices and demands.

Here’s the note we wrote on the donation form:

We did not send anything last year. We withheld it because we disagreed with Fr. Briseño’s actions regarding the Frontline episode, “Hand of God.” Further, we don’t believe Fr. Briseño was honest about his actions. I wrote to the PBS Ombudsman about the situation, and nothing in his reporting–or any other source– supports Briseño’s statements. I question his honesty in the matter.

On the other hand, we support an independent, public televisions and radio and, Fr. Briseño’s irresponsibility aside, want to support KMBH.

There is still time for Fr. Briseño to do the honorable thing.

Well, I suppose this is two more cents on the garage floor going into someone else’s pocket because they weren’t close enough to that chalk line. Or it might be just some honest venting. My one true reader will understand, of course. We want public institutions to deal honestly with us. Nothing less will do.

And does any other thing matter?