Letters to the Editor
kevred
Published Letters: 92 Editor's Choice: 8
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Ah, another Salon comments board...
[Read the article: Put a stake in it]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...another batch of insecure, bitter people hiding behind screen names hurling insults at one another or trying to sound smarter in dismissive ways. Where else can someone expressing the joy of reading a book with their family by lantern-light be attacked and ridiculed?
We're seeing right here what the problem is--more than any phantom loads or energy-use practices, the problem is people. We hate change, we hate admitting that we don't know it all or that something we do is harmful. We don't like thinking about our effect on others, and cling to denial like it's something worth loving.
We love comfort and ease more than we love each other. We love it more than the natural parts of the world that are turned into strip mines or nuclear-waste dumps, more than the mountains reduced to rubble to make coal, more than the dozens of foreign countries turned into fuel for our consumption. To us, having some machine record 30 shows per week for us, and not having to remember to flip off a power switch, is more important than civility to our fellow man and woman.
I'm not magically above any of these human fallacies. But I'm working on it. I'm glad to see this article, and for the commenters here who've chosen introspection and information over defensiveness and insults. Recognizing and making change is hard work, folks. I struggle with it every day and always fail in some way. But if we don't try, then what good are we? Don't whine about the big, bad, stereotypical environmental movement--take some responsibility for your actions, drop the ironic detachment, and start caring about something besides yourself.
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Gracious Pats fans, all-time-greatest, etc.
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First off, what a game! Or really, one heck of a fourth quarter, and three quarters of stalemate, which was amazing in its own right, though less interesting to watch. I believed in the Giants, but thought that surely the Pats would adjust something at halftime, or the Giants D would start getting tired, but they just...kept...doing it. It was amazing. Those miracle plays toward the end were just ridiculous, especially as they alternated with just-missed-it plays like Eli's lob over Burress' head.
It's great to read all the really gracious and respectful posts from Pats fans in these comments, giving kudos to the Giants. Not to say that I expected them to be otherwise--but it's always nice to see fans being reasonable and tipping their hats to opponents, as opposed to saying, "yeah, but...". As a Cowboys fan, I felt the exact same way after the Giants manhandled them--sure, I wanted "my" team to win, but couldn't help but respect and like the grit and determination of the Giants, how hard they were fighting. I became a Giants fan before that game was over, and felt the same way in the Packers game--they were suddenly the written-off-team-who-could, and you just can't help but like that. Everyone wants to believe that the unexpected is possible.
The question of where these Pats rank in terms of all-time-great teams will probably always be fuzzy. Sure, statistically they were off the charts and had a perfect regular season, but there's just no getting around a Super Bowl loss. Nothing compensates for that. At the end of the day, they won a few more games than the previous all-time-scoringest (sorry, feeling lazy) Vikings and Rams, and as far as team achievements, that's about it.
There's no question that they're a superb team, but the arc of their season also works against that "best ever" tag. As others have pointed out, they seemed to sag toward the end of the season, though the teams they beat were very good. And in the playoffs, they beat a wild card and a banged-up lowest-seed divisional winner, before losing to a team they'd beaten earlier. It adds up to the intagible "greatness" being less than the sum of the parts of incredible talent and incredible strategic skill they possess.
Now that the Pats have finally fallen, I can hear every good team that lost to them along the way saying, "oh, me next!" Harder said than done, but outside another ho-hum division, the Pats should have strong competition next year without the benefit of their mystique to help them.
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An open letter to Hillary Clinton:
[Read the article: Team Clinton: Obama's now the establishment candidate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]One of the main reasons I voted against you in my state's (Missouri's) primary is the type of campaign you're running, and the type of people you choose to lead and speak for your campaign. Salon's done a good job of tracking the outrageous statements your top campaign managers (as well as outside supporters) have made regarding Obama, and frankly it just turns me off. It's politics as usual, dirty politics, and it's anything but change.
If this is what you think it takes to obtain high office, then this is also what you think it takes to hold and function in high office, and I've had enough of it. You've been taking the low road, and it makes you look small and ugly. And believe me, I'm not alone in feeling this way.
I want to have a woman president. I think you would be a capable manager of the country and certainly a refreshing change after the Dark Ages of Bush. But right now I simply don't like you very much, and am not inspired by you. I like Obama, and when I left the polling place, I was struck by a warm feeling of having done the right thing, something I haven't felt at the polls in a while. Don't underestimate this.
Look at the final voting tally for my state--something as seemingly minor as what I'm describing could very well have made the difference, and Missouri's a bellwether state.
The way I feel right now is this: if Obama wins the nomination, I will vote for him in the election. If you win the nomination, I will vote against the Republican candidate. The result might end up the same--but if you're truly concerned about leading this country, I hope the difference is significant to you.