Letters to the Editor

Letters posted here are associated with the following Salon Premium Member:

Lukne

Published Letters: 7

  • What did Tyler Durden read?

    [Read the article: Campus cruelties]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    After reading Durden's overemotional, irrational, hate-filled letters, I really wonder if we read the same article. No where in the article was there any insinuation that girls are superior to boys. She only wrote of a tendency of young boys in packs to act-up in ways that hurt people.

    She also seemed to be grappling with how to raise boys into moral and responsible young men. Durden seems to be looking for a fight. Perhaps the saying should be "A man scorned . . . "

  • Scared the hell out of me

    [Read the article: They called me a child pornographer]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    I just emailed this article to several friends who also have small children. For me, this is a wakeup call - we live in a society ruled by conservative, fundamentalists thugs. We all must be careful.

    But you got to love this country. Here, in order to protect our youth, authorities threaten to break-up families over pictures of unclothed children enjoying a camping trip or over a photo capturing a mother breastfeeding her child.

    Yet, we completely fail to protect our children with adequate daycare needed while their single mothers must work menial jobs as a part of welfare "reform". We fail to protect children from crumbling public schools with outdated texts and no physical education, music, or art programs.

    And let's not even get started on the dearth lack of college grants and scholarships needed to protect our older children from a life of dead-end, low-paying jobs.

    But, let's not worry, because with our country’s religious police patrolling our photo labs, we're free of child pornography or some clueless, paranoid version of it.

    L. Kneedler

  • My Lovely Response to Tim LaBouf (tklabouf@msn.com)

    [Read the article: Fired by the Bible]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    Just read, in salon.com, how you terminated Mary Lambert who had taught at your church for more than 54 years. Apparently, you suddenly realized that apostle Paul would not have liked having a committed elderly woman teaching scriptures. I am convinced that if Jesus ever saw your cruel, misogynist actions toward this lady, he'd never stop throwing-up.

    By the way, the Bible has 26 versions written in numerous languages. From which one were you reading when you stole from Mrs. Lambert one of her favorite tasks she enjoyed for more years than you've probably been alive.

    Only egoistic, impotent, jackasses would pick out certain phrases to use at their own sick conveniences. If Jesus does ever come back, YOU of all people should be the one to run and hide.

    Sincerely,

    An intelligent, compassionate, NON-SUBMISSIVE woman -- stick that up where the sun don't shine.

  • Car keys to a 12-year old

    [Read the article: My boyfriend's climbing partner let him fall]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    From your letter, it sounds like your friend’s belay techniques were at best minimal. Let me be frank, you just don’t give someone a quick lesson on how to be belay then, five minutes later, have them belay you up an ice climb. It's kind of like giving your car keys to a 12-year-old. Climbing and rope techniques are best learned by a qualified instructor in a series of lessons.

    I can see how your friend may not have known what he did wrong, especially if he panicked or if there slack in the rope. He may also feel angry for being handed far more responsibility than he could handle.

    Because you have someone's life in your hands, belaying is a far more important skill than climbing, and must be treated as such.

  • Would you hand over your car keys to a 12-year old

    [Read the article: My boyfriend's climbing partner let him fall]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    From your letter, it sounds like your friend’s belay techniques were at best minimal. Let me be frank, you just don’t give someone a quick belay lesson then, five minutes later, have them belay you up an ice climb. It's kind of like giving your car keys to a 12-year-old. Climbing and rope techniques are best learned by a qualified instructor in a series of lessons.

    I can see how your friend may not have known what he did wrong, especially if he panicked or if there slack in the rope. He may also feel angry for being handed far more responsibility than he could handle.

    Because you have someone's life in your hands, belaying is a far more important skill than climbing, and must be treated as such.

  • First ask the parents

    [Read the article: Do I have to be a mommy to "opt out"?]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    I know two sisters who didn’t speak for more than 20 years because of a disagreements on how one was raising her daughter, and how the other was overstepping her boundaries as an aunt.

    So my advice is this; tell your sister your plan, and see how she responds. If she is in the least bit tentative, then you may be in for a disaster. She may not be ready to share her kids even with her own sister.

    Also, ask yourself if you and your sibling share similar values? If she is conservative Christian, for example, and you’re a free-spirited agnostic, then how you both approach childrearing will be quite different. And these adorable little children won’t be little forever: teenagers are masters at playing one relative against the other for their own benefit.

    Finally, make sure your sister’s partner is okay with this arrangement; after all he or she is also the parent. Half the battle of getting along with the kids is getting along with the parents, and respecting their values and boundaries.

  • Middle Ground

    [Read the article: Is it too late to start a band at 45?]
    [Read more letters about this article: Here]

    Surely, there must be some halfway creative job you can do to pay the bills while getting your band off the ground. There must be some ad agency, design firm, etc. that could give you fulfilling work and keep you roof over your head.

    If you’re artistic and musical, why not teach classes? That will keep you in your art and give you time to get your band off and running.

    I hate to sound like a drone, but at 45, retirement is only 20 plus years away, you’ll also need to sock some money away for old age. Starting a band is an awesome idea, but it’s a hard living and hardly worth the risk of ending up destitute.

    Good Luck!