Letters to the Editor
amspeck
Published Letters: 357 Editor's Choice: 50
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Jeri Ryan
[Read the article: What do you call a female cuckold?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]It is interesting to remember in the midst of the scandals that Jeri Ryan (Mrs. Jack Ryan) divorced her GOP prude-for-others husband and told the court about the sex-club visits. So for every one of these women standing by their men in dark sunglasses, remember that they made a choice, sometimes years before to stand there, and they are standing there now. They have options.
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Actually
[Read the article: Earth first, says Osama bin Castro]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am concerned about global warming and not at all disheartened by Fidel Castro and Osama bin Laden calling the U.S. to task over it. If they want to call us to task for ignoring the the cautionary warning of Dwight D. Eisenhower:
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
That's fine. I can take the criticism.
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Title 9
[Read the article: Bouncy breasts seek better bras]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I went shopping at Title 9 before my annual week of walking and camping and found three bras that work very well for my 38DD (natural) breasts. At the same time, I am 5'8" and overweight, so I'm more than conscious of a lack of real workout clothing in women's sizes in general. And yes, it does discourage me and other plus-sized women I know from taking even easy steps to get moving again.
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Hmmm...
[Read the article: The condition of the working class in Second Life]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wasn't it the Italian presidential campaign where there was on-line vandalism between the political parties? I think in the US, folks who participate in Second Life (and I know some folks making money from it) are members of the creative class. Does Second Life appeal to a broader spectrum of classes in other countries?
This is also an interesting reflection on the power of the strike. I'd guess the majority of U.S. workers have never participated in or been affected by a strike. The sight of a bunch of people with signs over there doesn't affect either our willingness to go to our workplace (after all, my employer doesn't do that) or our willingness to spend money. So it sounds like the Second Life strike is just a publicity gag, instead of a call for every allied worker to stop what they're doing and tell IBM to change.
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Single-issue voters
[Read the article: The gay voter's guide to the GOP]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I resist thinking of myself as a single issue voter. In my 20's, while attending a conservative Christian college, I refused to vote a Republican party line because of the abortion issue. I did vote for Republicans, but it was because, on balance, I felt they represented the kind of government I wanted more than the Democrats did at the time.
Over time, things have changed. I've come out and am an active participant in my local gay community and church. I recognize that the Republicans do not stand for a less intrusive Federal Government. I value the richness of a broad and literate education over one that emphasizes learning the right answers to a series of standardized tests.
So, now I vote Democrat. But I know gays who vote Republican. Why? Here's a short list:
- They do not identify as being oppressed, therefore following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s admonishment to avoid empowering your oppressor does not resonate.
- They are or have been members of the armed forces and believe that the Republicans fund, protect, and respect the military more than the Democrats do.
- They grew up and continue to identify with rural places and believe the Eastern Elite Democrats don't care about their issues.
I think the Dems are making in-roads on the last two points, so it will be interesting to see how the next election shakes out.
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I still disagree
[Read the article: How did the T get in LGBT?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I wasn't in the gay community before "T" was added to LGBT, but I think the desire to make transgendered folks wait for their rights so gays can have theirs now is misguided. I think for a culture that doesn't understand in the first place, a hallmark of being gay is gender variance. I think more gays are bashed for being too feminine or too masculine than they are for what (or who) they do in the privacy of their bedrooms. In short, only by getting legislation that includes gender variant appearance are we going to get legislation that really covers the full experience of being gay.
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This might have been refreshing
[Read the article: Quote of the day: Take that, Jodie Foster, Nicole Kidman!]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]This might have been refreshing if it was a statement that meant, "Clearly, Warner Brothers does not know how to make successful movies that star women, so we are going to support people who know how to do it -- or at least who have a hunch -- while we focus on making the things we know how to make."
It is true that most action movies that star women underperform movies that star men, but then why is so much fantasy action art littered with women? Clearly, there is *a way* to do it, but clearly you don't just drop a woman into a script written for a man.
And as the other commenters noted, if WB or some other studio gave themselves 15 movies in the genre to get one or two block busters and 10 decent performers and a handful of duds, they'd probably find their blockbusters. (Let Kevin Smith direct Wonder Woman with a free hand already!)
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Another Irony
[Read the article: Another SCHIP family smeared]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]My dad is a small business owner and part of what pushed him from being an independent into the Republican camp was the bill the Democrats passed under Bill Clinton to require small businesses to provide health insurance.
So now the Republican blow-hards are venting about this woman leaving a job with benefits for a job that has no benefits, when under other administrations, she might have had benefits in either place.
What the SCHIP debacle is pointing out to me is that it's long past time for a national health insurance program.