Letters to the Editor
Just Jake
Published Letters: 59 Editor's Choice: 8
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All Joan All the Time
[Read the article: Goodbye to the Fix, for now]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]So many of you have responded well to this baffling decision, especially Kevin Andrew Murphy; very nicely said. There are really only two things I find to add.
1) Maybe nixing the Fix is primarily a way to try to make us focus on what Joan wants us to read, which more and more lately seems to be what Joan herself has to say. I'm actually indifferent to whether Joan has a blog; she could churn out a book a day. Still, it is surprising how often and how prominently her opinion is now one of the featured items on the main page. Say goodbye to The Fix? I'd much rather say goodbye to that odd cartoon image of Joan.
2) I recently decided not to renew a Salon subscription I'd had for years. As asked, I e-mailed my reasons for not renewing. Much of it boiled down to Salon no longer delivering what I'm looking for, or for that matter what it used to. Acknowledging The Fix while simultaneously killing it says all we need to know: It isn't about providing what we want, it isn't even about keeping our interest. It is about Momma Joan and the other deciders telling us what we _should_ want from Salon. Nevermind that we all know that no matter how good a cup of coffee might be, many of us couldn't stand the taste without a little sugar or cream to offset the primary flavor.
On the plus side, axing The Fix has ended one of the last reasons I still visited Salon regularly.
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AP wire today Clinton Commits to Iraq Deadline
[Read the article: A song for Hillary]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Since AP wires shown on Salon cannot be commented on I'm putting this here. What the heck is AP doing writing such a slanted, partisan-sounding "news" as the item labelled "Clinton Commits to Iraq Deadline"? The item tries to paint her as waffling. Yet all it sounds like she did is vote yes that a bill should come up for debate and tell reporters that she didn't plan to give a preview of how she would vote on a bill in advance. Then later, perhaps once it seemed reporters were going to make a stink about her daring not to answer them, indicating she supported the bill.
It is sad that our once respected press now wishes to leave no room for the complexities and subtleties of the political process, no patience for a lawmaker who indicates she wants to listen to other points of view about a bill before making a final decision on her vote, and what seems like a failure to even understand that today's laws are highly complex documents that are anything but as simple as "bring the troops home" or "cut funding". No wonder the press has seemed to favor the simple and bullheaded Bush for so long -- it is harder for them to get confused by his views because they have no little or no thought behind them and never change.
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No spine = Soft
[Read the article: Why did Carter back down on Bush?]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]While I'd actually go lower on the anatomy in saying what so many Democrats of late seem to lack, 'spine' is used in several letters so we'll go with that. The one point I haven't seen raised yet is that failing to stick by what was said, even when it was right, continues to give Republicans their strongest edge. Democrats already are fighting an uphill battle in convincing people they have what it takes to guide this country while troops are in harms way. Yes it is silly in a way considering how many are veterans who served in time of war, but perceptions matter.
If Democrats don't even have the guts to stand by their own positions even though they weren't wrong, just because of any objection by a corrupt and highly unpopular administration, how the Hell is the public to believe Dems can stand up to insurgents, terrorists, or anybody else? Even though I believe we desperately need a change of party in the White House, I can almost envision being able to mug most of the (D) presidential candidates with nothing but I harsh word... except for Hillary. She'd need an opinion poll that showed the public wanted me to have her wallet before she'd hand it over. (Still, something tells me she has a very strong will that would become much clearer if elected.)
I wouldn't begrudge Carter saying or retracting whatever statement he wanted, except that he reinforced the 'weak' Democrat perception. If you don't have to comment, and you aren't prepared to stand behind your own words when you do, then we'd be better off if you didn't make a half-assed attempt.