Letters to the Editor
Uncle Fester
Published Letters: 1346 Editor's Choice: 12
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@NealJohnston
[Read the article: Geraldine Ferraro still needs to apologize]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What you said:
People argue as if Ferraro had claimed that the only reason he is a serious candidate is that he is black, that his race is a sufficient explanation for his success.
What she said:
"If [Barack] Obama was a white man, he would not be in this position. And if he was a woman (of any color) he would not be in this position. He happens to be very lucky to be who he is. And the country is caught up in the concept."
Since his current position is winner, he would be a loser if he was white. Inspite of all his other qualities and experience. And the other implication, that any white male with tremendous oratory skills, charisma, change message and superior campaign ground game couldn't beat Hillary is silly. Especially with Mark Penn around.
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@Neal J coulda been a contendah, I coulda been somebody!
[Read the article: Geraldine Ferraro still needs to apologize]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The distinction between the necessary and the sufficient cause is crucial. Agreed. I just don't think Ferraro made that distinction. That doesn't make her rascist. Just Wrong. Maybe you have some follow up verbiage I haven't seen that clears this all up.
[..] had he not been black, I think there would be a serious question whether he would be a contender at all at this point.
An interesting question, but speculative. And that brings up another point. Hillary Clinton hasn't run a great campaign, IM!HO, starting with deciding it would be over on Feb 5th and ending with her choice of advisors/consultants like Mark Penn. I personally think the change mandate was waiting for anyone to pick up. Hillary could have. She did not. Hillary could have had a strategy for capturing the ellusive youth vote. She did not. So I'm skeptical that only a lucky and black Obama could have threaded this needle. The champ showed up to fight out of shape and overconfident.
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@vmcla1 Moonies?
[Read the article: Geraldine Ferraro still needs to apologize]
[Read more letters about this article: Here][...] labelling everyone who remembers the legacy of LBJ as racist, then GF should apologize.
What are you talking about?
Remember LBJ? The president who passed the civil rights legislation? The same one who got swept away in the revisionist history about MLK getting it passed all byhimself?
Again, what are you talking about? We remember LBJ.
Here's what Hillary said: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9LhWUsrJnM
Hillary is saying MLK was a dreamer; LBJ was a doer. MLK had no power. LBJ had the power. She's also saying that Obama is a dreamer; Hillary is a doer. I think her statements were a major disaster that has nothing to do with race. She diminished a mythical hero by implying the hero couldn't get it done on his own; it took one of the hero's oppressors to make it happen. And she's implying that the same situation holds today, that you can't be a dreamer and a doer. At least not Obama. It's really inaustute to attack a hero. Look at how the Republicans defend Reagan and ignore all his shortcomings as a more recent example.
LBJ did a great thing with the civil rights act that caused great damage to the democratic party. He also escalated Nam, which didn't turn out to well. His historical level of government spending has only been exceeded by Bush 43. So we remember LBJ.
Finally, there is a MLK holiday. There is no LBJ holiday. It's always the dreamers that shift our view of what we are and what we can be. It's a lot of work to shift the view of the public, and soemtimes it's fatal.
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@maureen Gotta remember the History
[Read the article: Geraldine Ferraro still needs to apologize]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Although there is free speech in Britain, there are laws which protect a person from slander and libel. There is also a law against incitement to hatred.
As you probably know, British law is a lot stricter with respect to slander and libel. Here in the good ol' U.S. of A we can say all kinds of stuff.
And to me, the Rev Wright is black preacher in the old school tradition of black preachers in the US, He's angry, a bombthrower. Some of his material sounds hateful. And maybe it is, I don't know him. I don't see his anger and possible hatred as productive anymore. But I will cut him some slack. He remembers pre-64 America. He remembers secret medical studies undertaken using black people. He remembers the FBI involvement with MLK and Malcolm X. So I can understand if he is a little paranoid.
Sample Link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuskegee_Study_of_Untreated_Syphilis_in_the_Negro_Male
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@Arroyocat beauty contest
[Read the article: Carville wants resignation cease-fire]
[Read more letters about this article: Here][To Hutman] Clarify for me what was the last beauty contest you have won. I would love to see your stunning photograph in the "Winner's Circle."
Didn't you see the Running Man? Hutman is one of last season's winners.