It didn't really surprise me that someone would call.
Abortion is a volitile issue and the opinion was liberal.
It's my belief, though, that the purpose of an editorial page isn't to reinforce your opinions, but to challenge them. So the call didn't take me aback, but the caller most certainly did. I always find myself getting surprised at the most surprising times. The caller was a woman in her late 40s, intelligent and well-spoken. She doesn't live in our part of East Texas, but she has at least one close friend here whom she visits from time to time.