Letters to the Editor
Dr. Zachary Smith
Published Letters: 154 Editor's Choice: 11
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Conservatives as Journalists
[Read the article: Robert Novak's very sad story]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"a conservative label on someone would really be an impediment to their careers."
Because "conservative journalist" is equivalent to "professional liar," yes, it can indeed be an impediment to a career in which honesty is supposed to be a chief value.
Why does no one ever talk about the fact that Novak rolled on his source without a peep of protest on his part? Wouldn't a real journalist rather than a conservative agit-prop writer have gone to jail before giving up his source?
Oh wait....
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Lamers
[Read the article: Tony Cartoons: It's Warcraft]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]He's been unavailable for days and he's still trying to kill Hogger? Man, how lame is that? It takes about three hours for a competent player to level up and kill Hogger solo--heck, even a priest can do it.
And did I hear him say he was going to "raid" Hogger? You don't "raid" Hogger; if you're too lame to kill him solo, then you "group" or "party."
Jeez. If you're going to make fun of WoW, at least get somebody who really knows something about the game.
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"Environmental"
[Read the article: What's wrong with Alaska?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The articles states that Stevens was an "environmental" lawyer. This, in the very early 1950s. Looking up Stevens' bio, I see that he did work on natural resources issues--but does this make him an "environmental" lawyer? That phrase has very different connotations to me, and I think it probably doesn't apply here.
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In caps, shout it loud
[Read the article: Rove: Bush has his own brain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Now, I know he likes to play sort of the Midland/West Texas -- but he is smart."
Yep. The contempt for the people they claim to love and represent just *drips* here.
This statement should be repeated endlessly in the faces of the people who think the President cares for them.
You're cannon fodder, folks. Wise up.
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Here's a Few
[Read the article: War Room contest: Pick the Democrats' bumper sticker]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Republicans:
Church, Country, Culture
Democrats:
Be proud of America again. Vote Blue.
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Ass-Kicking
[Read the article: Bush on Iraq: "We're kicking ass"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Bringing honor and dignity back to the Oval Office.
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The only problem here....
[Read the article: This Modern World ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only problem here....is that you need to remove "nutcase" and replace it with "partisan."
There is no difference, anymore. They're all nutcases.
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Um
[Read the article: Steve Jobs: A touch-interface for the Mac?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Uh, Tablet PC? Anyone?
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It's not the constitution....
[Read the article: Al Gore on the unhappiest of anniversaries]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The body of the SCOTUS decision did not have to do with a supposed violation of the Florida Constitution (although Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas argued so); the case was decided on the notion of a violation of the Equal Protection clause, in which it was decided that Bush was more equal than Gore.
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The Logic of Torture
[Read the article: Did waterboarding really work on Abu Zubaydah?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Over the weekend, a political cartoon ran in the Chicago Tribune that said, essentially, "30 seconds of simulated drowning, or 3000 lives in the World Trade Center--you decide."
When you put it like that--debatable as the "ticking-time-bomb" scenario is--how can you stop at 30 seconds of simulated drowning?
If you're talking about 3000 lives, how about "One finger or 3000 lives--you decide." Or, "3000 lives or the ability of one man to walk." Better yet, "One man's child, or 3000 lives--you decide." This leads us, quite literally, to employ the tactics of the Gestapo.
The logic of torture says that any sacrifice, up to but not quite equivalent to the lives you will (supposedly) save, is okay. No matter how horrific and repulsive--after all, you're talking about 3000 lives! How can you possibly justifying stopping?
So, the best way to answer the logic of torture is never to start. Torture is not about the information we get; it's about the kind of people we are, and want to be.
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A Bad Start
[Read the article: "Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When you hate, hate, hate the source material, what's the possibility that you'll like the adaptation?
Imagine a review that began, "Fleming's novels are absolute rubbish, with cardboard characters and a charmless hero. With that in mind, let's look at the newest Bond flick..." What chance, do you think, that the reviewer could possibly look at the thing with clear eyes?
Ms. Zacharek should have recused herself on this one. As is it, her review might be dead on, or it might be wholly off, but it is worthless as any kind of guide for those looking to figure out whether to see the show.
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Can't we already do this?
[Read the article: Now Netflix tries for streaming movies on TV]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What's the difference, aside from quantity of inventory, between what Netflix is proposing and using my DVR and Movies-on-Demand feature of my cable company? If they were to expand their offerings, why would I need Netflix?
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Ignorance and Bliss
[Read the article: Don't be happy, worry]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's pretty clear from this article that the person writing it has never taken SSRIs nor knowingly, apparently, talked to a person taking them.
An SSRI is not a "happy" pill; it doesn't make anyone happy. It often gives people the opportunity to *see* the possibility of happiness in their lives--happiness defined in the Aristotelian sense, as something worth doing that takes a significant use of your talents to do it.
An SSRI is certainly not an euphoric.
Nor does it "numb" you; it's not Miltown, it's not Valium.
There are probably a number of reasonable concerns connected with SSRI use. Not a single one of those listed in the article, however, qualify.
This article does qualify as fear-mongering, however.
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Cry Me A River
[Read the article: Clinton "cries" again]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]1) It's fascinating to see how Clinton supporters react to a fairly neutral article.
2) Aside from that, who gives a fuck? I mean, really?
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Because I Love America
[Read the article: "Because I love America ... I have to now stand aside"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Because I love America, I'm glad Wilbur dropped out.
The use of "liberal" in that speech rivals the use of "Jew" in Hitler's.Wasn't one of the companies with which Romney was associated a big-time purveyor of porn in their hotels? Why aren't Romney's kids volunteering?
The stench of hypocrisy....it smells of Republicanism.
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Campaign Memo
[Read the article: Is Obama playing the race card?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You can see the talking points in this New Republic article every day in the Table Talk thread devoted to Clinton. These are the Clinton campaign talking points--it's all you got left of a desperate, losing campaign.
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This is what happens....
[Read the article: Obama advisor Power resigns]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is what happens when you speak truth to power.