Letters to the Editor
GeeJay
Published Letters: 117 Editor's Choice: 19
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Call to arms
[Read the article: Bush's tangled arms deal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Mr. Kamiya presents what seem to be plausible points of discussion in regards to the proposed Middle East arms deal.
Unfortunately, those who control the discussion will not entertain such thoughts. As all know, arms dealing is BIG business within the USA. So far the Bush administration has paid back the oil interests, the large corporations, the military supply interests, and the otherwise wealthy. This is one of the last cabals he must take care of before he leaves his gargoylian perch. Bush will be repaid with perpetual ransom, but not with respect.
Too bad we as a country would embrace such an arms deal. Maybe we are the chosen country of God, where one American life is worth more than a 1,000 Arabian of Persian lives? Maybe it won’t matter that we become perpetrators of another 20 years of mass violence? It’s so nice to think that one is always the cleverest person in the room, isn't it Mr. Bush.
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Stupid is in the eye of the beholder
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Just some counter thoughts to The King’s article.
It should be recognized that for Vick’s actions to be labeled “stupid” it must be assumed that he put his football career and the multi-millions of dollars yet to be earned as his paramount goal. Perhaps football and the additional millions were not that important to him. Perhaps he realized he had enough money to last several lifetimes and that football is a tedious, violent job. Thus losing the money and the football accolades is not being stupid. Barry Sanders and Robert Smith left their careers early, but rarely are they called stupid for doing so.
Vick was probably associated with the dog fighting environment for at least a decade. To state that he knew he would eventually be busted for such activities goes against the fact that he had not been busted in his lifetime. It would be “smarter” to think that he could continue with his dog fighting, especially since he had a lot of money to veil his involvement.
As far as Vick being a “waste of potential”, I think that his potential (as with most football players) lies beyond a football field, beyond entertaining “middle-class urban white guys who haven't been influenced by gangsta hip-hop”. In fact, this episode may lead him to a more meaningful potential, whatever that may be.
Also note that Vick’s current personal wealth (money he can not lose in any subsequent contract action) is probably more than The King will earn in a lifetime of scribing. If the article is about the value and accumulation of money, who is stupid? And imagine the money that a book authored by Vick, “Dog Bites Man – A Dog Fighter’s Confession” would earn!
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Literary characters
[Read the article: Fantasy island]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The obvious literary models for the Bush White House are the characters from “Animal Farm”.
Bush is of course Napoleon, the Berkshire boar (or is it bore?), who is ruthless in his attempt to grab all power.
Rove is Squealer, the rotund, sycophant porker whose interest is in political policy and propaganda.
Minimus is Gerson, the writer without a moral compass, ready to do glorify the inglorious.
The Bush administration is full of memorable characters from the dark side who are admired because of the fear of the beholder.
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In a sense
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Except for children, innocence in sports has never existed. From Greek athletes to today’s Geek athletes, there are no super heroes.
But it is always fun to pretend, to believe that the innocence, the beautiful part of our childhood was real. We associate with an athlete who we believe we could have become, if only we had the proper breaks. We do not want our vicariousness exposed. When the jolly, self effacing OJ Simpson was exposed as a stalking murderer we were confronted with the fact that we all have a part of us that is better left hidden. We need to believe in innocence because the alternative is so unattractive.
Sport is entertainment. A great sporting event is like a great movie or book. It is a three part play that is great when it forces one to hit all the keys of our human emotions.
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Not so fast
[Read the article: Where there's smoke]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The relationship related only with hatred. The drought of August 2008 in Minneapolis was at its peak. Watering restrictions had been in place for ten days. At night, during the water restrictions, neighbor A snuck over to neighbor B’s hollyhocks, that formed a right angled border with neighbor A’s front lawn, and deluged them with water.
Neighbor B’s pride had him believing his expert gardening skills had produced such resilient, luxurious plants. He smiled snidely when glancing at Neighbor A’s spindly hollyhocks.
Neighbor A used his telephone to complain to the local police about his neighbor using precious water on decorative flora. This, of course, led to an indictment of Neighbor B for watering plants.
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And the beat goes on.
[Read the article: The waning power of the War Myth]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]In my opinion, Mr. Bush’s reflection on the Vietnam War was a stab at reinforcing his “base”. He created an argument that will help distract attention from vital matters – that being its sole and only purpose. Cheap politics construed by cheap minds.
I had hoped that there would be no more Ari Fleischer sightings. It is a sad day when this rank propagandist reaches out to flaunt his Republican sycophantism. It is revolting to watch someone who believes they have overreaching intelligence display the baseness of amoral persuasion.
The creation of the Iraqi War can best be described by a single word. Evil. For those who can not understand this, you have best defined your station in life. A station far away from your intended destination.