Letters to the Editor
Phamelar
Published Letters: 6 Editor's Choice: 1
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Fortune Smiled on Us
[Read the article: What I wouldn't do for my cat]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My wife, three kids and I have a 9 month-old dapple Dachshund named Fizzgig. One morning he was very lethargic and wouldn't eat. Then he was vomiting throughout the day. He also wasn't pooping.
We took him to an animal hospital and paid $300 for an X-ray, which revealed some kind of blockage in his stomach that none of us could identify. The attending vet wanted to do exploratory surgery that very day and remove whatever was in him for $3,300. This was a financially devastating expense for us because our finances are where about 90% of America's are right now.
We told the vet that we wanted to take Fizzgig home and do some serious financial planning to figure out how we'd do this. We also wanted to see if we could get (for lack of a better term) a better deal from our regular vet. Needless to say, we both got a little bit of judgmentalism from the attending. She said, "Well if you want to do that that's fine but he is suffering and the longer you wait, the more danger he'll be in." I could tell from the way she was looking at us that she didn’t approve.
The receptionist was a little more direct. "You're taking him home?!" she asked with a thinly-veiled mix of disbelief and disgust. We said yes. She replied, "Okay," in that tone of voice that is almost universally interpreted as, "You make me sick!"
We got home and started crunching numbers and pinching pennies. We hated to put money over our dog's life but money also puts a roof over our heads -and it's a modest roof, believe me.
Long story short, the next day we got approved for a credit card to pay for the operation and got everyone ready to go. About a half an hour before we were going to leave for the vet, Fizzgig pooped out a plastic marker cap and was back to his old self within minutes.
See the Subject line.
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Wow, I Think I'll Follow Gary's Logic From Now On!
[Read the article: It's OK to vote for Obama because he's black]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]When I look for a new dry cleaner, I'll select an Asian one. His prices may be reasonable and he promises to get my clothes cleaned on a timely basis -- but his Asianess seals the deal.
If I need a lawyer, I'm definitely going for a Jew. He went to a good law school and has impeccable legal credentials -- but his Jewishness seals the deal.
If I need a doctor, I'm picking the Indian. He's very knowledgeable and comes highly recommended -- but his Indianess seals the deal.
If I'm hiring a worker at a fast food restaurant, I'm hiring a Latino. He may be very nice and willing to work hard -- but his Latinoness seals the deal.
And if I'm selecting players for a basketball team, I'm definitely picking the black guy. He looks athletic and says he's good at the game -- but his blackness seals the deal.
This doesn't make me a racist right? After all, I'm assuming they have GOOD qualities based on their race, not bad ones.
RIGHT?
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The Dems Should be Terrified
[Read the article: Geraldine Ferraro still needs to apologize]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is 1968 all over again, only with identity politics thown in to make it even more combustable. The fight between Hillary and Obama is getting nasty and will only get nastier all the way to the end. This bodes ill for Dems. Obama supporters are already threatening to stay home or vote for McCain if Hillary gets the nod, and Hillary supporters are saying the same thing if Obama gets it.
McCain might very well walk into the White House while the two Democratic camps degenerate into oppression envy.
As a person thoroughly disgusted with the two-party system, I will support whichever candidate fucks this country up so much that a third-party alternative becomes inevitable. It's high time the Dems and GOP went the way of the Whigs.
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His Blackness Seals the Deal
[Read the article: Rev. Jeremiah Wright isn't the problem]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]>>I'm not a fan of Sharpton-style black demagoguery, with its knee-jerk grievance and identity politics.<<
Gary said Obama's blackness "seals the deal" in his decision to vote for him.
That sounds like a fan of identity politics to me.
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Within these Responses is the Death of the Democratic Party
[Read the article: Why Jeremiah Wright is so wrong]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Joan has valid points. Then again, I'm an evil cracker so what do I know?
But the venom directed at her and her points shows where the Democratic Party is headed. If I were a gambling men, I'd put my money on McCain based on what I've read.
Yes, America has done some shitty things. It's done some great things. Very few countries can claim exemption from this paradigm, if any.
But the people in these countries who deal in absolutes and vitriol, people like Wright AND Limbaugh, cause problems for those who want to live and let live. Those who want to progress in a way that benefits all and advances the human condition.
Democrats should find their voice by moving beyond the people who merely bitch without proposing a solution.
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If Wright is Trying to Sabotage Obama, Why?
[Read the article: I was wrong about Wright]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Does Wright feel that the election of an African-American as POTUS would undercut the victim mentality to which Wright subscribes and espouses from the pulpit?
Does he feel that the election of an African-American as POTUS would create unrealistic expectations among African-Americans and that they will only be disappointed?
Does he think Obama tried to push him in front of a train and now he wants to drag him onto the tracks?
Does he fear change as much as the "average lunchbucket white male blue collar Dem?"
Just posing the questions. I don't presume to know the answers.