Letters to the Editor
Drewonimo
Published Letters: 109 Editor's Choice: 4
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Why so defensive?
[Read the article: Oh no they didn't]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Jeesh, people.
When Joan says "I also can't help hoping that Obama supporters who denied Clinton faced sexism, but who are now outraged by the treatment of Michelle Obama, will have new insight into the dynamics of American media and politics, and new compassion for Clinton" she's NOT saying that ALL Obama supporters denied sexism against Clinton or even most. She's saying that there were some.
And there were. If this was never your opinion, then you shouldn't feel the need to speak for all Obama supporters by defending "them" as a unit. We're all different and we all have different attitudes towards each candidate. You don't need to categorically deny that there are NO Obama supporters who denied there was sexism anymore than you could or should deny that there are NO Obama supporters who are themselves sexist (or, for that matter, Clinton supporters who are racist). Of course there are.
And the point was never "it's the only reason she didn't get the nomination, etc", it's that by denying the sexism is/was there, we are perpetuating it. You don't have to be a Hillary Clinton supporter to be offended by the denial of sexism -- it sets everybody back who wants to have a society where all genders are treated equally.
The same goes for racism. Look, as we move forward toward unity, it doesn't mean we have to move forward pretending there are no rifts in the progressive movement or isms we ourselves have to deal with. It's okay to acknowledge that we have work to do -- and I for one don't think it takes away from the effort to elect Barack Obama to actually acknowledge that we have racism and sexism in our midst and need to deal with it too.
Now back to the issue at hand:
I have to say, I was SHOCKED by both of the Fox bits about the "fist jabs" and the "baby mama" reference. Shocked because, while I don't own a TV and never ceased to be amazed by what I see referenced as being on TV, I think both of these references are not only beyond the pale, but just so STOOPID. Does Fox really think these are sly references that people will subliminally pick up on and influence their opinions? It's offensive on so many levels -- but principally in that it assumes that everyone is a bloody idiot.
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The fifth cylon
[Read the article: Finale wrap-up: "Battlestar Galactica"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Has got to be Roslyn.
And we'll know it when her prophecies/visions intersect with D'Anna's.
And we'll know it when the cancer finally kills her and she's resurrected.
I think the whole point of the Cylon/human war is that there never was a way to "go back" and get a fresh start, one without the other. To have a new beginning, they have to make amends. So now the question remaining is whether either race can truly evolve to do this --or whether they are inextricably linked to their utter and ever-repeating doom.
You know, kind of like the GOP and the religious right.
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The right thing at the right time in the right place
[Read the article: Gore to endorse Obama Monday night]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]No, it's not news that Gore is endorsing the Democratic candidate. But here's why the WAY this is happening IS news:
He's doing it in Detroit, the least hospitable place for those fighting for aggressive action on the climate crisis. You can bet this is a sign that Gore is leveraging this issue with Obama for all it's worth -- and he should!
He is not endorsing "too late" as many will undoubtedly say. Gore wants a Democrat in the White House and, from the perspective of environmental concerns, getting leverage means backing the winner and doing what he can for them. If he had endorsed Obama in the primaries, you can bet that ALL the coverage would focus on bogus personality issues -- the supposed Gore-Clinton feud, etc. That's not what Al Gore gives a shit about. If you read his last book you'll know that he's most concerned with putting the issues that matter at the front of public discourse. This is the way to do it.
Al Gore is also using his enormous email list to raise money for a candidate for the first time. That's bigger than anything else that will come of this announcement. If he can deliver the environmental vote AND the big bucks, he will do Obama and the nation a world of service.
Al Gore is a true national hero in my book. He has rarely wasted his energy on the petty poliics of ego and such and has truly put his back into fighting for what matters. All the snarky comments over the years haven't diminished what has and always will be true; Al Gore is an amazing human being we are lucky to have as an American and a Democrat.
It sickens me that we live in a culture where a man of this type of integrity is constantly ripe for abuse because he is perceived as "spineless" -- when in fact, he's just not driven by rampant testosterone. And the anti-intellectualism that always rears it's ugly head whenever Gore's name is mentioned in the media is exactly why we got George Bush in the White House.