Letters to the Editor
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the purloined letter
Not to continue to hijack this conversation away from the oleander problem (which I agree is difficult -- respecting the elderly woman's wishes vs. teaching the annoying neighbor lady a lesson), but I'll bet that the swimming pool entry was seen by the cousin who was using the pool. I had a friend who wrote a letter to Cary about her boyfriend, and one of her boyfriend's friends saw it, noticed a few similar details, and reported straight back to him, after which he confronted my friend about it. It was a mess, especially given that the letter was about potential break-up!
Anyway, if the cousin DID see it, well, good.
As to the lack of permission, I'm not sure I buy it. It's pretty clear on Salon where you send a letter for publication and where you don't. So I'm guessing the LW was Found Out - whether by her husband or her cousin, I'm not sure, but I'll bet she also didn't like the evisceration of her husband in the comments.
Either way, I hope it keeps the cousins out of the pool!