Letters to the Editor
Tema Dunne
Published Letters: 15 Editor's Choice: 2
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After I stopped jumping on the sofa...
[Read the article: Where have all the red states gone?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This was truly a sight to behold! Are we really starting to reverse the Republican agenda of dumbing-down America---or are the gas prices just putting a momentary crimp in our RV lifestyle? Here's a couple of things I reminded myself after my euphoric moment had lapsed:
1) NEVER underestimate the capabilities of Republican political handlers (like Rove). A good film to see is "Bush's Brain," a documentary about the career of Rove. They will pull something out of that old black hat---rest assured.
2) If we want a role model (in one way only), think of the religious fundamentalists and the power they have been able to weld within the Republican Party and the nation as a whole. Relatively small extremist group----should be on the periphery of national politics, but NOT. We've got some good Mo going here, but if we want to keep it, we're going to have to stay with it and be politically active. Because of their activism, the right wing of the R. party has had a disproportional influence. We need to do the same on the other side and more to over-come their pull.
I appreciate some of the more sobering comments from other readers. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to jumping on the sofa.
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Hate Crimes
[Read the article: U.K. to outlaw violent porn after woman's death]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think this matter should be examined within the context of hate crimes. There are certain kinds of material that are so fundamentally reprehensible they deserve to be placed in a unique category. Material explicitly promoting or implicitly condoning violence toward women, children, gays and racial groups should be held by law to some standards of social responsibility and basic decency. Regarding the lack of evidence linking violent behavior to the viewing of such provocative material, I do not believe there has been enough research conducted into this subject yet (hopefully there will be more in the future), however, I strongly suspect that studies of persons vulnerable to such material (ie having a propensity to link their sexual identity with violent acts) would find this material to be inciting and exacerbating of their tendency to fall into a negative spiral potentially leading to acting out on their fantasies. Like the tobacco industry, there is huge money in porn. The use of addiction facilitation techniques to encourage consumption in both of these industries is unclear only to those who wish not to see. Consider the fact that scientific evidence showing the link between cigarette smoking and cancer has been overwhelming for decades, yet those who benefit from it financially or who seek to justify their own behaviors continue to question the soundness of the evidence. Must we always wait for the disingenuous to submit to the evidence?
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Ann Richards - a sparkling light
[Read the article: The Texan who actually governed]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am so sad to learn of Ann Richards passing. She was a great leader. I live in California and only witnessed Ann's charisma on television. She had the kind of genuineness seldom seen in a political figure. She was a brilliant leader with a sparkling and fiesty personality. She fought Rove and his demon team courageously, but who could have known at that time how successful such a dark firgure as Rove would be at manipulating the American public. History will ultimately be the judge. I know that her descendents will be celebrating her achievements, while Rove's success will be recalled as a bleak reminder that evil does exist. My sympathy to her family.