Letters to the Editor
Alan Lloyd
Published Letters: 304 Editor's Choice: 64
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@ Alec Elixir
[Read the article: Cleveland to Dennis Kucinich: Phone home]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You're putting the cart before the horse. It was the press' determination to ignore him that ensured his poor showing.
No it was not. Had he garnered support from voters, he would have been news. He didn't, so he wasn't. Statistical insignificance is not even going to make page 23.
"I do not need, want, or necessarily respect your opinions."
Who's the poor communicator now?
Well, I'm bothering to take the time to say that your opinion, as expressed, justifies my comment. Communicative enough for you? If you had something other than the "lack of press coverage" trope to fall back on, I'd take your comments more seriously.
You seem to think I ought to be respectful of your uninformed opinion. I am not.
"There's nothing to be proud of in 'losing pure.' Nothing whatsoever."
But it beats being pragmatic and losing anyway. (John Kerry, anyone?)
Oh really? Kerry came closer than any other candidate in history to unseating an incumbent during a war. Did Kucinich get above 5% of the vote in any state either in 2004 or this year? More to the point, could he ever win a statewide election in Ohio?
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TANSTAAFL
[Read the article: Paying the polysilicon piper]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]There Ain't No Such Thing as A Free Lunch.
At bottom, nothing is perfect. Especially not us, the "human element" in it all.
Maybe if there were not so many of us...
Or maybe, just maybe, we are our own "Dosadi Experiment"?
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Friends from Chongquing
[Read the article: How the fortune cookie crumbles]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have the good fortune to have friends from Chongquing - they are very well-traveled in their own right, have made things in their own kitchen that I've relished, and when we go to places here, I always let them point the way.
They do maintain that there are at least two places here that are "almost like back home", and the staff at those places, one of which other friends and I have nicknamed "the office" (because we like having meetings there) now know me, and are willing to offer their suggestions as to what's "real". These places also seem to have a very high Chinese customer base percentage, and often, I hear conversations around me in Mandarin, especially at the place near the university.
How "truly authentic" are they? I don't know. My friends seem to think they are quite good, I've asked staff there what something a neighboring diner is having if it looks interesting (and always been glad I did), and I seem to keep going back.
Good cooking - of any origin - is about using good (read: fresh) ingredients and solid preparations. These places don't disappoint. They're probably as "authentic" as I'm going to find here in the Midwest. And they are certainly enjoyable, and appreciated for that.
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In order of significance
[Read the article: Are mass e-mail political campaigns worthless?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Lowest: Email, by far.
Next: Phone call, taken by the least senior person in the office; a message may or may not be taken correctly.
Best: An individually written "dead-tree" letter.
Bear in mind, also, that officeholders' staff members can spot mass-generated stuff almost instantly, be it electronic or otherwise. That equates to quick dismissal of whatever message the sender had in mind.
As for "movement generation", maybe.
And MoveOn is a special case. Beyond themselves, I doubt anyone takes them seriously any longer. Sure, candidates will take their money, but I suspect not their advice.
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Following on...
[Read the article: How the fortune cookie crumbles]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"marco polo" (as if...):
The Chinese, in China, will eat anything, won't they?
(...)
What will they do when they have decimated their land of any living beings?
Maybe you'd rather they all sat there quietly and starved to death?
...and Nick44:
Can anyone tell me the secret to ordering truly hot and spicy Chinese food?
I've fared well going to a Szechuan place with my Mandarin-speaking friends. If that's not an option, once the staff knows you a bit (trust me, in any restaurant, it helps), ask for it "like the cook would have it back home" and you'll find better things happening.
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Waldman is right.
[Read the article: Quote of the day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Demonstrations accomplish nothing, with the possible exception of making demonstrators feel good about themselves for a few hours.
They persuade no one.
Doubt that? Ask anyone you know if their mind had ever been changed by a demonstration, a catchy slogan, or a chant. Better yet, ask ten strangers.
"But wait..." the demonstrators' advocates will say, "...demonstrations ended the war in Vietnam!"
No, they didn't. Vietnam was ended by a long process that began with the "Cronkite moment" and evolved to the American public in general tiring of their kids coming home dead or maimed, with no end in sight, and only a crooked South Vietnamese military aristocracy seeming to benefit - when they weren't killing each other off in coup attempts. Eventually, enough "middle Americans" grew tired enough that the elected officials in DC got the message.
Whether it's Code Pink, ACT-UP, ANSWER, or Critical Mass, public "demonstrations", after the Civil Rights movement, accomplish little besides annoying otherwise uninvolved passers-by and reinforcing the participants' conviction that they, at least, are "doing something". If only it held even a shred of accuracy. The real work is done within the halls of the very institutions the protesters deride, and in the minds of individuals, changing one by one. They move slowly, but once moved, they stay moved.
It's not glamorous, it's not often terribly satisfying, and I'm sure I'll get some irate responders telling me how wrong they think I am. (I'll gladly give you the 50 cents to call someone who cares.)
Put down the signs and talk to people, one on one and in small groups. Don't berate them, engage them. Ask questions, have answers for theirs. Do your homework - winging it is a bad idea. Speak in a measured tone - do not shout, do not chant. And afterwards, follow up. No one's mind changes overnight.
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Once is happenstance...
[Read the article: Obama passport file breached]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.