Letters to the Editor
Dawggone
Published Letters: 451 Editor's Choice: 69
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Dear S.
[Read the article: I hate your column and all the letter writers too!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've always envied people like you and wish I could be just like you. Unfortunately I could never deal with being that lonely. The reason people write is because they are stuck in bad relationships, unable to divorce their parents or siblings, and unwilling to chuck their friends, all because they don't want to be like, sad and lonely with nothing to comfort them but for a bottle of Jack Daniels.
We are by our nature social creatures, and being such we must suffer the worst of deprivations from spouses, sisters, abusive moms, dads or backstabbing co-workers. The alternative is a two room cottage overlooking some pasture in Vermont, with nothing to comfort us but a somewhat unreliable internet connection. We are free of insufferable fools, but surround ourselves with mewing cats. We never again have to confront a failed marriage, since we now live on bad Russian internet porn. Our children are no longer a burden as they have nothing more to do with us.
Yes, you and those who think like you are finally free of the misery and pressure of the day to day drudge of dealing with people, because you no longer have any people to deal with. This probably explains why your are so attracted to advice columns.
Any port in the storm and people who need people are the best people to read about.
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Define murderous bastard
[Read the article: White House wordplay]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As long as we're playing word games here's one the press corp could ask about:
Ignorance: n. The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.
Here's another they should consider looking up:
Obsequious \ob-SEE-kwee-us\, adjective:
Servilely attentive; compliant to excess; fawning.
His wealth nevertheless turns the townspeople into groveling, obsequious sycophants.
-- Stephen Holden, "The Best Man': When She Says 'I Do,' She Means 'Not You'", New York Times, August 14, 1998
Perhaps Judith Miller never found time to read Stephen Holden while at the Times.
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Baghdad
[Read the article: The president, his party and the public's priorities]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My friend came to me, with sadness in his eyes
He told me that he wanted help
Before his country dies
Although I couldn't feel the pain, I knew I had to try
Now I'm asking all of you
To help us save some lives
Baaaghdagh, Baaaaghdagh
Where so many people are dying fast
And it sure looks like a mess
I've never seen such distress
Now won't you lend your hand and understand
Relieve the people of Baaagh dagh
Baagh Dagh, Baaaagh Dagh,
Such a great disaster - I don't understand
But it sure looks like a mess
I've never known such distress
Now please don't turn away, I want to hear you say
Relieve the people of Baa Dagh
Relieve Baa Dagh
Baa Dagh, Baa Dagh
Now it may seem so far from where we all are
It's something we can't neglect
It's something I can't neglect
Now won't you give some bread to get the starving fed
We've got to relieve Baa Dagh
Relieve the people of Baa Dagh
We've got to relieve Baa Dagh
Relieve the people of Baa Dagh
With great thanks and no apologies to George Harrison.
Love to all that would fight for this,
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My bodies My Space
[Read the article: MySpace or OurSpace?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am the father of a fifteen year old boy with his own MySpace site. It is, as he has shown me a wonderful electronic bulliten board for posting his personas ("Josh is just this guy, you know") his beliefs (banners from other cites decrying the Iraq War and urging racial and gay tolerance) and hooking up and communicating with his friends and friends he meets around the world.
Here is an important message for those who either don't have teenagers are are too busy making money or being concerned to actually pay attention to their children:
YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW SOPHISTICATED TEENAGERS ARE!! THEY REALLY CAN TELL WHEN SOME ADULT TROLL IS HITTING ON THEM. THEY IGNORE THEM AND LAUGH AND LAUGH.
The idea that the kids on MySpace are somehow potential victims of pedophiles is beyond laughable. As a child I was warned about anybody pulling up in a car offering me candy. We as kids all knew that we'd be stupid to get in that car. Our kids are the same way on the internet, and much safer because if there is a pedophile writing on MySpace it isn't like he can get out of his car dump the candy and grab us off the street.
Those horror stories you read about aren't about some innocent being lured by some old pedophile, but about some teen looking for a way to get out of town to escape from physical or sexual abuse or just plain neglect. These are few and far between, far fewer than the adults trolling Myspace pretending they are teens looking for some adult action.
Yet to 'protect' those few children our politicians are seeking to shut off a major social and creative outlet for the other 99% of the kids on MySpace. The lesson learned will be to stifle creativity, sharing, and any trust or respect our children may have for us or our society.
Last semester my son's school board trolled MySpace searching for students talking about alcohol and drugs. When they found any student even joking about these things they were suspended from a drug and alcohol program designed to encourage they not do these things. The result? They stopped caring whether they did drugs or not. Other schools have discussed suspending any student who even talks about drugs or alcohol on MySpace. The result; kids no longer will believe in our schools or any positive message we want them to take from it.
Unless you believe it is healthy to go into your kids room and read their diary, give them a break and leave MySpace alone.