Letters to the Editor
mctuna
Published Letters: 4 Editor's Choice: 2
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Hillary w/o tears
[Read the article: Hillary without tears]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am a conservative western Republican. I was part of the sage brush rebellion and a Reagan Republican. So, the thought here is that I will trash all Democrats simply for existing. I won't.
I think Ms. Paglia may be right in many of her views. I hae no expertise in psychology so it is only through observation that I comment as I now live in the NY district Ms. Clinton serves. However, I think it is time to state that I and many Republicans will cross over to vote for Mr. Obama. All Republicans will go the mat to vote against Mrs Clinton. The question is why?
After years of drama and incompetence people including me and others like me are looking for a sense of idealism. Reagan gave that to the Republicans and Mr. Obama can bring that same sense now. His credentials are better than some and as good as most but his ability to communicate is superb and the message he brings is vibrant and hopeful and it is about time we had one of those. If elected we would have to hope he would surround himself with those better than himself.
As for Ms. Clinton, most Republicans would bite their tongue and vote for Huckaby than for her. The Republican Right would turn out in droves. They would take on a crusade mentality not so much because they would like the Republican candidate but because they harbor a dislike for Hillary that goes to the core of their being.
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Electing Obama
[Read the article: Obama's historic run heads south]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I grew up in the South and lived through part of the period referenced in the article. I believe that Mr. Obama can be elected. I just don't think he can be elected when running against the Clinton machine. If a white southerner said the same things about Mr. Obama he would be accused of racism and vilified accordingly. With former President Clinton its "just good old Bill, you know how he is. After all he was the first black president." Mr. Obama is running against a ruthless politician and will not survive it. That is unfortunate for him the Democratic Party and the nation.
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Friend's chemo
[Read the article: A friend is doing chemo. What should I say?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My wife underwent chemotherapy for 6 months recently and our friends noticed and had questions. Based on that experience I offer this advice. Tell your friend:"I understand you are going through chemotherapy. Tell me what you need and want and I will do it", then leave it at that. Tel her caregiver the same thing. Cancer and the therapy are painful and difficult and intensely private despite all the public groups. If your friend or her significant other want help they will ask for it. All you can do is offer and respond. Good luck to all of you.
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Briana and the ELFs
[Read the article: Is Briana Waters a terrorist?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is highly likely that Briana had little or nothing to do with ELF. However it points out several issues that white middle class kids posing don't seem to understand.
First point is that while it is exciting to pretend to be a radical activist and fight "the man" in reality "the man" usually wins. Ask the ladies formerly with the SLA and Weather Underground.
Secondly white middle class kids in the US are not the hardened cadres needed to pull these feats off. They are amateurs and behave like them
Third as a fellow in the Texas Rangers once told me, "There is no one in the world who will rat a partner out faster than a white middle class college kid who has just been busted."
If she was involved with the ELF to any degree she was probably the weakest one and the one who was set up to take the fall once the thing began collapsing. It is a shame but if you decide to fight you should be ready to get hurt. White middle class kids pretending to be terrorists and activists are too soft, too undisciplined and too easy to wedge to pull something like this off, not that it should be pulled off at all. In fact, what the ELF did was wrong, criminal, against the law, counterproductive and just plain stupid. Remember kids "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime."