Letters to the Editor
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Published Letters: 25 Editor's Choice: 5
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Once the word gets out about this very favorable (for guys) ratio the problem solved
[Read the article: The campus crusade for guys]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This problem is so easy to solve its ridiculous. Just advertise that colleges are 60% female these days and all young men will be clamoring to go to college. I wish I had odds like that when I was in school.
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The Right is Concerned for the Wrong Reasons
[Read the article: A kinder, gentler war on terror]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's true that the Islamic world is terribly illiberal and that we should be concerned about it but leaving it up to the right is not any kind of option because they are not concerned about the Islamic world because of how illiberal it is. They view the Islamic world as a natural enemy. They need an enemy to feel that they are in a righteous struggle and Islamic fundamentalism serves their purpose. It also gives them increased power at home because it keeps people scared and inclines them to support leadership that promises protection.
So then it comes back to the question, 'are they really such a threat?'. The answer is no. They are a mirage like the Wizard of Oz. Zarqawi was a nobody. A simple thug. They inflated him to create the impression that 'Al Qaeda' (a name created to use an obscure law that was designed to fight organized crime, against someone involved in the original bombing of the World Trade Center) has a powerful presence in Iraq. The whole thing is blown way out of proportion and Beinart is fueling paranoia about it.
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A few things about Ann
[Read the article: Coulter: Bill Clinton is a "latent" homosexual]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]1) She is not especially good-looking. She has a decent body in that she's thin but its not especially curvaceous and her face is not especially pretty. What is all the fuss about in that regard?
2) She definitely is mannish. If you don't think so give me a break. Her demeanor, her speech and her body language are not feminine at all. In fact to me they are very reminiscent of lesbians I have been acquainted with.
3) She is not particularly intelligent. I'm a liberal so am partial to liberal ideas but I have heard cogent criticisms of liberalism. Not from here though. Her bag seems to be outrageous unfounded assertions.
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check out 'Conservatives Without Conscience'
[Read the article: This Modern World]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm about 80pgs into 'Conservatives Without Conscience'. It sheds light on people like this guy and the neighbor of the other letter writer. I feel better and a bit less frustrated after reading about all the research that illuminates the way these people 'think'. I don't have any more hope of 'reaching' them however.
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Americans are the fattest people on Earth.
[Read the article: Speedo freaks]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Yes the squeamishness, prudishness etc about speedos is unhealthy but given the we are all so fat maybe its a good thing.
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The Jealousy is Palpable
[Read the article: I'm young, rich and beautiful but so very unhappy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Whenever any of the LWs are affluent or fortunate in any way the seething jealousy seeps through in a great many of the letters. For those of you who resent this girl her good fortune to be affluent and beautiful you should find schadenfreude in this letter. Why the outbursts of hostility? Be happy. So you aren't rich and beautiful. It wouldn't necessarily make you happy anyway. It is not hard to understand that someone with some of life's most coveted assets might be unhappy. As humans we have basic human needs. Wealth and beauty are not among them. They are simply advantages to attaining them but they are not a guarantee. And as Cary pointed out, they can lead one to a sense that they are not entitled to acknowledge their dissatisfaction. The research shows that a sense of satisfaction has much more to do with the personality traits that you posssess than with any personal assets such as intelligence or beauty. Wealth beyond poverty has almost no effect. I know this will be almost impossible to believe for so many of the commenters who think that if only they were wealthy and beautiful they would be so happy. What kind of a shallow person could fail to be happy with those advantages? That question is so ironic it hardly needs comment. For all those who are inclined to insult this poor suffering girl for being shallow, superficial, etc please take a moment to as yourself what motivates your hostility.
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The Plight of Those Worse Off Doesn't Render All Other Problems Insignificant
[Read the article: Feminism vs. femininity]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There are a number of posts in the letters section to the effect that because these gender role, gender identity problems only affect those that have life's basic necessities taken care of then they are not worth discussing and no sympathy should be given to anyone who suffers from the consequences of them. Why not? Why is that because someone somewhere has a worse problem that all problems that are not as severe are not worth discussing? I don't think that makes sense. The readers of Salon are largely middle class. Things like gender roles are very real problems for many of them. They are entitled to have articles about them and to discuss the points in the article. What is the point of someone coming on saying in essence 'this whole discussion has no merit or meaning because many others half way around the world have larger problems to worry about'? There are posts like this all the time on Salon and I just don't understand them. If people find a topic interesting and want to discuss it that is good enough. They don't have to defend their interest in the topic in light of the problems of all the other people in the world. It is just a ridiculous standard and if everything were held to it this site would have nothing but stories of misery from around the world. If someone has achieved some material comfort and other problems arise that would have been secondary previously, they have the right to read and talk about those problems.
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Does Olive Oil burn?
[Read the article: Zionist environmentalism]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I didn't know Olive Oil was combustible enough to burn in a lamp.