Letters to the Editor
ideahr
Published Letters: 92 Editor's Choice: 1
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Cheap rhetorical devices...
[Read the article: A cause they've long ago forgotten]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]CP says "as a Democrat" and then goes on to diss dems and idolize republicans as manly-men;
CP says "as a lesbian" and then goes on to diss Rosie and idolize Donald Trump, as if he is someone to idolize;
many other examples noted by other commenters;
what a cheap rhetorical device.
And that's my diss about CP... cheap cheap cheap. Or is it: cheep cheep cheep.
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Not a prude...
[Read the article: Fondling Stephen Colbert]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I was offended too... what Fonda did was manipulative and coercive, using a public setting to put Colbert on a spot that (it seemed clear) he was embarassed to be put in. He protested politely ("you're breaking my rules"; "my wife would object"; etc.) but none of that put her off his lap. She did not take any hints. She did not respect his feelings. She was, in short, just as rude as GWB winking at the queen. That she was doing all that in a sexualized way is, in a sense, just a distraction. Maybe she was trying to make a point, but if so I didn't get it either.
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to kringle and juliebird
[Read the article: Fondling Stephen Colbert]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Both great insights into a small event that illuminates the larger ones.
A play on sexual harassnment... yes! And turning the tables on the usual configuration (male on female) is one of the elements that makes this episode unconfortably humorous.
And the thought that Fonda was attemting a reverse-objectification scenario... whether she had that in mind or not, it's fun to see it that way. It works for me.
Thanks.
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Many thanks to Mrs. Ashcroft
[Read the article: The Ashcroft-Gonzales hospital room showdown]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As someone who has sat with a husband in the ICU, I can somewhat relate to what she must've been going thru when she got that call from the White House. And in spite of that, she managed to keep focussed enough to call for help... to protect her husband's health and his legacy... what she must've known on some level what his wishes were.
Just imagine how this story would have turned out if she had not notified his COS, if his COS did not notify others.
Stressful?? I should think so. And yet she pulled herself together and did what needed to be done.
In her position (husband in icu, etc.) I'm not sure I would've had that strength or courage, but I'm glad that she did.
So thanks to you, Mrs. Ashcroft. You did good.
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FDR's prayer
[Read the article: "It is impossible to miss the discrimination against ... believers"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The irony and/or hypocrisy of Newt Gingrich recalling FDR's prayer in this context is nothing short of amusing.
Nevertheless...
although I consider myself one of those deranged secular humanists that NG is so afraid of, I do respect the religious impulses of others, as long as they're not imposed on me or others. And what I see in FDR's prayer is a call to the populace to gather its spiritual strenth to prepare for a hard time ahead.
Certainly there are references to religious beliefs, but not specifically Christianity. "Almighty God" refers to a powerful supernatural being that monitors and interferes with human endeavors, but that could apply to any number of religions, from Christianity to Judism to Muslims to Catholics to Hindus to the Flying Spaghetti Monster. "Embrace these, Father, and receive them into Thy kingdom" references that the deity is male and that there is an afterlife. But that is a belief shared by many religions (sadly leaving out Virgin Mary believers and I think Wiccans).
My point is that, although a Christian could find resonance with this prayer, so could a number of other sectarian beliefs. It seems to strive to be accommodating to religious diversity ("whomever you pray to, pray now and continuing").
If FDR's prayer were played on the radio, in FDR's voice, it wouldn't bother me a bit. So long as the historical context could be put in persective. A big if, I suppose.
It's much better than what we usually get, i.e. "be afraid, be very afraid.
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All politics is like high school
[Read the article: Hillary and the mean kids on the bus]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I haven't had a chance to read all of the comments yet, so if someone else has said this, I apologize.
But there seems to be a bit of elitism running through the comments, and even in Glenn's wonderful post(s) about the juvenile behaviors of our press corps.
A slice from my own life, an anecdote that I hope will be illuminating:
A few years ago, I was elected to the board of directors of my condo association. I did not seek the position, but someone I considered a friend used her proxies to instate me (with friends like that who needs... but that's another story).
To make a longer story shorter, I learned over the next several months that the long-term members and officers of the board were corrupt... big things, little things, but for the most part were decieving, actively decieving the community about the financial health of the homeowners association. They had been hiding their own misdeeds, ripping off the income from hoa fees, just out of control mismanagement. It shoulda been a no-brainer to get them out-of-office and replaced with someone else.
But, while trying to campaign for the next election of board members, I realized that most of my neighbors and fellow hoa homeowners treated the elections as if it were the popularity contest they knew from high school... who should be the president of the class... this was their model of politics and it had nothing to do with issues, economic issues that affected them directly.
This is a community of college-educated, some doctors, some lawyers, some business owners, some teachers, some psychologists, ex-ceo's, whomever, people one would think would know better, but they still based their votes on who gave the best parties, not on who best looked after their financial interests.
Go figure.