Letters to the Editor
Penny Barrett Hornsby
Published Letters: 48 Editor's Choice: 3
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Say Wha...?
[Read the article: The endless Democratic party]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Donna & Veronica
Are you kidding? No...seriously...is what you say, tongue in cheek? Have you listened to Obama? What's his slogan again, oh yeah, that's right. Yes, WE can! Over and over and over again he says, we can do, we can change the way our country is run. Not I, but we. He never says that he will be the one, just that he will be there implementing programs to help US do it. I have followed this man for over 4 years and he is exactly as he appears - determined to make this a country that not only succeeds economically but socially. Clinton can't tell the truth. She is going on and on about a company that left the country (I cannot remember the name of if off hand) blaming Bush for not allowing it to leave for Asia, and the fact is - Bill let it go.
I am tired of monarchies. I am tired of the same people running this country..into the ground. This woman, Clinton, will always be the woman, for me, that stood up when I needed her to be a representative for the people, and backed this illegal war. She might have been duped but honestly, if I wasn't, why was she? Why is everyone so willing to forget that so many of our democratic representatives caved when we NEEDED them to stand up? Now we have been in this illegal war for 5 years, 4000+ bodies later, 10s of thousands injured, and God only knows how many Iraqis lives destroyed. And the money! Dear God! The trillions of dollars spent on what? It is nauseating.
Check out the 2.3 billion in pork Clinton has garnered for New York in earmarks. She IS the establishment. Do we really want more of this?
I will never forget how she betrayed the heart of the democratic party. I will vote for her if she is the nominee, simply because McCain isn't worth the risk. But it won't be because I believe in her by any stretch of the imagination.
I can't stand the tactics, I can't stand the lies. The beauty is, that Obama has set this whole thing up to show the ugliness of negative campaigning. So when the republican attack dogs come out, he can call it as it is - the same ol'partisan politics..aren't you sick of it? And both sides are. You got a taste of it after the ABC debate. People are struggling, scared, worried. They don't give a crap about all this nonsense. They want to know how this mess will be cleaned up.
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Revolution
[Read the article: Che anything]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]although I do see the irony in the image of a revolutionary anti-capitalist being depicted on everything from coffee cups to mouse pads, I have to say that I do understand it. To me it is the cry of the marginalized portion of our society, especially during this administration, to raise a lonely call for revolution. Perhaps not with pitchforks and homemade incendiary devices, but possibly by a grassroots effort. It has been a scary, terrible time for many people - people of color, of different religions than the mainstream, of alternative lifestyles. It has been a terrifying time for those that want to stand up and speak out, but are being incarcerated under all encompassing legislation, such as the Patriot Act.
I believe that Che stands for sweeping change that empowers the people. And during a time when people feel increasingly powerless, it a very thoughtful and meaningful symbol.
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Re-thinking Entertainment
[Read the article: Eight Belles' last run]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There is not one amongst us that doesn't revel in the beauty, the majesty of powerful animals performing at their peak. Watching a cheetah fly across the land, changing direction on a dime, witnessing a whale propel an incredible amount of weight out of the water and land, producing an amazing swell, catching a bird of prey swoop and clutch a tiny animal from a dizzying height. There is something so pure and beautiful in these acts that once you witness them, you are able to bring that image back up, and swoon all over again.
Unfortunately, watching elephants perform tricks, witnessing horses push themselves beyond their capabilities because someone is on their back whipping the crap out of them, or catching a horse bucking wildly, desperate to remove the cinched strap around its delicate nerves...well, these are cheap alternatives. Cheap as in not worth anything as opposed to the cost to the animal. I know it is in our nature to capture things that impress us so that we may gaze upon them at our leisure and marvel at their beauty. But to what end? At what point do we stop, as stewards of the earth and its inhabitants, and consider the lives of the most susceptible? At what point do we say - that's a lot of dead horses! All for show, money and prestige. Really...not worth the cost. Killer whales and dolphins torn from their families, sentenced to life of swimming in a tiny circle only to perform ridiculous tricks for profit. Magnificant, graceful animals exploited for the almighty dollar. Chimpanzees kept in tiny cages, having caustic substance applied to their eyes and skin, over and over and over again.
It's time to rethink what we do to billions upon billions of animals, dependent on our compassion, or rather lack thereof.