Letters to the Editor
jebldmm
Published Letters: 933 Editor's Choice: 164
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He shouldn't have to leave
[Read the article: Craig lawyer: He may stay in the Senate no matter what]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This is nothing new. I'm betting that shortly after the earliest humans formed a political alliance, one of the first politicians had an illicit affair. The only problem with Craig's affair is that he violated one of the tenets of modern Conservatism (Thou Shalt Not Admit To Homosexual Activity) when he pled guilty. He hasn't violated any reasonable law, although he should be fined for criminal stupidity for trying to do something illicit in an airport in today's day and age. Let the voter's decide if they still want him.
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You passed the test
[Read the article: True confessions]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It would be extremely unlikely that a random sample of 10 questions out of 100 would include all 4 of the questions you missed. Even if it did, you would still pass the test. And if you didn't pass you could re-take the test. The fact that they publicize the questions shows that the test isn't supposed to assess the prospective citizens knowledge of the U.S., it is supposed to encourage them to learn how our political system works. It may not be important that there are 27 amendments, but it is important to know that there aren't 500, which would imply that the Constitution was frequently amended.
In all honesty, I think that we would be better off as a nation if we required all American's to pass the citizenship test before they could vote. Yes, I know we can't do this because some idiots used tests to reduce minority voting in the past, but it would still be a good idea if it were applied to everybody, not just minorities. Anybody who can't identify what congress is should not be allowed to vote for a congressperson.
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Congress can condemn anything it wants
[Read the article: Fox News' attack on the honor and integrity of our war generals]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What Congress can't do is try to stop free speech. The Constitution doesn't say that the government won't criticize something. It says that the government won't censor it. It's not Orwellian to have the government saying something is wrong. It is quite Orwellian to have the government controlling the flow of information about Iraq and using common forms of communication to spy on us and kidnapping people to torture them in other nations. There are so many bad things happening right now. It really, really pisses me off that we are still focused on a newspaper ad and the right-wing reaction to it. It's typical, though. The right wing wanted to distract us from the content of Petraeus's report, and they succeeded.
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@glenngreenwald
[Read the article: Fox News' attack on the honor and integrity of our war generals]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Edwards didn't put his campaign on hold and address only the hair "issue". He put an ad on the web and moved on to serious issues. Kerry should have addressed criticisms, but if he had spent the rest of the election focusing on them instead of on issues, the campaign result would have been the same. We have let the MoveOn ad become the story, instead of Petraeus. I read several liberal blogs, and I've read a lot more about the ad and Congress's reaction to it than I have about what was actually said in the hearing. MoveOn wanted to focus attention on Petraeus's lies. The right wanted to distract the world, including us, from what Petraeus said. The right won. We need to finish dealing with the ad and put the focus back where it belongs - on the lies.
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He has a double dose of persecution complex
[Read the article: Clarence Thomas casts himself in "Native Son"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It seems somewhat contrary that such an objectively successful man would feel that he has been held back because of persecution, but it is not uncommon. We seem to have a tendency in America to define ourselves as victims. Various groups identify the "other" and identify themselves as being supressed by this other, sometimes with justification and sometimes not. Many conservatives and blacks have defined themselves this way, and Thomas has accepted this definition wholeheartedly, regardless of the evidence to the contrary. He may have risen to one of the highest positions in the land, but he will always be a victim in his own mind. The sad truth is that some people are truly victimized by society, and there are legal remedies for this victimization, but Thomas seems unwilling to participate in these remedies. He is so filled with bitterness and hate that he is unable to empathize with the victims of repression and help them rise above their current station in life.
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Hey... it worked before
[Read the article: Quote of the Day]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The ad has been a wonderful distraction so far. I'm still not sure exactly what Petraeus said during his presentation to Congress. It would be nice to have a "While you were watching the ad..." article about things that happened while the entire world was either attacking or defending Move On. What is really scary is that we were distracted so easily, even knowing the stakes, even knowing how the right wing media works to distract from their major faults by blowing up minor weaknesses of their opponents.
The only proper response when Move On is mentioned is "Yes, I agree that the ad was tasteless, but there is a war going on that is far more important. Could we talk about Petraeus's testimony?" The proper response to the "party doesn't like to make a profit" comment is "We're here to discuss whether Blackwater employees have acted irresponsibly, damaging U.S. interests in Iraq. Could we please leave the political posturing on the table?"
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Have white house press secretaries always been pandering sycophants?
[Read the article: Obey: Want money for war? Change course]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Or is this a new trend introduced by the Republicans? I don't remember Clinton's press secretaries being quite so partisan. It seemed like past Press Secretary's were more involved in actually communicating information, but the current crop is an arm of the Republican Party, armed with pithy quotes attacking Democrats, but with no real desire to communicate information to the American people.
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Protesting at Planned Parenthood to prevent abortions...
[Read the article: Planned Parenthood will see you now]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]...is like protesting at a cancer treatment center to prevent lung cancer.