Anonymous Letters by Joe McVeigh

Over many years, since I started commenting on matters social and religious, I have received many anonymous letters in the post. At one time some anonymous letters referring to me appeared in the newspapers. I think that most newspapers have stopped this unprofessional practice. Since the invention of the internet I have received anonymous comments online. 

The letters still keep coming from these deranged people. I received an anonymous letter today supporting the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and the mass murder of Palestinian people. It was probably prompted by a letter which I had published last week about US support for the Zionists. 

I have kept some of these anonymous letters in the hope that someday we will find out the identities of the sick people who wrote them. 

Some of these letters are vicious and threatening. Some stated that I will come ‘to a sad end’. Others make allegations about me. Some are pages long -others are short.  They are all written by sick and mentally unbalanced people.

I know other people who have received anonymous letters and some have shared them with me. Recently, I was looking over some of these and, to my surprise I noticed a similar pattern. In some the type is similar to letters sent to me which suggests the same person has written them. There is never an address at the top of the letters. In my case they sometimes begin ‘Hello Joe’. In other letters to friends they begin ‘Hello Pat’ or ‘Hello Mary’. The anonymous writer then goes on to berate me often using the foulest language you could think off. They usually refer to something I have said or written. Sometimes, the spelling leaves a lot to be desired and the handwriting is difficult to make out. Some are written in fancy handwriting.

Sometimes, I wonder why people write these anonymous letters. It must give these sad and mentally sick people some kind of satisfaction. These pathetic people have nothing to offer anybody. Writing and posting anonymous letters is clearly a form of harassment and intimidation. It is another form of criminality.

I am sure the police on both sides of the border could do a lot more to track down these sick people who send anonymous letters. Some are posted in the south but most of them are posted in the north.

I do not pay much heed to them but I think a greater effort should be made to identify these sick and cowardly people.