Letters to the Editor
randron
Published Letters: 91
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Paul Rosenberg
[Read the article: Neocons' rejection of the rule of law extends to the personal level]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]"Even at 28% in the latest Newsweek poll, it is still unthinkable that the American people should want real accountability for how they were deceived into this disasterour war against a sworn enemy of those who attacked us on 9/11."
Paul,
Great letter! Just to clarify: Shouldn't the above read...
Even at 28% in the latest Newsweek poll, it is still unthinkable that the American people SHOULDN'T/WOULDN'T want real accountability for how they were deceived into this disasterour war against a sworn enemy of those who attacked us on 9/11."
If not, could you please explain your point? Thanks!
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Broderkleins
[Read the article: Answers for Joe Klein]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My uncle lived on Long Island and worked in NYC. I remember him once declaring that anything west of the Hudson River wasn't worth bothering about. I also remember him describing Kansas City, MO as, "A nice little town."
For those of us who actually live in small towns (mine has a population of 1300), Kansas City is HUGE and NYC is gargantuan! Those folks who live within the megalopolis known as "The Beltway," have my uncle's extremely warped view of "reality." To Joe Klein, George Bush, Dick Cheney, Chris Matthews, Tim Russert, et al, "middle-class" means you have a combined household income of somewhat less than $1,000,000 per year! In my county, $40,000 a year is considered pretty darn good pay! Truth be told, Joe and his cronies and colleagues live, not just in a different "region," they live in a different UNIVERSE!
I visited Arizona earlier this year, spent time on a reservation and visited some burial mounds. However, to declare myself "The Voice of Native Americans" would be ludicrous! Likewise, Broder (IF he really does visit with "real people") is not "The Voice of America." He is the "Voice of what David Broder thinks America thinks based mostly upon what David Broder has already decided America thinks by carefully considering what he (David Broder) thinks!" The arrogance of Beltway Culture is mind-numbing!
Joe Klein or David Broder, if you're listening: Please move to my county in Arkansas for six months. I'll hook you up with a single mom with two kids (one who is diabled);no child support - who makes $6.25 an hour, has no access to public transportation, can barely afford a car (not to mention $3.00 per gallon gasoline); and even with food stamps, has difficulty feeding her kids, buying them decent (used) clothing, and paying her rent! And no, she's NOT lazy! She's trying to get an education but how do you do that with no extra money, a community college that is 45 miles away and no affordable daycare? After six months of struggling trying to makes ends meet and pay your bills, THEN (maybe) you can tell be how you're "The Voice of America!" Until that time, GIVE ME A BREAK!
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You Just Don't Get It!
[Read the article: A beautiful mosaic of anti-blogger hatred]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Glenn,
You just don't get it, do you!? Broder, Klein, Alter have "paid their dues." They've worked their way up through the ranks to become writers for "first rate news organizations." They actually live and work in and around Washington, D.C.! They have important and influential friends who gladly fill them in on everything that's going on in the "real" world of "real" Americans. They are the annointed; they are the elite; they have the best "batting average" (whatever that means!).
I seek out writers like Glenn Greenwald @ Salon, the writers of DailyKos and Digby, not just because they reflect my point of view on many issues, but because they have tended to be insightful, detailed and accurate (i.e., sourced) much moreso than the MSM. Klein wants us to believe him because "he said so" - based on anonymous sources and little, if any specific sourcing. Bloggers, on the other hand, tend to source their information and at the very least, provide links to the original articles upon which their writing is based. Add to that the fact that with blogs, people can issue immediate feedback to the writer, help to correct or refute errors of fact or judgment AND have a dialogue with others who agree/disagree with whatever has been expressed. Sounds like participatory democracy to me - something that has been sorely lacking in American society for years! To borrow a phrase, blogs are a beautiful, INTERACTIVE, mosaic of thoughts, ideas, and opinions ... from ALL of America - not just one group of ego-inflated, arrogant, consdescending Washingtonian elites!
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Turning Lincoln on his head
[Read the article: What Fred Thompson means by the "rule of law"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The vision dancing about in Republican's heads as they (wet)dream about money and power is "Government, of the privileged few, by the wealthy few, for the powerful few." The rest of us are there simply to serve their needs. If my job is outsourced ... that's OK so long as they make more $$$ with cheap foreign labor. If my civil rights are abbrogated ... that's fine, just as long as they can use the information gleaned from illegal wiretaps to blackmail politicians in order to enhance their own power. If laws are broken ... if you're poor, go directly to prison, do NOT pass go and we'll see you 40 or 50 years. If laws are broken ... and you're rich, the jurors were stupid, the judge was unfair, there was no "underlying crime," so PARDON ME!! I didn't go to Yale Law School for NOTHING!
What undermines the rule of law is what happens when it becomes clear that there is a double standard ... one for the rich and one for the poor. I know it's nothing new but there was a time, not too long ago, when most people really believed that Lady Justice was indeed blind. Now, Republican arrogance presents an "in your face" attitude (see Gonzales and Wolfowitz) that denies any wrongdoing and snidely demands, "And what are YOU gonna DO about it?" Until we have the testicular fortitude to answer that question and hold these jackals accountable, things will only get worse.