In response to last week's letter warning people about scammers setting up bogus charity sites to try and profit from the 9-11 terrorist tragedy, I received this letter.

Hi ! I feel you should define "profit from this tragedy."

Selling an American Flag for the same price a store has been selling them for all year is NOT profiting from a tragedy.

Selling an American Flag for DOUBLE or TRIPLE the old price WOULD BE profiting from a tragedy.

As would jacking up the price of gasoline, etc. Selling Tee Shirts, Bumper Stickers, etc. with Flags on them is NOT profiting from a tragedy.

People want these things, and someone needs to supply them. The small merchants selling them are already being hurt by the economic impact of reduced Consumer Spending, reduced Tourism, etc. Is it Patriotic to further assure the bankruptcy of many small business people by telling them they should be giving these things away for free? NO!!

Small Businesses do not get their products for free, and they must pay taxes, rent, heat, and they must eat!!

They do not get paid Holidays or Vacations. Most do not have Pension Plans. Many cannot even afford Health Insurance!!

It is outrageous when people on the street, with significant, guaranteed incomes, point their fingers at a corner vendor with his American Flag T-Shirts and then accuse the merchant of some moral deficiency.

Please SUPPORT THE SMALL MERCHANTS OF AMERICA !!! R.

-- Hi R.,

I struggled with the issue of "profiting from this tragedy" last week when a reporter asked us what we thought about eBay's banning all WTC/Pentagon memorabilia.

While I understand eBay's offensive items policy, which would cover things like rubble from the tragedy, I believe their extension of the policy to ban any item with WTC/Pentagon in the auction title went too far; the ban includes New York City postcards and calendars. I think the policy was well meaning, but unrealistic and unenforceable. I put in a search for the term "terrorism" on eBay and came up with over 100 auctions. I entered the term "Titanic" and "War" and came up with thousands of auctions for each.

Many people won't agree with me. But I don't think any of us want a corporation to dictate to us our morals. There are a lot of people voicing their opinions on forums; THAT is one of the things that makes this country so great - free speech. I hope the terrorists don't take that away from us.

Ina