Letters to the Editor
Presumptuous Insect
Published Letters: 162 Editor's Choice: 5
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Trolls
[Read the article: The risks of staying]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]May I suggest once again that trolls are like tribbles: if you don't feed them, you don't have a problem with them.
They blurt out these idiotic posts, obviously having given them no thought at all, and they clearly do so with the singular aim of getting a rise out of the rest of us.
If you are tempted to respond, just think for a moment of the masturbatory glee you are engendering in someone who not only has utter contempt for you, but also is too stupid to comprehend your argument.
I value the letters here, but the responses to trolls are driving me away.
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Neener neener neener
[Read the article: Inside the Creation Museum]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]From religioustolerance.org comes some encouraging statistics:
-The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Christians dropped from 86% in 1990 to 77% in 2001. This is an unprecedented drop of almost 1 percentage point per year.
-The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Protestants dropped below 50% about the year 2005.
-Confidence in religious institutions has hit an all-time low.
-There appears to be a major increase in interest in spirituality among North Americans. However, this has not translated into greater church involvement.
-Mainline denominations have been losing membership for decades in the U.S.; conservative denominations have been growing.
-At the present rate of change, most Americans would identify themselves as non-religious or non-Christian by the year 2035 CE.
-The numbers of "unchurched" people has increased rapidly in the U.S. These are individuals who have not attended church in recent months.
-Agnosticis, Atheists, secularists. and NOTAs (none of the above) are growing rapidly.
So, to all those who like to spew the Law of the Father, ignorantly dismiss real science, and demand that women be obedient vessels with legs, I would like to just say...
NEENER NEENER NEENER you big jackasses.
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Please, please don't throw this cat away
[Read the article: I hate my cat!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I want to tell the letter writer that I am in a similar situation with my dog. When I lost my beloved lab/shepherd three years ago after his long battle with cancer, and finally started to emerge from a long space of grieving, I wanted to find a dog who wouldn't have a chance otherwise--there are so many of them in deplorable conditions. I came across a young coonhound who had been found on the highway. She was terrified of everything. Unfortunately, although her foster parent was kind enough to take the dog in, this women did not know how to handle an abused animal and exacerbated some of her problems. By the time the dog came to my notice, this woman was ready to dump the dog at the local shelter, where she would most certainly have been euthanized.
So I took her in and tried to work with her. I gave her a very regular schedule, got her the best food and care that I could, and took her to some trainers and behaviorists. The thing is, even though she has come a long way, she still has many many behavior problems, and I am often in tears of frustration, and, unfortunately, am sometimes in fear of this dog. She has what they call "conflict-related aggression," which means that she can be aggressive when fearful.
But here is the thing. I can never ever "get rid of" (god, how I hate that phrase) my dog. I simply could not live with myself if I put this poor damaged animal out there in this uncertain world, not knowing how she would end up. The chances that an animal like my dog or your cat would end up in a good situation are almost nil.
Please listen to Cary when he asks you to think about how you are going to look back on your life, because I don't think you will ever get over it if you put your cat out there.
Like me, you will have to continue to make adjustments in your life. You will have to put the cat in a separate space when guests come over. Maybe, like me, you will have to be very careful about keeping all kinds of things out of reach of your pet. You might have to medicate, as I have had to occasionally. You will have to be vigilant.
Because what else can we do? To me, the alternative is unthinkable.
I would also like to suggest that you seek out other animal lovers. We can talk endlessly about our pets and options for treatment or training, and we are very supportive of other pet-crazy people. You might discover some very good friends among us.
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@ Brenda Palomino
[Read the article: I Like to Watch]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I completely agree: I don't think that the flashforward in Lost is necessarily depicting the future; I think that it is one possibility. Lost is premised upon mystery above all, so I don't think they would settle things so easily.
After that engrossing finale, I am surprised that all Ms. Havrilesky wanted to discuss was her feeling that the flashbacks were lacking.
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Where's Glenn?
[Read the article: The great right-wing fraud to repudiate George W. Bush]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am having withdrawals.
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Simplistic either/or formula
[Read the article: We'll always hate Paris]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Maybe it's not such a great idea to insult your readers.
"...there were plenty of other things we might have paid attention to. Lookie! The Iraq war! Presto! The "ongoing investigations" of atrocious, illegal acts committed at the highest levels of government! Instead, we are engaging in our new favorite dysfunctional love-hate relationship: Public stoning of the celebrity hooker."
Why is it either/or? Many of us take citizenship seriously and educate ourselves about the appalling antics of our leaders. We even write to our representatives, protest, and are active in our communities. And some of us, in our spare time, watch TV and films and read about the absurd offerings of our pop culture. And if Paris's story briefly shines a light on the gross inequities of our legal system, then I don't have too much of a problem with it.