Letters to the Editor
Seamonkey
Published Letters: 47 Editor's Choice: 3
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The Texas Coast
[Read the article: Slick John McCain and the offshore oil ruse]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So, it disheartens me a little that even on all the quote-unquote liberal blogs and papers, anyone talking about gas prices is talking about how they're so high. Am I crazy, or isn't that what all of us who have a tiny grasp on the economics of consumption have been saying needed to happen for the last twenty years? Yes, it would have been nice if it had happened then, and a couple dollars a gallon in taxes had been going to renewable research and bridge and road repair for that time, but whether the money is going to the oil companies or our infrastructure, the fact is that $5 a gallon gas is a good thing. Yes, it hurts when I fill up once a week, but if it's forcing people to drive smarter, as it seems to be, then lets at least us - those of us who think it's a good idea - stop bitching about it and say that, yea, this is where things need to be.
My second point is more basic. I don't know how many of you have ever gone swimming or kayaking on the Texas gulf coast, but if you have, you're laughing your ass off that Florida is talking about drilling offshore. Yes we drive to the coast and swim there, but it's sort of gross. If Florida is going to allow offshore drilling, they better make a ton of money off that oil, because their tourism is going to migrate north, to states where there isn't a slightly petrol-like smell, and where the sand is white. I'd hate to see that happen, but then again, I haven't been to a beach in Florida in years. I care less about California because I've only been to their ocean a couple times, and it's so damn cold, who cares if it's dirty or not?
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No, really. All Civil Rights are important.
[Read the article: Supreme Court strikes down D.C. gun ban]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's embarrassing for me to see so many people I usually agree with getting worked up over this decision, which, despite the fact that Scalia wrote it, seems surprisingly level headed. I'm not a fan of handguns, and don't own one, though I have taken the time to go to the shooting range and use them a few times, just so I know what I'm doing if it ever becomes necessary. All the same, I was extremely uncomfortable with the attempt by a government to take them away completely, even if it was the DC city government rather than a state or federal branch.
The issue of trigger locks is a little more subtle. Obviously the idea behind the second amendment is that if lots of people have guns in their homes, the federal government is unlikely to be able to run rampant against the wishes of the people. On the face of it, requiring a trigger lock that delays a legal owners ability to use the gun in an emergency situation shouldn't be an issue - the matter of seconds that it takes to remove it will typically not come into play in a situation where the people need to take up arms against the state. But I think this point is going to be hotly debated in the future, as technology is used to make handguns more safe - what about a trigger lock that requires a four digit code to open? What about a gun that has a thumbprint safety, that will only fire for its legal owner? I'm not sure where I stand on this, but in general I lean towards being opposed to any law that tells me how I should behave in my own home. The law does not make trigger locks unconstitutional - it makes it unconstitutional for the federal government to demand that I use one. My independent streak of personal responsibility thinks that's probably wise.
What surprises me about this ruling is Scalia's care to inform the NRA that this isn't a free pass for them, and that for the most part, restrictions on purchasing and owning weapons are perfectly legitimate. God help me, but from what I've seen so far, the man almost sounds reasonable in this opinion.
Of course you're also hearing this from someone who was born in West Virginia and lives in Texas, and heaven knows both those states loves thar guns.
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The General?
[Read the article: The ultimate family DVD list]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm a huge Buster Keaton fan - I own the box set of his work, in fact, but I'd never put The General on a list of kids movies... despite the fact that I agree, as do most critics, that it's probably his best movie. No... if you want Keaton at his best in a style more suitable for children, I'd go with Sherlock Jr. It's a shorter, more disjointed, but more action packed and just plain funny introduction to maybe the greatest physical comedian who ever lived.
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relax
[Read the article: Why the iPhone is the best and worst e-book reader ever ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]if you're so concerned about someone living their life in a computer, why the hell are you taking the time, on your computer, to post a nasty message to a blog that's ABOUT TECHNOLOGY? I love books too, but come on... if I could get the same content to go on my iphone instead of carrying around a paperback AND a phone? Fantastic. That's one less thing to carry around, which lets me get on with living my life.
that's what you're so concerned about, right?
Welcome Joe... are you the new Machinist?