Letters to the Editor
Dawggone
Published Letters: 451 Editor's Choice: 69
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Iraq and the media (and I mean ABC NEWS)
[Read the article: Mission to be decided]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This one if for Joe Conason, but anyone else out there with some info please respond.
Why is the Wonkette the only website I've seen so far ripping the "Note" the ABC News official blog site. You know, I could understand this type of tripe from the Freepers, but ABC News? Since What could possibly have made ABC decide that hiring a group of circle jerkers with their lips so glued to Dubya's ass that they've long ago asphyxiated themselves seem like a great way to promote their "blogging savvy." Today's Note was beyond the pale. Wonkette couldn't load fast enough to shoot the zombies, despite a plethorah of amunition. "Which party is most on point on Iraq?" "Which party is more unified?" Had these interns from Bob Jones Karl Rove school of politics ever read Jonathan Swift? Douglas Adams? What could being "on point" or "unified" ever contribute to an issue when there is no regard for the "unified theory of point's" relation to reality on the ground. Why not just judge which General is best suited for winning the war in Iraq by the spiffiest uniform, the most gold braids and whether he really is the very model of a modern day general? I cannot watch ABC News anymore, not with the Note hanging around. They really do create their own reality. I no longer need to watch them to get Jon Stewart's punch lines; they are self written.
So why, Joe, why? Why is their no complaint no hue and cry, no radio or TV talk shows that would invite these "yahoos" (from Gulliver's Travels, not the search engine) on their show to so humiliate them they might never write again without suffering shameblock?
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Choice feminism
[Read the article: Feminism after Friedan]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What is feminism if it is without choice? Yes, Mark Twain is right; choose to be ignorant and you choose not to choose. No one would argue that blacks are free if they are free to choose to be slaves again.
Choice feminism, when it comes to staying home is different, because it is now a choice to share with men.
I have a career but I too am a choice feminist. Each morning I make breakfast for my son, iron my shirt and go to work. Each Saturday morning I choose to vacuum the house, take the garbage to the local dump and do the laundry. I learned to do laundry in lawschool when my first girlfriend couldn't tell the difference between hot and cold and colors and whites. Tired of having my favorite Armani shirts tye died every week I did the laundry myself. When we finally split I pinned a note to her dacron blouse, with the words "wash cold cycle gentle only." Oddly we are still good friends for that advice.
The thing about choice is the thing about anarchy after any revolution; we shake up the standards, but we still must make standards. The wonderful thing about the feminist revolution is that it also freed us men to choose.
We too were locked into a way of behaving that forced us to serve what Phyllis Shafly referred to as the "dominant class." We paid the bills, went to work, placed our wives on pillars and, if divorced suffered limited access to our children while paying the support. Phyllis Schaffly knew the score. Nothing prevented women from being whatever they wanted to be, just like her, but a feminist revolution might prevent men from having to support and pay for it. That she could not abide. Her cake must be eaten, but must never go crumbs.
It is wonderful for a woman to get an education, to pursue their dreams. If their dreams are also to do what we men have always wanted, to have and raise children to share our dreams with, then taking time at home to raise them is a wonderful choice. Anyone would be a fool to think that they should marry someone whose idea of homelife is to come home after a few drinks with the boss and slur "honey I'm home!" but what is wrong with too people sharing in raising children, vacuuming the floor and letting the man do the bloody laundry, because Armani shirts cost money gosh darnit!?
The trick or understanding here is there is nothing wrong with a woman who wants a child and wants to take time to raise them. What is wrong is not expecting their mate to do the same. I am a defense attorney in Vermont and I write this while gnashing my teeth while waiting for my male counterpart from the state's attorney's office to come back from his six week maternity leave of absence to either try or resolve some cases we have together; and play some poker.
Choice, it's not just a verb for women.
Chris Montgomery