Letters to the Editor
maureenodonnell
Published Letters: 578 Editor's Choice: 5
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Lax use of word "charisma"
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This word is Greek and in its original meaning it denoted a favour specially vouchsafed by God. Whether Barack Obama has charisma or not I'm not in a position to know. However, anyone with any savvy ("savoir faire" - French) should be aware of the saying that the Romans had: "beware of Greeks bearing gifts" although in this instance it's a munificent Syrian-American who is the centre of attention. It's hardly surprising that the world is fascinated by this American election as never before, according to "My Way". I suppose John Grisham is already getting ideas for his next thriller.
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What's all this about Syria?
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Isn't it in the Gospels. I now know that I'm treading on holy ground when the name Obama is mentioned and could "be cast out into the exterior darkness, with weeping and gnashing of teeth". Anyway, anyone who has the slightest knowlege of the Middle East might recall that there was what amounted to a civil war in Lebanon in 2006 and Syria was accused of backing Hamas (I think) in the insurgency against the government. It's so hard to get at the truth because the "red herrings" are being put all along the path. I noticed that someone had made an accusation against Joan Walsh and that when Joan rebutted it her accuser did not have the decency to apologise.
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Ancient Assyrian wants Joan Walsh to have "cojones".
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Maybe he wants to appeal to the Latino voters in California but this is bewildering. Assyria was the ancinet name for Syria so it's possible that the Ancient one has taken umbrage that the country was mentioned at all. It's so mesmerising that John Grisham would be hard put to make it up. Sweetness and light, anyone?
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Ancient Assyrian, I'm sorry if I offended your femininity
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]but male appendages aren;t usually discussed in polite company. It may be a cultural thing but there are so many more appropriate words to use. I haven't looked at any maps of the Ancient World, as I'm a spontaneous writer, but I'll take your word on the correct nomenclature. I learned a poem called "The Destruction of Sennacherib" and I remember these lines from it: "The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold and his cohorts were gleaming in purple and gold.." Some clever psychologist could probably point out that I had linked that poem with an image of male power and war. You don't seem in such a good mood yourself but we all have difficult times.
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Dear Marjoram, when I mentioned Hamas I put a question mark after it.
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is quite absurd to talk of borders in the Ancient World as if they coincided with those we have today. As far as I know, the Ferile Crescent was somewhere between the Euphrates and another river whose name escapes me just now. Anyway, I've no intention of perusing some ancient or modern tome to satisfy anyone interested in nit-picking.
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Majorojam, I remembered too late
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It was Maurice Chevalier who sang "Oh yes, I remember it well" - when he clearly didn't - in the film "Gigi". There's something going on in my life just now that givesme plenty of time to think but I'' go back to "The Irish Times" site very soon. There are perennials on that site who seem to know chapter and verse on the Middle East and have very strong (unfavourable) opinions on Dubya. Surprising though it might seem, I've never got into what seems an interminable wrangle about America, Israel, the Gaza Strip and all that because I've simply never known enough about the situation in the Middle East except that it is a bloody (literally) mess. My own attitude is that nobody who goes into politics can be perfectly honest or sincere, as those qualities would liken a candidate to "a lamb to the slaughter". The best I expect from any politician nowadays is some form of moral compass and an ability to do the job. I don'tunderstand hero-worship and that makes me uneasy about the adulation of Barack Obama. I've been called lots of uncomplimentary names on this site for asking any awkward questions but it's vital that the US gets it right this time. It seems a shame that the Democrats could not get a stellar candidate less controversial than these two Senators are. There's no point in denying that both raise strong feelings of hostility or empathy. At this point, I can only think that the Democrats are torn asunder, no matter how much Hillary and Barack smiled at each other last night - they showed a snatch of the debate on Irish television.
As for Joan, I think people are being hard on her. Walter Shapiro has been banging away on the horrors of Hillary and you can't please all of the people all of the time. You surely know about Tammany Hall and the Irish; when it came to deviousness they were tops but I suppose that's the survivors' instinct. It very nearly happened that I went to live in Los Gatos many years ago but I wasn't that mad about Irish-Americans of a certain generation so that was that, as they say. Happy St. Brigid's Day, the first day of the Celtic spring. It's always struck me as odd that we've had only three or four female saints here whereas, around every corner, there seemed to be some holy monk or other. This is a digression but so what!
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Anonymous (5:45 p.m) - Racism and snobbery?
[Read the article: How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The use of the word "peons" is supercilious and is as objectionable as if you, from a lordly position, were to call someone a peasant. It's a Spanish word (correctly "peones") and I wonder if it's intended as a veiled insult to Spanish-speaking Americans. I didn't know that David Geffen was such a pillar of probity in the US but now I do. The topic of McClelland's article is Barack Obama but you have deftly turned it around to "the Clintons". How clever of you! You must be a lawyer. The USA seems to be riddled with them.