I read with interest last week’s opinion piece in The Globe (Political brainwashing endangers Marysville school’s funding … submitted by a lawyer for The Heartland Institute) which is critical of Marysville School Board President Michael Kundu’s response to their apparently unsolicited distribution of ‘Global Warming is a Myth’ materials to thousands of School Board presidents.

Probably like most of your readers, I wondered what is “The Heartland Institute,” who is financing these efforts, and for what purpose? In searching I find that The Heartland Institute is a Chicago-based conservative “think tank” with tax exempt status, allied with groups, whose purpose is, among other things, to promote the idea that global warming is a myth.

We can debate the causes of global warming, and are unlikely to easily come to a consensus. However, It seems clear that Global Warming is happening, and countries of the world are debating how best to respond to the threat. A positive response is required If we are not to leave the earth to future generations in a worse condition than we inherited it.

Some people believe the world is flat. Others that Barack Obama was born in Kenya and became elected our President as the result of a conspiracy. In our country, all of us, including those who espouse out of the mainstream views, have every right to their opinions and the right to express them.

I’m glad we have local control of our schools and that the local leadership of the Marysville School Board has the common sense to reject the suggestion that ideas such as these should be taught as fact.

Charles D. Fay

Marysville