Letters to the Editor
tom payne
Published Letters: 1101 Editor's Choice: 3
-
Sir Walker
[Read the article: Clinton: Wright "would not have been my pastor"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From the perspective of one who grew up in a political household (my earliest tee vee memories are of the Republican convention in 1952, when they nominated Eisenhower. Ah, when Republicans nominated real heroes with the true interest of America at heart), I blame myself for being swept up in this heated contest. But it is heated for a reason. I think many of us- I hope many millions of us- are starting to suspect how much we've lost, and how much we have left to lose. I speak here not only of equity- even though my wife of nearly 38 years and I are in some danger of having to sell our home- but of the deeper, more lasting, and more precious elements of our "unalienable" rights, while many of us spend our money without regard to its consequence, and our time as if America is ordained to dominate forever. On another thread, I have apologized to a specific poster for some particularly offensive language I used. I extend that apology here. When I post, I should think of my four grandchildren, and the ones almost certain to follow, and what I owe them. I am in the process, with the guidance of my bride, of setting up a website featuring my writings over the last forty or so years. None of it is overtly political. It is poetry,songs, a play, a novel, children's stories- the things I"d like to be remembered for. I do not want to be remembered as one who sought the lowest common denominator in internet interchanges, even though they provide (I doubt it) anonymity. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Be civil. My father, now long down his descent down the hellish well of Alzheimer's, taught me that. I will endeavor not to write anything that he, in his fullness, would not have read with pride, or that my grandchildren would not find interesting, or at least tolerable. To Kate, specifically, who I wronged, I extend again my apology. The urge for common ground is here; I will do my utmost not to befoul the well from which we all drink. tom
-
Salon Editors
[Read the article: Reid, Pelosi get entangled in the presidential race]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have thrown myself on my sword repeatedly. If your want "intelligent discourse" please peruse the posts of ShawnNM, who, holier than holy, holds himself and his cause perennially blameless. Read. Decide. Does the first amendment zone mentality hold here, too, of all places? Good Lord. Literally. Do we ignore the long, contentious history of this country, the vilification of those later sanctified, and the actual bloodshed over words? Are we that diminished? Is Shawn the arbiter, the lowest common denominator? IF so, please banish me. I'd rather my time, and my words, fallible though they self-evidently are, be spent elsewhere. I used to keep a pocket copy of the Constitution at my desk. The pertinent remainders would fit in a matchbox, thanks to Shawn, and Kate, and the meek that will never inherit this country. A pity, that, and that a forum allegedly committed to unfettered discourse turns out to be high school. How fitting.
-
Kate
[Read the article: Reid, Pelosi get entangled in the presidential race]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There is no one smaller, more petty, than one who will not accept an honest apology. Two did not suffice for you. that says volumes more about me than it does about you. did I miss something, beside etiquette lessons? When did God die and leave you and Shawn in charge? If so, who is the third of the trinity? God save you from yourself. tom p.s. Shawn: for the record, I have never posted under any other name, and never say anything for which I am not ready to take responsibility. If it soothes you to think there are twenty of me, inflate your ego accordingly. It's just one old man. And I take about five minutes, max, to engage with you and your Goodyear self-image. In the remainder, I take care of my failing father, write, play guitar, cook for the extended family, and defecate. One of these most closely resembles your output. I will leave it to you, solon most wise, to determine which of them it might be. tom
-
bon voyage, madam
[Read the article: Reid, Pelosi get entangled in the presidential race]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Manos and I will continue to pith into the breeze from the right in your absence. I assume you'll be in the Greek isles as always. Yes, WES and Walker are human, and thus accessible. I listen to them. I learn even if I disagree. Shawn is a cartoon. the dog is a quadraped. Kate is a monument to wounded virtue, and will not accept an apology so she can retain her violated posture. All in all, of sufficient interest to persevere, unless the prigs and prissies have us put in the stocks and subject to ridicule and overripe vegetables on the town square. How Puritan. That's American, too, along with Witch Dipping and the hanging of uppity darkies. It's all of one cloth, and that's what we have to remember, always. We are a work in progress, and there is not one single Diviine guarantee of the outcome. Ever. Thus, we persevere. tom
-
Sirs Walker, Deeper Truth
[Read the article: Clinton: Wright "would not have been my pastor"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Transformation. Redemption, even, if we persevere. Even an old crank such as I may harbor an occasional thought worth considering. If we can come to that here, in this highly artificial and charged atmosphere, there's an even better chance to connect with those we actually see and talk to. These exchanges in the duck blinds of anonymity encourage heated language, to which I have succumbed as often as anyone here. Last night, I just decided to shelve that and let others snipe. So, thanks for your forebearance, and I share your hope we can learn from one another. An occasional verbal grenade will probably be beyond my capacity to resist. Ignore it. thank tom