Facts needed checked in Barack Obama letter

I find it surprising, to put it mildly, that the Herald saw fit to publish Janney Chandler's letter to the of Dec. 6, without doing a little basic fact-checking. For instance:

Senator Barack Obama is a Christian; he has been a member of the United Church of Christ since the 1980's.

Iran is a country; the Muslim Holy Book is the Koran.

Her "information" about Islam is not only incorrect but defamatory.

Representative Keith Ellison, of Minnesota, was sworn into office using a copy of the Koran that once belonged to Thomas Jefferson.

While Chandler certainly has the right to have her opinion published, it does her and the rest of your readership a disservice to showcase her ignorance and bigotry in this way.

Rebecca Shearer

Bonners Ferry