I received the following email from someone who came across American Vision’s website:

“I don’t trust any site that doesn’t allow comments on articles.”

I responded by stating that I try to answer every email that comes across my computer. It may take me some time to get to all of them, but I try. He wrote back, not satisfied with my answer:

“I believe people have the right to know how other people view the articles. I don’t trust any site that doesn’t allow comments on articles.”

Here was my response:

I’ve been doing this for a long time. I’ve written over 20 books. I put up at least four articles every week on the AV site. I publish a monthly magazine and respond to emails on a daily basis. This all costs me time and AV money.

Since the American Vision site is paid for by AV monies, I do not believe that AV is obligated to open it up to those who do not have a stake in its costs.

The internet is a forum of wide open spaces; if someone wants to criticize something I’ve written, he can do it but on his own nickel. You can search the web to see that this has been done. You will find numerous articles critical of my opinions. If someone doesn’t like something I’ve written in a book, he can publish his own book in response. This, too, has been done. I don’t owe him a free forum to express his views. If someone wanted to write a book in response to something I’ve written, would I be obligated to publish and advertise it?I don’t think so. It’s no different for opinions expressed on a web site.

I’ve engaged in public debates on numerous topics for 20 years. AV offers some of these debates in video and audio form. I do radio interviews. I love call in programs. I did a 3-day, 7.5 hour interview where callers got to ask me questions. We offer it, unedited except for commercials, as “Gary DeMar Under Fire."

The purpose of our site is not to engage in discourse. We have an opinion, and it is stated. We also offer educational materials that reflect our worldview. If a person has a different opinion, he can state it on his own site and offer his own support materials. This is what makes the First Amendment so great.

You state, “I believe people have the right to know how other people view the articles." You may believe it, but there is no such inherent or constitutional right that makes it so. You do have the right to make your opinions known, but there is nothing that says that I or anyone else should have to pay for it.