Letters to the Editor
Nita Martin
Published Letters: 271 Editor's Choice: 62
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Creativity....
[Read the article: "Schmucks with Underwoods"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]is a word that seems sadly lacking in this analysis of an analysis of the history of screenwriting.
And creativity is something about which people who lack it remain ignorant. And, actually, in denial. Because it is a gift, and like beauty or inherited wealth, it inspires resentment, and resentment inspires people to degrade or dismiss it. And since it has no concrete presence, the way beauty or wealth do, everyone thinks they can produce the work that requires creativity and talent, because its attributes are invisible.
People like Steven Spielberg and George Lucas have the creative spark and can translate it into a fascinating and engaging story in film. There are writers who have created the bulk of a wildly successful film script in just a couple of hours on a slow afternoon, because they have the creative vision of the story. On the other hand, writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald were taken to Hollywood because it was presumed that if they had literary talent, they were "creative" in the bigger sense. They failed because they were not, just as Steven Spielberg would fail at writing a novel which would become a classic.
The saddest thing about being a writer, and the most frustrating is that very fact that everyone thinks they can do it. As anyone who has to make a corporate living at it (which I do)will tell you, it is the most demanding and yet thankless job on the org. chart. Because everyone thinks its somehow sexy to be creative, everyone wants to have a shot at it. And lacking the ability to actually write anything themselves, they settle for criticizing and changing the work of someone who really knows what they are doing. At my last job as the copy director for a major catalog company, even my boss's secretary took a red pencil to the work of my department. And when I ignored her ridiculous suggestions, I was told it was a group effort. On the other hand, if I made a move that she felt invaded her territory, there was hell to pay.
Writers produce something truly wonderful a lot of the time, forging language into something unique and compelling. Alas, in today's world, whether it's film, novels, catalogs, commercials, creativity is almost never given respect or acknowledgement. And while not everyone thinks they could dig ditches competently...everyone thinks they could be a writer.
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No, Tim...
[Read the article: All the news that's fit to print?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's ALL THE NEWS TO PRINT THAT FITS.
That's the new journalism. And just for those who think I mean column inches, it's all the news that fits within the confines of administration-approved hype, spin, talking points, cover-ups, obfuscation, hidden agenda, and out-and-out crap.
That's what happens when the Free Press is a limited partnership.
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Trick or treat....
[Read the article: A bizarre, unsolicited e-mail from Gen. Petraeus' spokesman ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Rush Limbaugh is masquerading as General Petreaus PR flak, Col. Steven Boylan.
Can't wait for Christmas: On terror and torture, on stupid and smug, on liar and hubris, on iniquity and blood. And I heard the neocons cry, as they roared out of sight, Merry Christmas to all....and to all a long dark night. And would the last person still left believing in America, please turn out the light.
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El senor 9/11 no es muy macho......
[Read the article: Which Republican candidate is más macho?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The only way this grinning stick figure could get his machismo on would be to don one of the bodybuilder suits Dana Carvey wore on SNL.
Slogan: "Rudy is going to pump...you...up." "9/11, 9/11, 9/11, nueve/once."
If I were running a Democrat's campaign, I would keep running ads in the various lands of the mouthbreathers and cowboy hat worshipers that says "Did you know that Rudy Giuliani is from New York City, and he isn't really America's Mayor at all? New York City!!"
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If a head rolls at FEMA
[Read the article: The cream always rises]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]and there's no brain in it, does anybody hear a scream?
Or, have they just got it confused with rolling ahead.
Either way, there is nothing surprising in this except the public admission that it was a dumb thing to do before promoting the "doer".
I hope when a Democrat takes over the White House, this band of bozos is shown the door, en masse. We certainly won't lose out on productivity during a deep housecleaning. Nobody is doing anything anyway.
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That C-minus in economics is really paying off...
[Read the article: When results don't matter]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"See, the people expect, when they send their money . . . to achieve certain results." "It's important to measure results so that we know we're doing our job." "If you're a taxpayer and you're spending your money, you want to make sure that money gets good results. And the best way to determine whether you get good results is to measure."
Ok, let me see if I can keep up.
Send money = expect results = measure
Spending money = make sure good results
Good results = measure
Recently Bush was talking and smirking while spouting similar blather and said, "Well, I'm not an economist....although, I think I did get a B-plus in economics." A news organization pulled his records. He got a C-minus.
He may not be an economist, but he gets an A-plus in lying every time.
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I'm disappointed....
[Read the article: "Boys against girl," Part II]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'm disappointed in the attack mode of the Democratic contenders starting to descend into a mean and nasty zone. Drawing comparisons as negatively as appropriate is fine. Let's just avoid Republicanesque name calling and pissing contests. Smart, not snide, please. It's who we are.
I'm disappointed in the media's (print, broadcast, blogosphere)need to turn this into being about Hillary's girly parts and painting her with a "what a bitch" brush rather than maintaining a professional and dignified assessment of her actions and demeanor.
I'm disappointed in the Hillary campaign's need to make this about boys and girls. Women are not getting angry at the gender assassination of Mrs. Clinton. They are getting angry at her for taking the bait and crying foul in the name of womankind.
May the best man win....even if it's Hillary Clinton. That's all we should be focusing on.