Letters to the Editor
Paul in KY
Published Letters: 706 Editor's Choice: 13
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Hominid Start
[Read the article: "The World Without Us"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The author of the book is mistaken when he/she says that homonids started due to a previous ice age. IMO, it was the creation of the great rift valley in Eastern Africa (process started some 7 or more million years ago in the hot Miocene epoch) which sent some of our ancestors out of the trees & on to the savannah as the 'world forest' retreated in Africa due to the drier climate brought on by the uplift occuring & due to large volcanic flows wiping out ancient forests.
As for Elephants not being able to compose sonatas, I think nature would probably prefer them to the sonata-composing sleazoids she is presently infested with.
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Removed via Magic (or maybe Space Aliens)
[Read the article: "The World Without Us"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Hammerbut wrote: 'If the large animals could survive then humans would as well. Even if only 5% of the population survived they would adapt to their new enviroment and continue to rule over the animals just as the Neanderthals did'
I'm probably wrong here, but the idea I got from the story about the book was that it was sort of a 'what if all humanity just magically disappeared from the world overnight' scenario.
Maybe thru some kind of targeted, super-virulent disease (if magic doesn't work as the catalyst for us disappearing). Of course, if we all died (instead of being physically removed somehow), there would be alot of fatty short-term food for our carrion eaters.
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The Debate
[Read the article: What you missed while watching "Ask a Ninja"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I watched most all of it last night. Thought it went pretty well. Mrs. Clinton & Sen. Obama both really looked & sounded good. I also thought Sen. Edwards & Sen. Dodd did well. Gov. Richardson sorta seemed like he was still 'not ready for primetime' (I do like the guy & think his heart is in the right place, though).
I agree that Mr. Gravel needs to give it up. All he can do is make life miserable for the other Democratic candidates & aid in the election of another Republican (maybe that's what he wants). I would also ask Mr. Kucinich to pack it in too, although I like him & feel he has so much more to say than Mr. Gravel.
I did think that alot of the questions seemed to be drawn from our most stereotypical Democratic constituencies (the ones that Republicans like to hilite at times). I also wondered if the cadets from The Citadel were ordered not to applaud or if they're just all future Repubs & felt they were at Satan's Debate.
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cynicalP
[Read the article: What you missed while watching "Ask a Ninja"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My bad on the 'Mrs. Clinton', I should have said Sen. Clinton.
You know, you didn't gig me for calling former Sen. Gravel 'Mr. Gravel'. Equal opportunity is a Democratic hallmark, remember.
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Has a Point
[Read the article: The New York Times misses the CNN/YouTube debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think Realname does have a point in that to create a question, you must have access to a PC & some kind of video device. That, of course, wipes out any desperately poor citizens (one of our Democratic constituencies, remember) from being able to ask a question.
Of course, if you'd let CNN film poor people asking a question, they'd have put on the most addled ones.
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Twisting Logic the Neocon Way
[Read the article: Beyond the Multiplex]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I've stated this before & sorta get tired of re-stating it, but does anyone ever get the idea that for the core group of wackos who thought this thing up, things haven't gone so bad?
The PNAC gang wanted us in there to bust stuff up. They wanted Iraq removed as a viable nation state, they wanted Saddam gone & US troops parked in the country. What do they have now?
These people wanted Americans to feel the same way about Arabs as the Israeli settler feels (they had poll info that showed them that Americans, in general, were much more understanding of the Arab situation than the Likudnicks were/are). They wanted to change that, because they felt it would be more advantageous to Israel (if the American people hate the Arabs as much as we do, they'll never put any political pressure on any American president to hold Israel's feet to the fire vis a vis a settlement of the Palestinian question). These people's idea of a settlement is all the Palestinians go to Jordan & Israel annexes the West Bank & Gaza.
So when you see one of these neocon types prattle on about how it's not that bad & progress has been made & it was all the right thing to do (and you think to yourself 'he/she must be insane, what are they watching'), maybe my theory will make a little more sense: For those architects/idea-men of the Iraq Fiasco (my term), the objectives have for the most part been met & are being met every day we have troops killed by Arabs and U.S. troops blow up private residences that they have no idea who or what is in, just that some militant type ran into that particular house.
The first inflames Americans against Arabs, the second inflames Arabs against the U.S. Rinse, lather, repeat...
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Answer for DigitalDave
[Read the article: The mainstream, sane, serious Joe Lieberman]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]DigitalDave wondered: 'When Lieberman lost in the 06 primary, all the Dems had to do was announce that, despite being an old friend and comrade, Joe would be stripped of his seniority if he was re-elected as an independent. If the Dems became the majority party, Joe would not hold any chairmanships, nor enjoy voting privileges inside the Democratic caucus room. He would become an outsider to us Dems.'
Forgive me if someone else has already answered this. The Sen. from Tel Aviv broadly hinted that if he was not given his seniority he would caucus with the Repubs & vote for their nominee for majority leader. Given the closeness at the present time of the Senate, that would have flipped it to the Repubs (in a 50 - 50 tie, Darth Cheney gets to do one of his legislative duties).
Due to the ineptness of the Repub nominee in the Conn. Senate race, it became increasingly likely that Lieberman would win all the Repub votes (they sure know who he is) & enough stupid Democrats to win the race. Thus, we had to accede to his blackmail to get Sen Reid as majority leader.