Letters to the Editor
Rob H.
Published Letters: 123 Editor's Choice: 30
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Losing Faith in RFK, Jr.
[Read the article: Was the 2004 election stolen?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm rapidly losing faith in the ability of people to debate fairly. Sad to say, I'm going to be putting RFK, Jr., into this category.
First of all, his response to Farhad Manjoo on this issue did nothing to rebut what Manjoo said. In fact, it proves that Kennedy himself played fast and loose with the facts.
The perfect example can be found in the very beginning of the piece when Kennedy attempts to slam-dunk Manjoo but ends up getting slam-dunked himself. In his article in Rolling Stone, Kennedy flatly asserted that 174,000 voters "who showed up to vote on Election Day were forced to leave without casting a ballot."
Now we find out that that is not exactly true. By Kennedy's own admission, we find out that 48,000 of those 174,000, "were also suppressed because of the lines and other factors."
Other factors? Excuse me? Kennedy categorically stated that 174,000 people showed up to vote and were turned away. But this assertion is just plain false. As Manjoo points out, and according to the DNC report, almost 48,000 of those 174,000 never went to the polls. Say what you will about why they didn't go to vote, but the fact remains that Kennedy flat-out got the numbers wrong.
And I'm sorry, but that's just either shoddy work, or a poor attempt to twist some numbers. And Kennedy's bid to make up for this mistake by adding in the 'other factors' phrase is pretty transparent.
As to the issue with the judges, Kennedy blithely explains away Manjoo's 2000 election contrast by referring to Alice Resnick as “wildly popular.” I'm sorry, but Kennedy stating that a judge is quite popular does not wipe away the fact that the same type of anomaly occurred in 2000 as it did in 2004. In fact, maybe it's not an anomaly at all. So one has to ask, why was this rather pertinent fact left out of Kennedy's piece in the first place? One can only guess, but Kennedy calling a judge wildly popular as the be all and end of all to explain getting caught in the sin of omission is not particularly valid in my line of thinking.
Furthermore, Kennedy's line about Manjoo creating a "cottage industry" to debunk supposed problems in Ohio is disingenuous on two fronts. First, Manjoo has done nothing of the sort. He's consistently argued a position that Kennedy doesn't agree with. How is that a cottage industry? I mean really, can I accuse Kennedy of creating his own cottage industry after he's argued his side for a while, which I'm sure he'll do? It's simply ridiculous and it smacks of the kind of trite dismissal we've come to expect from Republican debate tactics.
Second, that phrase might give some people the impression that Manjoo has never really addressed Republican voter chicanery. He has -- on many occasions. Here are just three:
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/10/21/sproul/index.html
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/10/15/florida_voters/index.html
http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/09/21/intimidation/index.html
So cottage industry? I think not. And for Kennedy to say that is pretty unfair to Manjoo.
Finally, Kennedy accuses Manjoo of "outrage" over this issue. That's pretty funny. I found Manjoo's piece to be rather clinical. As was his reply to Kennedy. Accusing Manjoo of "outrage" is just another example of Kennedy's shoddy work. It's another cheap rhetorical ploy worthy of the Republican Party, not the son of RFK.
In the end, Manjoo has made some pretty valid arguments to rebut Kennedy. That's all that's happened. And to all the folks who are going apoplectic here on the letters page, stop all the vitriol. I, for one, am tired of reading it. If you want to debate, debate substantively, and not like a pack of Limbaughs and Hannitys.
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Misleading Lead
[Read the article: George Bush Sr. asked retired general to replace Rumsfeld]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Like many readers, I'm a bit perplexed by the fact that this is the lead story in Salon, but that the headline and sub-headline have little to do with the actual story. In fact, about 90% of the article has nothing to do with the supposed maneuvering by George H.W. Bush to oust Rumsfeld.
When I see a headline like that, I'm expecting and in-depth story on fascinating, internal political machinations, not a story about Haditha and the ongoing ramifications of our occupation. Sorry, but you can't play the titillation game without delivering on the titillation. Our desires for scuttlebutt, however sophomoric, demand to be satiated.
That being said, it is an interesting story -- and Blumenthal's writing is top-notch as always -- but the lead is, well, misleading, to say the least. To quote Clara Peller, where's the beef?
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Larry Brown Was Probably Right
[Read the article: King Kaufman's Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Sometimes you just have to get out the backhoe to dig up the whole stinkin mess.
I read today in the New York Times that Larry Brown wanted to outright release Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis, Jerome James, Jalen Rose and Maurice Taylor. Other than Jalen Rose, why the hell not do it? It couldn't possibly get any worse without those guys around.
Eat the damn contracts, start with a fresh bunch of kids and hopefully something will fall into place. Of course there isn't a wing on a prayer of that happening with Isiah around. He'll just keep perpetuating the cycle of destruction.
Isiah is a lousy GM and an even lousier coach. I mean what's next? Isiah trading away next year's draft pick for Ken "The Animal" Bannister?
If the Knicks win 35 games next year, it'll be despite Isiah, not because of him. And if they were so set on firing Brown, they should have at least let Herb Williams get a real shot at coaching the team. Because you know Isiah is just going to lose interest.
As a sportswriter recently wrote:
Somewhere, sometime, Charles Oakley is administering a flagrant foul, John Starks is sinking a jump shot, and Patrick Ewing ambles up-court, in measured paces, all the time in the world.
Memories....