Letters to the Editor
dendrio
Published Letters: 200 Editor's Choice: 27
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To Bill Who Has Heard of Salon:
[Read the article: Bush: Too busy for Iraq debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Exactly how is Bush a strong leader? It it because he makes strong statements? Or is because he takes strong actions, i.e. actions necessary and likely to secure success? To quote from my previous response to Joe:
"In the case of Bush, he could admit that because the surge didn't work the last two times it was attempted, it probably won't work this time. Then he can look at why it didn't work (sectarianism, anti-Americanism/nationalism, corruption, too few troops, a broken Iraqi police and military) and propose a solution that addresses those problems.
The Romans had to do the same thing when faced with Hannibal's superior numbers, superior troops, superior resources, and superior tactics. Rather than waste their legions by attacking Hannibal the same way again and again, they systematically worked to undermine each of the Cathaginian general's advantages. Bush doesn't seem to be willing to engage in such critical thinking.
Instead, Bush's current plan is the same as the old plans, but somehow it will work because, to draw from the President's own words, 'This time, it has to.'"
This isn't strength. Either it's mental weakness because he really can't see how it could possibly fail (even though it has failed twice), or it's moral weakness because he's willing put send more of our boys to their deaths rather than admit to and fix his strategy's flaws and weaknesses.
In short, there's a striking gap between the President's verbal shows of strength and the actual strength of his strategy.
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Tongue-In-Cheek ... Kind Of ...
[Read the article: No Social Security number? No problema]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Maybe, yhe gov't can then deputize the bill collectors as INS agents when the illegals fall behind on their payments. Those guys are relentless and tenacious, and corporations certainly care more about securing their profits than our government seems to be about securing our borders.
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TomG ... since your fond of referring to Ahmadinejad's statements ...
[Read the article: Extremist Bush supporter calls for murder of scientists]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Riddle Me This:
Which Iranian statements have more weight ...
... the ones where President Ahmadinejad - who is not the commander-in-chief of the Iranian Army says that Israel should be wiped off the map?
... Or the ones where Ayatollah Khamenei - who is the commander-in-chief of the Iranian army - who says the the use of nuclear weapons is immoral and "un-Islamic"?
... Or the statement the Iranian people made when they revently elected local leaders explicitly opposed to Ahmadinejad and his buffoonish brand of nationalism?
After making stating which statements have more weight with you, please explain why you've given more creedance to one and less to the others.
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Wes...
[Read the article: Extremist Bush supporter calls for murder of scientists]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Your historical facts are lost on the Conservatives, and your dry-wit irony is lost on the Liberals>. However, I can't help but enjoy your hit-and-run mode of discourse. It's like a bar-fight where the two drunks square up, and then without warning, the guy drinking Diet Coke kicks one of'em in the nuts.
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Choking in Sports
[Read the article: Do women crack under pressure?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I'll never forget sparring against a woman (hey, Sara!) at my old kung fu school. She choked all right. She slid right between two punches, somehow (I'm not sure how) got behind me, and choked me until I tapped out.
Anecdotal puns aside, the first step in having an "intelligent discourse" on the topic of this study is NOT to write an essay generalizing it to all facets of life. The first step in an "intelligent discourse" of this scientific study would be for scientists - not pundits, feminists, bloggers, or trolls - to repeat the analysis in other sports.
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The Parable of the Bar Fight
[Read the article: Bush: Too busy for Iraq debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Bill walks into a bar and says, "I've heard about this bar, and I've heard that there's a lot of ball-kickers in this bar. But I'm willing to fight anyone so long as no one kicks me in the balls."
Eight guys accept his challenge.
Of those eight guys, Bill takes up the two ball-kickers, complaining, "Hey! No ball-kicking!"
Ball-kickers say, "You didn't say anything about kicking you in the nuts!"
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Cunts and Cocks
[Read the article: Does Hallmark make virginity valentines?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]V-Day isn't all above vaginas, Jim. It's about penises too. What do you thing that arrow piercing a heart is supposed to symbolize?
I know, I know. You're just upset that the Thai police have disrupted your Valentine's plans. You'll just have to settle for the 12-year old boys this year.
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Bill...
[Read the article: Bush: Too busy for Iraq debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I can recall several posts that addressed your questions straight ahead without personal attacks. Instead, you chose to respond to the people who were issuing personal attacks, and surprise! you got more of the same from them.
It's not nice that they're calling you names and making all sorts of nasty insinuations about you (what's that saying about sticks and stones?), but given that you've passed on responding to the non-ad homimen responses, I'm starting to think that you've come to Salon just confirm your belief that Liberals are uncivil, irrational Bush-haters.
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To Bill - Part I
[Read the article: Bush: Too busy for Iraq debate]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]First of all, there many statements you make re: history that I think don't reflect the compelxities reality (like claiming the RR ended the Cold War, that Iran was "quaking in their boots" when RR became president, that the men (and woman) closest to the president are especially qualified for the work they've done and still have yet to do, etc. etc. I won't take issue with those points even though I could for fear of wandering away from the discussion at hand, i.e. Bush's leadership on Iraq and his "strength" as a leader:
"It's a bit difficult to track the comments and responses."
I concur. I find that blogs in general and letters-blogs in particular do not foster good discussion because it is so hard to keep everything straight. In fact, we're rapidly reaching the on-line event horizon where a discussion disappears into a black-hole of misreadings, misrepresentations, and misunderstandings. Feel free to email me at sleepycoyote@yahoo.com if you feel it would be easier to continue our discussion without so much unavoidable disruption.
"Believe me, too, I did not come to Salon to pick a fight. I seriously wanted to find out what it was about, and I accomplished that goal, thanks to people like you. I am reading a book by Scott Rosenberg (co-founder of Salon) and thought I'd check it out Salon.com."
I'll take you at your word.