Letters to the Editor
Mishima666
Published Letters: 125 Editor's Choice: 28
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It's not the first time.
[Read the article: Seduced by the Dalai Lama]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's not the first time that a religious leader has faced an occupation by an imperial army.
Jesus lived under a brutal Roman occupation, and the best he could come up with was "turn the other cheek," even as the occupying power killed him. The gospels and the rest of the New Testament contain scarcely a word of criticism of Rome.
But really, what do we want from our spiritual beings? What we want is spiritual transcendence, a window into an ideal world, an idea that the defective material world is not all there is.
In other words we want them to articulate an inspirational vision of an alternative world in which love and forgiveness prevail, something very different from the world in which we live.
The Dalai Lama has been forced to assume the role of "politician." In that role he is a fish out of water. It's a role forced him by circumstances, but it's a role that doesn't play to his strengths. I say we cut him some slack.
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Perhaps a decision best left to individuals.
[Read the article: King Kaufman Sports Daily]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]No country has a perfect human rights record, but China is really "over the top."
I would hope that individual athletes would reflect on the situation in China and decide for themselves whether they want to be associated with that. I think that many would not.
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How did it "discharge?"
[Read the article: Ask the pilot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My understanding is that the handgun in question is an HK USP 40 Compact, the same gun that my wife carries (with a legal handgun permit.)
This gun has an external safety, which when set makes the gun impossible to fire. In addition it's a DA/SA gun, which means that the first shot is double action, and subsequent shots are single action. The first shot requires around a 12 pound trigger pull.
Or as my wife puts it, in order to fire the first shot, "you just about have to stand on the goddamned trigger."
Quality handguns -- which the HK is -- don't "go off accidentally" -- unless the person carrying it does something very wrong.
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Thanks for the great review.
[Read the article: Everything you were afraid to ask about "Battlestar Galactica" ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I found out about BSG from a friend who raved about it. Interestingly, he said that each season was better than the previous one.
So the spouse and I watched, starting with season one. What can I say? We were hooked, and indeed each subsequent season was better than the previous one. Some of the individual programs were Ok, some were great, and some were profound. None disappointed. We look forward to the next season.
To paraphrase Star Trek, BSG does indeed go where no sci-fi series has gone before. I have never been a fan of sci-fi, but this series has absolutely sucked me in. Season four -- bring it on!
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Going down the drain, one toke at a time.
[Read the article: I'm 21 and addicted to pot -- but I'm doing just great!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I have known a number of stoners, and the LW is definitely a stoner, and thinks like a stoner.
What happens to the stoner is that eventually all of life revolves around the bong. The bong becomes the be-all and end-all, and anything that threatens the bong must be rejected.
Eventually the bong becomes your only friend. Are you happy? Get stoned. Are you sad? Get stoned. The spouse is a pain in the ass? Get stoned. Is the baby crying? Get stoned. Good day at work? Get stoned. Bad day at work? Get stoned. Of course, most employers require a drug test and you won't pass. But work might not be a problem because you can always find some low-paying job that doesn't require a drug test.
When the spouse eventually confronts you about your drug addiction -- and that's what it is -- that will be his or her problem, not yours. No, the bong is great, and anyone who threatens the bong is a conservative tight-ass who obviously doesn't appreciate whatever it is that he or she is supposed to appreciate.
So the spouse leaves you for someone who isn't stoned all the time, for someone who is actually present, not absent, for someone who has a good job. The kid leaves with the spouse, and that's fine with you, because the kid is a hassle. But thank God, the bong remains.
So you're a high-performing pot addict -- today. Good for you! But give it a few years. Eventually there is you, the bong, and your fellow druggies. If you like the idea of that future, wonderful -- be all you can be, so to speak.
My experience? Spouse of a stoner. Been there, done that, got the tshirt.
By the way I often like Cary's advice, but in this case it is absolutely pathetic.
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I'm shocked, shocked!
[Read the article: Cashing in on the Clinton campaign]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Consultants getting rich! Where have I heard that before?
In my own company.
For reasons unclear to me, many executives love consultants. Of one of our executives it is said that he never met a consultant that he didn't like -- or an employee that he did. Consultants are always better than employees, because ... well, because, you know ... they are better.
When executives get "really serious" about an issue, they hire consultants. And when they do, the sky is the limit. Other costs that would have given executives a heart attack, when incurred through the use of consultants, pass by almost without notice or concern.
Consultants come in, slap their dicks on the table, and make preposterous claims about their "value." And the executives eat it up. They can't get enough. They love it.
Whatever other virtues our politicians might have, it is obvious that they have adopted a corporate worldview with respect to consultants.
To all those of us peons who think that we're in the wrong line of work, I can only say: yes, we are. Whoever ends up in the White House, we need to remember who his or her true friends are. And it ain't us little people.