Letters to the Editor
masaccio
Published Letters: 222 Editor's Choice: 16
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Life, the universe, and all that
[Read the article: Hipster rebel punk outsiders -- 99 cents a dozen]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Life has no meaning. Whatever meaning there is comes from human beings. People can create meaning just as well from found objects as from deep thought.
What is the standard for judging the choice of meaning selected (consciously or not) by others and ourselves? We create that ourselves too. Here thinking is likely to produce something more useful. Some standards are better than others for particular purposes.
I like the standards that lead to reasonable participation in the life, the universe, and all that.
I also think that we can discuss these matters with most people, but not all, without being ugly about it, without claiming that our rightness means your wrongness.
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Life, the universe, and all that
[Read the article: Hipster rebel punk outsiders -- 99 cents a dozen]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Life has no meaning. Whatever meaning there is comes from human beings. People can create meaning just as well from found objects as from deep thought.
What is the standard for judging the choice of meaning chosen by others and ourselves? We create that ourselves too. Here thinking is likely to produce something more useful. Some standards are better than others for particular purposes.
I like the standards that lead to reasonable participation in the life, the universe, and all that.
9
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Mort Sahl vs. Bob Hope
[Read the article: Making Colbert go away]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Whether Colbert was funny or not is in part related to what individuals find funny. Some people loved Mort Sahl, others thought Bob Hope was funny. I never thought Hope was funny; his material was only one step up from the joke books I read as a 6th grader. Even so, he made a lot of people laugh.
Apparently inside-the-beltway types want to hear from Bob Hope, not Mort Sahl. They like Leno, not Letterman. They want to hear the same lame gags over and over, never get tired of "Take my wife, please." Heaven forbid they should have to think hard enough to see the humor in harsher material.
Apparatchicks all.
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The Unitary Executive Strikes Again
[Read the article: Killing the CIA]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The destruction of the CIA is yet another example of the theory of the Unitary Executive in action. George Bush and his advisors believe that there is only one center of power in government: the President. All those silly agencies created by congress must be bent to his will, and all independent sources of command and control must be destroyed, lest they interfere with control from the top.
Historically, we have depended on the distribution of power and prestige to ward off absolute presidential control. Offices like the Attorney General, the State Department, the Treasury, were under control of people who had their own power and their own honor to protect, and their independence served us well.
George Bush cannot find any one who will take over the Treasury. The Attorney General thinks that George Bush, and not the American people, is his client. Colin Powell was humiliated and ignored, despite his years of faithful and vigorous service.
No one with the ability to do anything cares what you, or Sidney Blumenthal, thinks.
Anyone got any bright ideas for fixing things before they are irrevocably broken?
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Photographs
[Read the article: Remembrance of social butterflies past]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There is a wonderful book of photographs by Paul Nadar of the real people who populate Marcel's book. I think it is A Proust Souvenir, http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-0865650438-0
Complementing these images, which include several of Proust, is this portrait of Proust which hangs in the D'Orsay: http://tinyurl.com/emqxj
These photos, and the painting, give a stamp of reality to the people, and make it clear why the reviewer objects to treating Proust as twee. These are real humans, closely observed and recorded.
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"Centrist"?
[Read the article: Lamont: "This is not Fox News, Sir"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]If there were a real center in the Senate, it would show some strength. It would seek for reasonable solutions to real problems, not flag-burning, not constitutional amendments to ban gay marriage. It would not consistently appoint ethically challenged and/or right-wing judges with obvious political agendas, whether overturning Roe v. Wade, or installing the Unitary Executive as the new checks and balances.
It would keep us out of absurd wars. It would pay attention to scientific information when formulating policy. It would protect the institutional power of Congress. It would exercise oversight of the executive branch. It would deal with the obvious corruption in its midst.
So, Mr. Shapiro: please point out all the centrists. Start with a couple of Republicans.
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Weak Reasoning
[Read the article: Ban on gay marriage denies justice to children]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is hard to read the New York decision without seeing how weak the legal arguments are. Hopefully, when the matter returns to the legislature, people making those arguments will be embarrassed by them and will eventually come to grips with the real arguments in the dissent and in many of these letters.
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Helping Jim Webb
[Read the article: War hero vs. faux cowboy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You can contribute to Jim Webb here:
http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica . We sure don't need another republican imposter in the Senate.
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Lieberman: the Republican Choice
[Read the article: Why is Bill Clinton in Connecticut?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Connecticutt is a very Blue State, the President has a 31% approval rating, about as low as it gets. http://tinyurl.com/keqts
Why should it have the President's favorite Democrat as its Senator? Have you seen "The Kiss" on YouTube? http://tinyurl.com/mqaz9
Help Ned Lamont here: http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica