Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 21 Editor's Choice: 3
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perfectly clear
[Read the article: The problem with Democraticese]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I often complain about Democratic political muddle (just look at the drivel in the DLC's "American Dream Initiative"). But this statement seems just fine to me. How can 100 words possibly be "too verbose" for describing the complex problem of Iraq and what to do about it?? I don't see anything in the statement that either (1) seems wrong, or (2) could be restated much more simply.
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Yes, learning should be fun. That's not some sort of oxymoron.
[Read the article: Building a hate for learning]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]PJBabiba writes: "Honestly, how does someone make conjugation and the periodic table fun? They're not, so get over it."
I think it's really sad that you think that learning is not fun. You also write that most of your time in school was a waste. I think these two things are not unrelated. I don't know why you're defending the American educational system so vigorously, when it seems to have worked so poorly for you, as it does for most students.
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Not illogical
[Read the article: Ask the pilot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's not illogical to prohibit drinks on planes even if they were purchased inside the secure perimeter. We know that the screening checkpoints are not very effective at detecting contraband being brought through. And there's no way for the gate agent to distinguish between a liquid that was improperly brought through security and one that was purchased inside the secure perimeteter.
Mr Smith's consistent attacks on the TSA would be more useful if they were more balanced. Are the policies all sensible? No. Are they completely and obviously stupid so that no one could possibly see any reason for them? No, they aren't that, either.
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seems creepy
[Read the article: What else I lost]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The author seems to have made an incredible pest of herself. Whatever the state of their friendship actually would have been, I'm sure that staking out her friend's apartment building for weeks, trying to sneak in, couldn't have done the relationship any good. And, by her account, this neurotic behavior continued for *years*. Moving to a nearby city hoping to visit, after she won't even let you into her apartment when you are right outside? I think this borders on stalking.
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So What?
[Read the article: Ask the pilot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Who cares if the London attacks were months, or days, away? Completely, completely irrelevant. Since those conspirators are in custody, the question of how close they were to launching an attack has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with how much we are at risk of similar attacks from other people.
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not a successful therapy
[Read the article: After all I've done for my mother, I'd like to strangle her!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It sounds to me like your therapist convinced you to hate your mother. I think that's probably a pretty easy thing for almost any therapist to do, regardless of the actual relationship between child and parent. But it doesn't seem like a great result for the therapy.
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Cary goes off the deep end
[Read the article: The past won't let me go]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cary's response seems like something out of left field. What does it have to do with the question?
This is not a hard problem. The writer doesn't want her parents seeing her children when she's not there. So, she should tell her parents not to visit her children when she's not there. If necessary, she should back that up by instructing whoever is caring for her children to not allow them to visit when she's not there. If really necessary, she should get a restraining order.
Cary's suggestion that the letter writer, herself, is "frightening" and "broken", seems grossly offensive. There's nothing wrong with the writer. She has a problem; it is an emotionally laden subject; she needs help and support and advice in resolving it. Why not give her help and support and advice? Why write many paragraphs attacking her?
Cary writes: "It feels as though your thoughts are jumping around." On the contrary, the letter writer is perfectly clear. Cary, on the other hand, feels like he's lost his connection to reality.
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her real reason must be something else
[Read the article: Will I lose my one great love because I acted on principle?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Supposedly, she stayed at her school because she couldn't find something that would be "best educationally" where you now live.
Then, she had to get a second degree in the same town, because she couldn't do that where you now live.
Then, she has to stay there indefinitely, even though she's finished with school.
Are there really no colleges and no jobs where you live? It's hard to believe, given that you moved there because it was the best option for your own education.
Whatever her reason for not moving to be with you, it's not a "nobler thing". She doesn't want to be there, or she would come.
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untrue statement about Prop 187
[Read the article: Arnold's comeback]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's not true that Prop 187 "would have denied emergency medical care to illegal immigrants." Emergency medical care was specifically excepted from its provisions (which is US law, anyway).
"In order to carry out the intention of the People of California that, excepting emergency medical care as required by federal law, only citizens of the United States and aliens lawfully admitted to the United States may receive the benefits of publicly-funded health care...."
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not quit?
[Read the article: Racing hearts]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"tbolioli" has GOT to be kidding. He should keep racing? She's helping him deal with a bizarre, dangerous addiction. If he were shooting up heroin, should she also encourage him, because "that's who he is"??