Letters to the Editor
Manhattanite
Published Letters: 289 Editor's Choice: 16
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It's Not A Plan If The Decider Does Not Like The Plan
[Read the article: Escalation vs. withdrawal]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lieberman: "'...people who oppose the president's escalation of the war in Iraq have an obligation to offer a plan that moves toward the goal of maximizing the chances of success in Iraq.'
Holy Joe, look around: there is the ISG report, The Murtha plan, the Biden plan... None of which is satisfactory to the Decider. If the Decider does not like the plan, he decides that there is no plan.
Lieberman, McCain, Bush, etc... need to define "victory" or "success" in more than vague terms about establishing a societey that can govern itself. How about a laundry list of specific objectives to achieve combined with a timetable and deadlines for each one of these objectives.
It does not appear that the Administration has any contingency plan at the ready in case the escalation fails to restore security. Once again, I suspect they are making it up as they along.
Finally, I think this whole escalation thing is a pretext to distract us from what the real plan is: bomb Iran. The U.S. has clearly been taunting Iran and is waiting for the Iranians to take the bait. I would not be surprised if we had another fabricated "Gulf of Tonkin" attack in the next few months...
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The Beo-cons' Astronomical Arrogance and Abysmal Ignorance
[Read the article: Iranian regime change: "Faster, please!"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"And I think that if we were successful in supporting democratic revolution in Tehran, we'd have unbelievable popular support, and I should think in Damascus as well, although I should confess I don't know Syria as well as I know Iran."
The Neo-cons still are missing one important variable of the equation: nationalism/tribalism . They encountered it in Iraq, they will encounter it in the rest of the Middle East, and the whole world, for that matter. No matter how much people detest their regime, they have an identity that they do no want to relinquish to adopt the American "model". As long as the Neo-cons, in their ignorant arrogance , refuse to take nationalism/tribalism into account, they will run into the same roadblocks.
And, sorry, Mr. Leeden, your bookish knowledge of Iran does not qualify you as an expert. Unless one knows the language of a particular country, and has lived in that country, mingling, conversing, and socializing with its inhabitants, one does not "know" a country.
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McCain is Certifiably Insane
[Read the article: The fighting side of McCain]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"As recently as a few months ago, McCain suddenly rushed up to a friend of mine, a prominent Washington attorney, at a social event, and threatened to beat him up because he represented a client McCain happened to dislike, and then, just as suddenly, profusely and tearfully apologized."
McCain is demented. He is seriously in need of treatment. Do we want another insane maniac in the White House?
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Jury Selection Is A Joke On The Taxpayer
[Read the article: For Scooter Libby, a slow road to trial]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I don't understand why Libby's trial was not moved away from Washington. In a political town like Washington, why is it that anyone believes that an impartial jury can be found? This is a joke on the taxpayer.
It is obvious that the defense will keep on the jury anyone remotely sympathetic to the Bush Administration. So far, the prosecution has not shown any interest in rejecting jurors selected by the defense.
Is this all a show? If it is, I refuse to pay for it.
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Scaredy Cats
[Read the article: The udder truth]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If raw milk were such a dangerous substance, Europe's population would have been decimated a long time ago. In France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Italy, etc..., people prefer to eat cheese made with raw milk rather than with pasteurized milk. (And they eat a lot of cheese.) The reason? The taste and the texture of the cheese is much better. The children prefer raw milk to pasteurized milk (it is a lot creamier).
Try fresh goat cheese made with raw milk, then try fresh goat cheese made with pasteurized milk. One is delicious, the other is bland.
I grew up on raw dairy products. The only time I ever got e-coli was from eating eggs... here in Manhattan.
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Hunting season on the right-wing is now open
[Read the article: Edwards campaign fires bloggers]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I guess it is now open season on the right-wing bloggers hired by the GOP, on the hate-spewers like Malkin, Limbaugh, Coulter, Savage, and the rest of the ilk who carry water for this Administration. Let's give them a taste of their own medicine.
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Camille is a total nothing
[Read the article: Camille's back!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One would think that people would have learned from history. Paglia is a would-be intellectual, a fraud that passes herself for someone important. And Salon is celebrating such a fraud? Come on, people! Wake up!
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Lieberman is not a Democrat
[Read the article: The Lieberman switch?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lieberman chose to run as an independent after he was defeated in the Democratic primary. Why people are worrying about his switching to the GOP is beyond me. He has already proven that he will support the Republicans on Bush's ill-fated occupation of Iraq no matter what, which is the issue "du jour" for Americans. So, who cares really, whether Sanctimonious Joe changes party affiliation? Nothing of consequence will be done by the Senate anyway until 2008, when, hopefully, the Republican senators will be thrown out of office for the rest of the century. Lieberman will then be in a minority. Holy Joe's grasp on the Senate is very tenuous.
I think Holy Joe has an exaggerated view of his blackmailing powers on the Democratic majority in Congress. He will end up in the gutter, where he belongs. Of course, he will also end up with a fat pension and free health care for life for himself and his family, courtesy of the American tax-payer. That is the real problem.
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Gibson is a Twit
[Read the article: Just giving the people what they want]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So now Gibson is telling us what to watch? He is setting our priorities and making decisions for us? Where does this stop?
Not that I watch Faux News anyway. One could not pay me enough to do that. The intellectual level of Faux News is so low that it is embarrassing to anyone with a triple-digit I.Q.
P.S.: I don't watch CNN either, especially since that channel thought it a good idea to hire noxious lunatics like Glenn Beck and Nancy Grace.