Letters to the Editor
capecodgurl
Published Letters: 2
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Going too Far
[Read the article: Ellen, the dog bullies and me]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My friend lost her beloved family dog. One son off to college, two in high school, a traveling salesman husband, and my working Mom friend missed the companionship of a dog at home. They went to a local shelter. They immediately were drawn to a dalmation who unfortunately was deaf. This dog has a sister at the shelter that they wanted too. Only one dog could be considered. Here was the deal: 1ST week:a family "interview", 2nd Week:a weekend day visit with the whole family to be observed (her son was required to leave college to be present), 3RD Week: Home Inspection, then 4Th week: whole family must be present for a "trial" at home weekend with dog. Once that passed they met to decide and then let the dog be provisionally adopted with rights to pop in home visit inspections, check up calls etc. After this process they re-applied for the sibling dog and got her too. This family was very patient with this overly cautious and controlling process because they fell in love with these dogs.
I love my dog..but he needs a friend. All our shelter require a fenced in yard, renters are scum so I'd have to lie about my residence. I live by the beach and my dog goes swimming everyday and running like a freebird, but he must pick up strange dogs at the beach to play with and goes home alone. He loves me, but I am not a dog. Works over and I am tired. A dog friend would make him just a bit happier and that would make me happy too. One less dog at the shelter should make us all happier. Assisting in a dog getting a good home is an important job, but more and more it descends into control and inflexibility. It is the power, little people can not handle it. They build "systems", rules, to define their control and like anyone who becomes rule addicted, they become inflexible. We see this with bureaucrats, gatekeeping office staff at medical care facilities, your kids schools, etc..so when we see it unfold with Ellen's pup it resonates and just plain pisses us off.
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It's Patriotism Stupid!
[Read the article: Rev. Jeremiah Wright isn't the problem]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wright or wrong is not the point. The point is for sure patriotism. Little things like label pins, not saluting the flag, non-dutiful wives going through life not proud to be an American, viral rumors flying wildly about running the gamut from Che Guevera posters to Farrahkan..ALL add up. The Wright thing just slashed to the center of the darkest fears in white America..that Black Power trumps the flag...that some African Americans hate whites and worse yet white America. Part of these worries and anxieties are rooted as most garbage like this is in some half truths. For too long many blacks have been the "silent majority" of this time..sitting quietly while "articulate" blacks are mocked as being "too white", rappers hide their education and act all street to be accepted, even Oprah slips into her own form of Opra-bonics around fellow blacks.
Now we find Obama..a guy who grew up caught between the two races..his own "blackness" under question..asked to do what?..the white thing meaning get up and disown this guy?..the black thing, nod and understand the history that begat this hate stuff? Reverend Wright's pew was not the first time Barack has heard a black man rant or spue views he did not subscribe to..across his life he processed them all and learned to understand the context and even tolerate that kind of angry voice of both blacks and whites. Was that the right thing to do? Probably not, but it was the black thing he chose to do..and he wasn't alone..many prominent blacks attended that church..that was Oprah's church.
Is this fair to Obama? Wake up, it does not have to be.
The reality here is on 911 it was African Americans who ran back into the Towers, African American who died side by side with Latino Firemen and dozens of other "American" heroes. Who fights our wars for us?...who are those anonymous soldiers coming home dead and damaged? ..black men and women.
In so many ways 911 united us as one..it was our darkest, yet proudest moment. The legacy it left however was also our most oppressive..from Dixie Chicks to Hollywood..speaking out was deemed anti-American...Not patriotic. The taliban have been out in force on talk radio looking for infidels.
Yes, we have turned a corner recently and are trying to right the terrible wrongs done post 911..but we still are in its wake. The truth is you simply can not be elected president of these United States if you are perceived to be not patriotic. Not here, not now. We can go all intellectual about what that means and how bad the road these false patriots have taken us down..we can remember the quote: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel." Bear in mind the point here is not to rage against these scoundrels..the point now is to not let them continue their stranglehold on our country and its future direction. Obama, don't bemoan the problem, and don't ignore the problem, just address it..over and over. " I am an American, I live as an American. I will die as an American. ", but my America is one who tolerates dissention and expects only the best from its people and its government...in my America, we are the good guys in the world..That's the America we salute.