Mr: Keillor: Count me in your "amen" corner. Briefly, my background was Orthodox Judaism, then agnosticism, and on March 31, 2002, I was baptized at St. James Episcopal Church of Leesburg, Va., at the Great Easter Vigil.

Like most people who associate with some faith, I'm struggling. Most people who have my last name are Orthodox Jews, and your words "And all those lousy holiday songs by Jewish guys" hit the mark.

It raised the ire of my cousin, who became quite visceral. He is a lovable mensch who isn't that religious, but like others who aren't strong in their faith, circled the wagon on this. He thinks that this is the slippery slope to the gas chamber, or to quote Oliver Wendell Holmes, yelling fire in a crowded theater. My view is that my cousin is misguided and this is free speech. Repressing this is a danger to people of all faiths or no faith.Sander Peretz Fredman, Leesburg, Va.