Letters to the Editor
Published Letters: 242 Editor's Choice: 42
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Rise up, rise up!
[Read the article: The I-word goes public]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]As much as I thrill to the word "insurrection" in the article, I realize that "come on now, they're marching in the streets, gotta revolution" ain't gonna happen. We all know that the only voices that are heard are those of a Congressional majority, and public meetings aren't going to accomplish that.
Realistically, Democrats could take back many seats in both houses if a shitload of liberals just bite the bullet and run for office ourselves. Or go out and actively work and fund-raise for your friends who are running. Maybe we're not in time to impeach Dubya, but certainly to sweep out his successors and lay in some depth of new Democratic legislators who are not hooked up to the Beltway feeding tubes.
Remember that the religious right has been working since the 80's to insert stealth candidates into local office elections, and now we are suffering the results at all levels of state and national government.
The willingness to get involved at that risky level is what is needed to elevate the hand-wringers and the choir-preachers to people who actually make a difference in the world.
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Who are you wearing?
[Read the article: Project Bummer]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Snobbery about Talotts and Ann Taylor abounds, but I doubt that any letter writer wears couture. For all of Tim's gentle snubbing, New York designers know that those Houston oil matrons (and tacky Orange County trophy wives) buy far more couture than the handful of cool international sophisticates. And, like it or not, Chloe knows that market.
Santino? He really doesn't like women much. His truly flattering things were few and far between. Daniel is too young and obviously over-thinking things. Of the three, Chloe was destined to win. However, I was really rooting for Nick and Andrae.
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Weather Channel Rocks
[Read the article: Just say it's sunny]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]And local news sucks. That's the bottom line. I think everyone with cable or satellite who gets WC knows the difference in coverage. Weatherpeople locally are "media personalities" who do nothing more than provide happy shiny breaks between local political graft and gang murders.
I'm just sorry that more coverage wasn't given to the Weather Channel's fine educational programming as well. Altogether WC is on in my house about 6 hours a day. It's rewarding to have news that actually affects my life.
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What I like about this piece
[Read the article: Jon Stewart, John McCain and "Bullshit Town"]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]... is the amazing contrast with the previous piece about the Matthews-DeLay interview.
I saw Stewart confronting McCain on the show and he didn't cut the Senator much slack, as opposed to the kissy-kissy lovefest that passes for news on Matthews' show. McCain was a politician, as expected, and didn't sell his conservative soul to Stewart and his liberal audience, but he also didn't snarl, call Democrats traitors or say that Falwell was a Great American or any other stupid and meaningless pronouncement.
In short, he was what Republicans should be, professional and respectfully agreeing to disagree. Is that so much to ask of our representatives on either side of the aisle? I think that is the real basis of McCain's popularity with some Democrats; he just looks so good compared to the Bush weasels.
And, Farhad, I dig that you are getting down with us feisty readers in the letter-pit.
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Sounds so familiar
[Read the article: Excuse me. Is this a business pitch or an OB/GYN appointment?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My own father, when discussing a legal detail about a business venture that I was planning, interrupted me and demanded to know if I was fucking my lawyer. And basically dismissed my plans on that note.
I don't know why men aren't asked "Are you planning on getting a mid-life crisis and start screwing one or more of your employees?" This is far more disruptive to the company, creates a far more tenuous management capability and is actually far more common. Not to mention the Enron/WorldCom/Tyco-style embezzle-and-party-down tendency that is obviously a primarily male tendency.
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Let them stay!
[Read the article: Immigration nation]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]We are all immigrants here, other than the Native Americans. The Republicans themselves descend from immigrant families from somewhere else, though they like to forget that. There's an "I'm here now, so no-one else can move here" attitude, which is consistent throughout American history - every new group is condemned by the previous group. In spite of that, every new wave of immigration has only enhanced America as a paradigm of freedom.
In point of fact, the preponderance of our immigrant “Hispanics” are not of Spanish descent, but are the indigenous South American cultures that were enslaved by Europeans. (just as our Native Americans, the Maori, the Australian aboriginals, the Africans, etc, etc, etc. ) They actually were here first, folks. We are the late-comers, the careless houseguests.
This is the ultimate karma, taking 600 years to work itself out: the European despoilers of the globe, having colonized, industrialized and dominated every continent and every indigenous race (save Asia, and not because they didn't try!) being overrun and then voted out by the descendants of the peoples they conquered. This is really the secret fear of these conservatives pushing for deportation - they know that the sins of their ancestors are coming back to haunt them.
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Two new generals added today
[Read the article: The generals vs. the secretary of defense]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Retired Maj. Gen. John Riggs (interview on NPR) and Maj. Gen. Charles H. Swannack Jr.(article in NYTimes), both of whom served in Iraq. Riggs was forced into early retirement for asking for more troops.