Letters to the Editor
jebldmm
Published Letters: 933 Editor's Choice: 164
-
I have no problems with gay porn
[Read the article: Porn free]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]For that matter, I have no problem with hetero porn. But I do have a problem with the fact that the right wing is holding up a man as an example of all that is good, while at the same time condemning other gay/bi men as evil. I have a very serious problem with the right wing creating an atmosphere of hate toward homosexuals in order to win elections. I have a problem with the fact that you will probably be kicked out of the reserves over this, because "your kind" are not fit to serve in our military. I have a problem with the fact that you want people to look past the surface and see you for what you are, not what you did, but are not willing to bestow that same level of tolerance on the liberals you attacked.
But I really don't give a damn about whether or not you were ever in gay porn.
-
This wasn't a scandal, but should have been
[Read the article: Bush administration: "Mostly free of scandal"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The British video of Bush laughing and joking for the camera, then turning dead serious as the American cameras came on and he told us that we were invading Iraq.
-
Interesting priorities
[Read the article: The Gotcha Police never rest]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Democrat gets parking tickets = Big Deal. Republican drives drunk = Youthful Indiscretions.
Democrat get's trip in Vietnam cut short because of several purple hearts = Coward. Republican avoids Vietnam entirely and doesn't even finish his National Guard service = Honorable Service.
Democrat has decades old land deal with hint of scandal = Fraud. Republican walks away from failes business with millions = Honest Businessman.
-
You're right about hating - but we try to make it better
[Read the article: Ask the pilot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You're right about a lot of people hating flying. I fly only because it would take too long to drive. It's not about control, or fear... just comfort. The seats in planes have no lumbar support, and my back ends up hurting, so I have to carry a pillow. They are also too close together. I have long legs, and there is hardly an inch between the seat and my knees. The airline air is way too dry (I agree that it's necessary, but that doesn't make it comfortable). I make a point of drinking a lot of water starting the day before I fly. I also carry big bottles of water (2 for long flights), hand lotion, and lip balm. I think that part of the reason I don't like flying is that it makes me feel a bit sick from dehydration. I clicked on the link from that woman claiming that you can ask for better air. Good grief... what some people will believe. As cynical as I am, I don't believe that airlines actually expose people to hypoxia, if for no better reason than liability issues. Thanks for another interesting article about the insides of flying.
-
The right wing logic system is quite interesting
[Read the article: Why would any rational person listen to Robert Kagan?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]They apply the same logic to Iraq that they do to global warming and to teaching sex education in school. First, they come up with a conclusion: "We will win in Iraq if we fight hard enough", "Teenagers will remain abstinent until marriage if we don't teach them about birth control", "Global Warming is an environmental myth". Then they simply repeat that conclusion and use any facts available to support it, whether those facts really do support it or not. If facts exist that obviously support some other conclusion, they dismiss them and work hard to damage the credibility of whomever claims they are true. It's totally acceptable to make up facts, as long as they support the conclusion. The results are everything. They believe that reality is malleable, and that they can define their own reality.
The frustrating bit is that it often works. There are a lot of authoritarian people out there who really want to believe that their leaders are telling the truth. These people are very good at compartmentalizing information so that they can believe wrong and even contradictory things. Kagan is one of their trusted sources. What he says isn't true, but it will be repeated and quoted in the right and will become true in the minds of the right wing followers. They will continue to demand that we do what is necessary to win in Iraq, because "we WILL win in Iraq if we fight hard enough". At some point, the left will succeed in getting the troops out of Iraq, and the left will be blamed for losing the war by pulling out too early, because "WE WILL WIN IF WE FIGHT HARD ENOUGH", so the only was we can lose is by giving up. This will feed the meme of "liberals don't have the stomach to fight" and "liberals are weak on national security" and, ultimately, lead to increased support for conservatives during times of national crisis.
This means that no matter what happens, the right wing wins. If they miraculously establish a democratic, pro-west government in Iraq, they claim victory. If they keep fighting until Democrats force them to stop throwing soldiers at a futile cause, then the failure is the fault of the Democrats. It's a great system for ensuring political victory for your party. You just have to not care how many soldiers and Iraqi civilians die in the process.