Letters to the Editor
Portlander
Published Letters: 303 Editor's Choice: 13
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Just my opinion
[Read the article: Can this woman make quinoa sexy?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I detest quinoa and tofu, and I won't eat them. I like barley and chard, so I do eat them. I am not a vegetarian, and I have no intention of becoming one.
That said, I live in Portland, OR where organic food is a far bigger deal than anywhere in California. I can drive to the places that raise the animals I eat to assess how they are raised. I eat organic food as much as possible which is most of the time. I eat almost no processed food - yes, that includes Annie's MacN Cheese which, while organic, is a processed food. I make my own Mac N Cheese. I also have not been inside a fast food restaurant in more than 30 years much less have eaten their food. I eat at no chains. Not everything is local because of climate, so we get lots of organic food from CA and Italy which is the most advanced country in Europe with regard to organics.
I will admit to exceptions. You just can't make decent Chicken and Dumplings with whole wheat flour. We've tried. Sucks. So, we use a little organic but processed white flour to meet the taste requirements. Also, Parmiggiano Reggiano is not organic but there is no adequate replacement - ditto for Proscutto di Parma.
With regard to another poster, why 45 minute prep times? I work 70 hours per week, and I take the time to prepare food the way I want it. Slow food, as it were.
Full disclosure: I have enough income to do what I want regardless of cost which most people cannot do. Still, it is possible to incorporate healthy food in your diet even with lower incomes. In Oregon, organic food is about 10% more expensive than non-organic, and you can get a wide array of organic foods at Safeway. I don't know what to say about people who don't even have access to this kind of food. I wish you did.
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Paper
[Read the article: The case of the super-starch spud]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]With regard to paper, there is no need to use any kind of potato at all. Hemp is excellent for production of paper, requires nothing but water, and paper made from hemp can be recycled 2-3 times as often as paper made from wood.
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I have mixed feelings here
[Read the article: Soldier of conscience]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am a Pacifist. When drafted in 1969, I applied for CO status. It was denied. I appealed, it was denied. The catch was that I was also an atheist - no provision in the law for an atheist CO. I refused to serve - up front. The court acknowledged that I was a Pacifist, but said the law was clear and I had two choices: the military or jail. I went to jail. I expected minimum security, but, Nixon was President at the time, so it was maximum security. It was a very nasty place and I have all the physical proof of how nasty it was.
That said, I have real problems with the desertion part. When I make a commitment, I carry it to its conclusion. I have real empathy for the guy, but there had to be another way. For example, after denial of his CO status, go to his commanding officer, refuse to server and request a court martial. Then accept the jail time and move on. Maybe that's not possible in the military but it seems a better way.
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Dolce & Gabban Feminists?
[Read the article: Hillary Clinton woos women]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And that ridiculous little phrase is supposed to mean what? Is this the new whack job phrase for 'limousine liberals'? My wife, who is a feminist, has a one pair of Dolce & Gabbana shoes, but she prefers clothing by Jil Sander, Loro Piana, Versace and others. Now, I am a guy, I do consider myself a feminist, and I am wearing a Dolce & Gabbana jacket right now. So, do you mean me?
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The Second Amendment
[Read the article: Shooting his mouth off]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The first clause in the Amendment has nothing to do with the National Guard or any of that nonsense. The new U.S. had no plans to have standing armies so, if the nation was invaded, then the government would call upon the militia - basically anyone between 16 and 60 who had a gun. That clause is now moot, but it doesn't make the guaranteed right moot.
The Second Amendment does, in fact, give every adult American the right to have a gun - one gun of some kind. Indeed, if you have one gun of some kind, your right to bear arms has not been infringed. There is nothing in the Second Amendment that gives anyone the right to have two guns or hadguns or concealed weapons or guns capable of firing more than one round without reloading - all of that is 20th century fabrication. Congress has the power to regulate the hell out of guns as long as nothing interferes in the right of all adult Americans to have one gun of some kind.
The Second Amendment confers no right to hunt - indeed, there is no right to hunt.
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RealName
[Read the article: You can't stop a tidal wave with a fork]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You've got the Libertarian/Thomas Friedman spiel down real well, but your facts are sorely lacking. In France and Germany, the government counts every single person not working as unemployed. We do not. Our unemployment is at least 50 % understated and probably more. As soon as your unemployment insurance (which the Repubs would love to terminate) lapses, you are no longer counted. Also, France has the highest productivity per worker hour of any country in the world followed by Belgium. Americans produce more gross because they work far longer hours.
Second, oh yeah, being a dental tech at $18,000 per year with no benefits is a great strategy. I'm 60 years old so I don't have the same worries as others, but my plan B is certainly NOT to take a 90% pay cut.