Letters to the Editor
sesanders
Published Letters: 308 Editor's Choice: 18
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Typical custody warfare
[Read the article: When good actors do bad things]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Alec Baldwin's outburst, though very shocking, is a typical, very sad aspect of custody battles in the United States. There are several ways to look at this incident. We could simply decide that Baldwin is an uncouth, ugly and mean person who has proved he has no right to be around his daughter. Unfortunately, for Baldwin, this may be the typical reaction from the public.
There is another way to view it, however. It is plain to see that this man cares enough about his child to try to maintain contact with her in spite of her obvious desire not to talk to him...for whatever reasons. How could a daughter not want to talk to her father? Again, we are not privy. But there are many instances of divorced mothers poisoning the minds of their children against the father she has grown to despise. The courts have to contend all too often with parents who accuse each other of horrible things in order to gain custody. Parents get so involved in the warfare they forget about the well-being of their offspring and the children get drawn into these battles, some of them taking sides. Usually, manipulative parents eventually lose control of their children after a period of time and the child, or children, can turn on the parent who manipulated them in the first place.
Whatever applies in this case is unknown, but we are left to interpret this custody conflict because of the public nature of it. I can only feel that Baldwin was unjustly dealt a terrific blow when his recorded telephone message was released to the world. It is difficult to believe that the mother is completely innocent in this matter and I tend to give Baldwin a break for this horrible breach of his privacy, not simply for him but for his child. No, he should not have talked that way...it is inconceivable that he would call his daughter a pig...it is unbelievable that a grown man would resort to such immature language, but we all have a dark side and say things we regret. No one is perfect! I hope Baldwin can get it together. Optimistically speaking, it is possible this awful incident can somehow help him to grow. It is going to take some hefty soul searching to achieve that end, but he can do it. This is what I believe.
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Icy Condi
[Read the article: Condi Rice never looks back]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This article is interesting, just the kind I expect from Salon because it offers information which we might have suspected but really didn't know for sure.
When Condi popped up as a star in the Republican Party, I never considered that she joined them for any reason other than self-promotion and ambition. Why would any talented, intelligent, caring, (I could go on and on) black person join the conservatives. Perhaps she believed that it would be easier to climb the ladder with them...after all, the Democrats have many gifted members in the ranks. And, by the way, they have too much pride to help a political group which has so diligently tried to keep down wages and other legislative efforts which would advance the black community. Most egregious has been the party's very effective method of inserting propositions on ballots designed to inspire their most prejudiced constituents to get out there and vote Republican. None of that has bothered Condi. She has achieved stardom because she is artful and glib...and because she knows how to keep her mouth shut. She is completely willing to say only what she knows is acceptable to her neocon boss. This is bit different from Colin Powell. We all felt he would have played the Iraq thing differently had he had the chance. Condi, on the other hand, allows herself to be defined by the goals and wishes of Bush, never second guessing his utterly clumsy and destructive maneuvers. She seems a bit vacant to me...and cold, freezing cold!
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How to withdraw?
[Read the article: Bush's favorite historian]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is a fascinating perspective on the Iraq war and other subjects including Gaza and Israel. Alistair Horne confirms what all of us know, the Iraq war was a giant mistake but, at the same time, he affirms what Bush contends: that we can't put a departure date on the table. Obviously, this author has undeniable credentials on terrorism, in particular Middle Eastern terrorism, but is he the final word on the subject? His logic is very seductive and apparently he doesn't have an ax to grind but it is frustrating..what is the best course of action...Stay there ad infinitum or do we abruptly pack our bags and go?
Because I feel this war is a terrific drain on the American purse and on American and Iraqi lives, I can't fathom staying indefinitely. I want us out of there! Perhaps we should begin a phased withdrawal in September, not announcing when we will have completely departed, simply because we don't know. As for hiring Indian mercenaries, I don't think they would be willing even if we could afford it and I don't think the Iraqi's would accept them anymore than they do us. What a disaster to go into!
This article has shattered my faith in a quick withdrawal but has not deterred my determination to withdraw. I want out and so do the majority of Americans...we must find a way that is not disastrous!