Letters to the Editor
McGarrett50
Published Letters: 32 Editor's Choice: 3
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Not love, but rooting for
[Read the article: Our favorite murderer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I think the whole debate about loving or hating Tony is off-base. I doubt that any viewers really love Tony. But, viewers are rooting for him. Drama is about conflict. Just as most people immediately root for one team or another within seconds of starting to watch a sporting event, dramas are set up for us to root for someone against somebody else. On The Sopranos, we root for Tony because the writers have structured the show that way. The Shield is another show with a clearly immoral lead character that we still root for.
Given that the show is about the conflicts between criminals, then those who watch can only root for a criminal. A question: Does anyone know anybody who is rooting for Phil Leotardo? I doubt it. And, if you desire cops and robbers morality, then you are out of luck because the Feds are such miniscule characters in the show that there is nothing to root for.
Now, if someone wants to write an article about why people would want to watch a show that is a conflict between two criminals, then there's probably some interesting points to make. However, I doubt that the interesting point would be that somehow this show tells us about the psychology of the average American and their views in Iraq. That's a stretch.
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Amusing
[Read the article: "Even Richard Nixon knew it was time to resign"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It's amusing watching this many people get really worked up about a TV show host calling for Bush's resignation on a cable news network watched by less than one percent of American adults. Like anyone in power, Republican or Democrat cares what Keith Olbermann thinks.
Just remember, there are more people watching Fox than MSNBC (albeit both are in the 1% range). So, unless people figure out how to say something that might persuade another person, all the emotion and venom is for nothing.
PhillieJoe, the above doesn't apply to you. I thought you wrote a reasonable comment which of course means that no one bothered to have a conversation with you.
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McCain sucked up to the media
[Read the article: McCain flees north toward home]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Part of McCain's problem is that he sucked up to the media. The media fell for him in 2000 because he was standing up to people that the media didn't like (e.g. the religious right, right wing donors because of his desire for campaign fiance reform). They forgave him comments about "gooks" and his anti-abortion stand (they probably assumed he didn't mean it) that otherwise would have been used to destroy a politican.
Flash forward:
McCain is pro-Iraq War, certainly a courageous maverick position right now. But, the media hates the war so McCain loses all of their sympatheric coverage.
Next, McCain pulls one of his "stand up to the base" stunts and sides with Kennedy on immigration. Remember, it not just the Republican base that didn't like the bill but a healthy percentage of Perot-type independents and pro-union liberals.
End Result: He has no base anymore.
Now, the good news is that right now is not an election year and most voters do not care a whit what the "candidates" are saying. He's got built-in name recognition so can be a player in any primary if he can find something that resonates.
The bad news is that the media will not forgive him for his Iraq position so even if he finds something that resonates, his ability to get a message out is severely diminshed.
The other bad news is that he looks old.
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Wow, lotta self-hatred here
[Read the article: "The World Without Us"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I guess I shouldn't be surprised but I always am at how much some people hate the human race. Particularly now when things are better than they have ever been in the history of the world.
-Slavery, gone.
-Starvation, mostly gone (where it exists, it is usually because of government action, not "nature getting back at us").
-Health, longest average lifespans ever. Enough to cause people to have fewer kids *by choice* not by oppressive government action like in China (how any of you can express admiration for the actions of the Chinese government since 1949 is beyond me...millions of people were murdered)
-Education/Art/Self-fulfillment, never more free or open to all people than now.
Whichever writer said that the solution was more modernization and urbanization got it exactly right. The environment is best taken care of where people are wealthy. Poor countries abuse it the most. Birth rates drop *by choice* when people live in cities. Using government coercion to force people to not have families is evil.
Our best hope is to protect individual freedom because that is the real driver of human progress. Progress is real and we are living it now.
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Interesting. Ommissions highlight a problem in this war
[Read the article: When is an accidental civilian death not an accident?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This was an interesting article, particularly in describing the amount of planning that goes into how to hit a target not just whether a target should be hit.
I try to pay attention to what is left out sometimes. The big thing left out here is that the people that the US is targeting are generally people who view civilians not as collateral but as the actual target. Example: the airstrike that killed Zarqawi (sp?) stopped a leader whose strategy was to kill civilians.
So, the US has a problem. It is being rightly held to a standard of minimizing civilian causalties but is fighting an enemy who is intending to kill civilians. While launching the airstrike may kill civilians, not launching also probably leads to the deaths of civilians.
I think opponents of the war also have a problem. The clear best outcome for both the US and the Iraqis is that the US and the elected government win the war. Choosing to withdraw and concede defeat, while it may feel good for a bit, is not likely to save civilian lives. More civilians probably die if the US doesn't fight hard.